Recovering Servicemembers. DOD and VA Have Jointly Developed the Majority of Required Policies but Challenges Remain
Abstract
Over the past 8 years, DOD has designated over 34,000 servicemembers involved in OEF and OIF as wounded in action. The severity of injuries can result in a lengthy process for a patient to either return to duty or to transition to veteran status. The most seriously injured servicemembers from these conflicts usually receive care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center or the National Naval Medical Center. According to DOD officials, once they are stabilized and discharged from the hospital, servicemembers may relocate closer to their homes or military bases and be treated as outpatients by the closest military or VA facility. Recovering servicemembers potentially navigate two different disability evaluation systems that serve different purposes. DOD's system serves a personnel management purpose by identifying servicemembers who are no longer medically fit for duty. If a servicemember is found unfit because of medical conditions incurred in the line of duty, the servicemember is assigned a disability rating and can be discharged from duty. This disability rating, along with years of service and other factors, determines subsequent disability and health care benefits from DOD. Under VA's system, disability ratings help determine the level of disability compensation a veteran receives and priority status for enrollment for health care benefits. To determine eligibility for disability compensation, VA evaluates all claimed medical conditions, whether they were evaluated previously by the military service's evaluation process or not. If VA finds that a veteran has one or more service-connected disabilities that together result in a final rating of at least 10 percent, VA will pay monthly compensation and the veteran will be eligible to receive a higher priority status for health care benefits enrollment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA501888
Entities
People
- April Brantely
- Bonnie Anderson
- Catina Bradley
- Elise Pressma
- Frederick Caison
- Lisa Motley
- Randall B. Williamson
- Susannah Bloch
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office