Obtaining Disability Benefits for Wounded Soldiers
The process for obtaining health care benefits for wounded service members has been a long and frustrating one for most of the United States' wounded warriors. The procedure has required going through several different systems, while waiting anywhere from six months to two years before receiving benefits. Fortunately, the Defense Department and Department of Veteran Affairs have joined forces to create a new, streamlined system that is promising to change the face of service member health care. This new pilot system is said to cut the processes and waiting time in half for America’s soldiers.
Media reports fueled the change after publicizing health care issues from Walter Reed Army Medical System. The media reports highlighted complaints from service members and their families that were fielded from task forces, review groups and a host of commissions. The reviews and reports asked for a more effective system, and their requests were heard.
The problem with the system was contributed to by duplicate processes at the Department of Defense and the Veteran Affairs department. These included duplicate physicals, duplicate ratings and duplicate evaluations. Because service members had to go through each of the required processes twice, they oftentimes received different ratings and benefit levels. The new system agrees that the VA will manage the initial physical exam and will set the rating to determine what type of discharge and benefits they will receive. This streamlined process will allow service members to collect their disability benefits within a few weeks.
The Department of Defense and the department of Veteran Affairs have agreed to work together closely and abide by the new set rules. The pilot program is already underway at Malcolm Grow Medical Center on Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. The new procedure has been tested and reported favorable by eight soldiers who had experienced the previous system.
The two agencies have also announced a partnership to find 10 federal recovery coordinators to oversee the needs of service members that have been severely injured. The coordinators will help service members and their families through the rehabilitation and recovery process, making sure they get the care they and their families need. In addition, the DoD and VA have also decided to develop a joint inpatient medical record system and have already began operations at a center of excellence for psychological health and traumatic brain injury. They predict the center will open in October of 2009.
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Media reports fueled the change after publicizing health care issues from Walter Reed Army Medical System. The media reports highlighted complaints from service members and their families that were fielded from task forces, review groups and a host of commissions. The reviews and reports asked for a more effective system, and their requests were heard.
The problem with the system was contributed to by duplicate processes at the Department of Defense and the Veteran Affairs department. These included duplicate physicals, duplicate ratings and duplicate evaluations. Because service members had to go through each of the required processes twice, they oftentimes received different ratings and benefit levels. The new system agrees that the VA will manage the initial physical exam and will set the rating to determine what type of discharge and benefits they will receive. This streamlined process will allow service members to collect their disability benefits within a few weeks.
The Department of Defense and the department of Veteran Affairs have agreed to work together closely and abide by the new set rules. The pilot program is already underway at Malcolm Grow Medical Center on Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. The new procedure has been tested and reported favorable by eight soldiers who had experienced the previous system.
The two agencies have also announced a partnership to find 10 federal recovery coordinators to oversee the needs of service members that have been severely injured. The coordinators will help service members and their families through the rehabilitation and recovery process, making sure they get the care they and their families need. In addition, the DoD and VA have also decided to develop a joint inpatient medical record system and have already began operations at a center of excellence for psychological health and traumatic brain injury. They predict the center will open in October of 2009.
Return to:
Additional Entries
Crohn's disease
Bipolar disorder
Back pain
ADHD
Ankylosing Spondylitis
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