The procedures to expedite disability claims apply to any military service personnel injured October 1, 2001 or later regardless of how or where the disability occurred, whether in the United States or on foreign soil, provided that the individual was on active duty when the injury occurred. ...The Department of Defense (DoD) identifies Military Casualties and provides us with their Social Security Numbers (SSNs). We verify the SSNs, and store them until the claimant contact us.
If the SSN of the individual matches the DoD list:
An alert appears in the Visitor Intake Program (VIP), Customer Service Record (CSR), and/or Customer Help & Information Program (CHIP) when we enter the claimant’s SSN; and
The Electronic Disability Collect System (EDCS) automatically sets the MSCC flag when we establish the case at the initial or appeal level.
NOTE: If the claimant alleges that their disability was the result of a Military Casualty since October 1, 2001, and the SSN does not match DoD records (i.e., no alert is present in VIP, CSR, or CHIP), manually set the MSCC flag in EDCS. If the case is a paper Modular Disability Folder (MDF), the Field Office (FO) attaches a paper flag to the MDF. An exhibit of the paper flag is available in DI 11005.003H (in this section) for EDCS exclusions.
D. Teleservice center (TSC) action to expedite MSCC
The interviewer should be alert to the possibility of disability claims resulting from military service casualties. When a person contacts the 800 number to file a disability claim, identify if the claimant is alleging his or her disability is a result of a military service casualty.
1. If an appointment is available within 3 working days
Schedule the appointment.
In the remarks section of Leads/Protective Filings and Proofs (LPFP) screen, enter “Military Service Casualty Case.”
Transmit the referral to the FO.
2. If an appointment is not available within 3 working days
If an appeal is received in the FO for an MSCC, FO management will ensure that the case receives top priority handling.
Advise the caller that the FO will call back within 2 days to schedule an appointment.
Determine the best time for the FO contact.
In the remarks section of LPFP, enter “Military Service Casualty Case, APPT NEEDED ASAP/BEST TIME FOR CONTACT” (time within the FO's business hours).
Transmit the referral to the FO.
Complete and transmit separate claims referrals for any auxiliaries, if applicable. ...
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Oct 29, 2008
"Emergency and Expedited Procedures Related to Military Service Casualty Cases (MSCC)"
The Social Security Administration has transmitted a new Program Operations Manual Series (POMS) issuance entitled: Emergency and Expedited Procedures Related to Military Service Casualty Cases (MSCC). Here are a few excerpts:
Will combat veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) get this "emergency and expedited" treatment? Why should a soldier who has a heart attack stateside or who gets injured in an off-duty automobile accident get special treatment? The soldier may be in a medical holding company and still receiving his or her full pay. Even if already processed out of the service, he or she is likely to have military retirement or VA benefits. Why is it urgent to help the soldier who is in no financial distress, but not urgent to help a person with the same medical problem who is destitute?
"An appointment available within 3 days"?--wow, what in what unknown utopia of an fo does that happen?
ReplyDeleteAnd if not, the fo will contact the person within 2 days to schedule an appointment, thus losing another 2 days? This is a bizarre policy that totally overlooks the crisis of understaffing that has fo's by the throat.
Make the appointment as soon as one is available on the calendar, and leave it at that. Every time they create a new priority, a previous priority is shoved aside.
What about teri, qdd and compassionate allowances? which takes precedence?
Agreed, although many TERi cases are HIV which has become far from a terminal illness for many.
ReplyDeleteIn my view, Military Casualty claims are an offset to the political motivations of the DOD and the VA to deny the existence of PTSD and TBIdiagnoses amongst our veterans.
Veterans with PTSD and TBI are getting the same expedited treatment for the claims, at least in my experience. These procedures have been in place for quite some time now, but maybe they weren't public before.
ReplyDelete