SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY; Additional Outreach and Collaboration on Sharing Medical Records Would Improve Wounded Warriors' Access to Benefits

Abstract

Disability benefits available through the Social Security Administration (SSA) can be an important source of financial support for some wounded warriors, and Congress has mandated that the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) help them learn about and apply for such benefits. GAO was asked to determine: (1) how many wounded warriors have applied and been approved for SSA benefits and the extent to which they are receiving benefits from across the three agencies; (2) what steps DOD, VA, and SSA have taken to inform wounded warriors about SSA benefits, and the challenges that confront this process; and (3) steps taken by all three agencies to facilitate the processing of wounded warrior disability claims. Focusing on those wounded since 2001, GAO reviewed policy documents, contacted DOD and VA medical facilities, surveyed wounded warriors, and analyzed administrative data.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA508120

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Brain Injuries
  • Casualties
  • Congress
  • Department Of Veterans Affairs
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Hospitals
  • Law
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mental Disorders
  • Military Personnel
  • Security
  • Teamwork
  • Therapy
  • Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • United States Government

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Mental Health of Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Risk Factors, Prevalence, Symptoms, and Treatment.