Electronic Medical Records For Wounded Warriors Press Release

     Social Security has sent out a press release touting a project to work with the Department of Defense to speed disability benefits to wounded warriors by increased efficiency in using electronic medical records.

Webinar For Wounded Warriors

Disability.gov reports that Social Security is sponsoring a "webinar" for wounded warriors on November 4. "Participants will learn about benefit programs, and get answers to questions such as who is eligible, and when and how to apply for benefits."

GAO Reports On Wounded Warrior Project -- SSA To Propose Legislative Changes In Retroactive Effect Of Disability Claims?

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued Additional Outreach and Collaboration on Sharing Medical Records Would Improve Wounded Warriors’ Access to Benefits, a report on Social Security's Wounded Warrior program which accelerates the disability process for those injured in military service. Some findings:

As of December 2008, about 7,600 of the16,000 wounded warriors who have applied for SSA disability benefits since 2001 have been approved. ... [A] sizable minority of approved claimants filed long enough after injury that they lost some retroactive benefits; SSA is considering a legislative proposal to change the retroactive period for wounded warriors. Among wounded warriors receiving DOD or VA disability benefits, 4 percent were receiving SSA benefits. In addition, more than 6 percent had applied but were not receiving SSA benefits; some still had claims pending. Those with higher disability ratings from DOD or VA were more likely to receive SSA benefits. ...

With help from DOD [Department of Defense] and VA, SSA has been able to expedite processing of wounded warrior claims. SSA has established a nationwide policy requiring its offices to give priority to wounded warrior claims. ...DOD’s paper-based transfer of medical records to SSA is slow, which can prolong the process by weeks or months, according to claims processing staff.

I wish the wounded warriors all the best but I can think of no reason why their disability claims should get a longer retroactive effect than those of other claimants.