VA, DoD Smooth Path to Benefits

Week of February 02, 2009

The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments recently announced a new, faster means for handling troops with "catastrophic" injuries who seek the veterans' status that allows them access to VA medical and other entitlements. Troops who participate in this optional, expedited process will be given a Defense Department disability rating of 100 percent, and the VA then will identify the applicable range of benefits, compensation and specialty care. The policy allows members who retire under the expedited DES process to re-enter the service with a waiver if they are capable following their rehabilitation. The release dictates that the expedited policy differs from the DES pilot program, a new process designed to reduce the amount of time required by the current standard disability processes at the Defense Department and VA, which is administered to troops without catastrophic injury. To learn more, read the full article on Military.com.

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