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Veterans Law
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Seamless Transition: Important Information for Veterans
and Those Who Serve Them
By Betty Joan Thurber
Around Washington, D.C., “seamless transition” has received a lot of airtime and
front-page coverage. But what is seamless transition? Perhaps more importantly,
what does seamless transition really mean for the hundreds of thousands of
veterans who live in Maryland? Attorneys across the state should be aware, if
not knowledgeable, of the opportunities and benefits that the seamless
transition initiative provides for veterans – many of whom are or will be
clients.
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) began in October 2001 and supports combat
operations in Afghanistan and other locations, and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)
began in March 2003 and supports combat operations in Iraq and other locations.
According to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report issued in June
2006, more than 1.3 million U.S. military servicemembers had served or were
serving in OEF or OIF. Many have expressed concerns about the assistance with
which servicemembers are provided when they return to civilian life. It was in
response to these concerns that the concept of seamless transition developed.
Seamless transition is an initiative jointly sponsored by the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD). In January 2005, VA
established an Office of Seamless Transition, whose Chief reports directly to
the Principal Deputy Undersecretary for Health. The office employs
representatives from the Veterans Heath Administration (VHA), representatives
from the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), an active-duty Marine Corps
officer and a representative from the Army Wounded Warrior program. According to
its most recent fact sheet, the office seeks to improve the transition from the
military to VA by ensuring efficient claims processing prior to release from
active duty; by coordinating case management for patients’ medical and benefit
needs; by improving outreach efforts; by ensuring accurate, high-quality
education of VA staff; and by strengthening the partnership between VA and DoD.
In terms of claims processing and case management, VHA social workers and VBA
counselors are located at 10 military treatment facilities (MTFs), including
Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and National Navy Medical
Center in Bethesda, MD. These professionals provide information about the
various VA benefits and services available, including health care and
readjustment programs, disability compensation, the Servicemembers Group Life
Insurance Program and educational and housing benefits. VBA counselors assist
servicemembers in completing benefits claims and in gathering supporting
evidence; beginning these processes prior to discharge from military service
helps eliminate any gaps in services or benefits. Servicemembers are then given
VA contact information for the appropriate OEF/OIF coordinator and case manager
(located at each medical center and regional office) when they are transferred
to another medical facility, released or awaiting discharge or retirement
orders.
Outreach is an essential component of the seamless transition process. In
addition to distributing educational videos and written materials to returning
servicemembers, VA actively participates in discharge planning and orientation
sessions. Military Service Briefings (which include separation and retirement
seminars, pre- and post-deployment briefings, and the formal Transition
Assistance Program) are designed to ensure that servicemembers know about their
VA benefits, and to provide any other necessary assistance. For those leaving
active duty due to service-connected medical problems, the outreach effort is
intensified to ensure a full understanding of the VA compensation process and
vocational rehabilitation and employment programs.
The seamless transition initiative would be unsuccessful without the in-depth
education of VA staff. The agency has created training materials to help staff
identify combat veterans and ensure that they receive timely access to
appropriate services and benefits. VA has developed tools to assist clinicians
in caring for OEF/OIF veterans; for example, in collaboration with DoD, VA
developed Clinical Practice Guidelines on combat veteran health issues like
post-deployment health and unexplained pain and fatigue. VA also developed
several Veterans Health Initiative Independent Study Guides relevant to veterans
returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Cooperation and communication between DoD and VA is perhaps the most important
aspect of seamless transition. According to recent testimony given by the VA
Undersecretary for Benefits, the agencies have made significant progress in the
development of collaborative health technologies that support seamless
transition, including the successful transmission of electronic medical records
between DoD and VA, and the adoption and implementation of related data
standards. In addition to these improvements, the departments have made efforts
to streamline the disability evaluation and rating process. Currently,
servicemembers who apply for disability compensation under the Benefits Delivery
at Discharge (BDD) program undergo a medical examination while still on active
duty that is adequate for VA purposes. Under the program, which is jointly
sponsored by DoD and VA, servicemembers can complete an application for VA
disability compensation benefits up to 180 days prior to separation.
Servicemembers attend one physical examination, and VA fully develops the claim;
the single medical examination meets the military’s needs for a separation
physical and also fulfills VA’s requirements for processing the disability
claim. This process results in less inconvenience for the servicemember and
fewer gaps in the delivery of his or her well-earned benefits.
According to its 2006 Year End Report, the Office of Seamless Transition is
working toward future initiatives such as integrating VA and DoD tracking
systems and making statistics on OEF/OIF veterans more easily accessible. In
more general terms, however, the Office of Seamless Transition strives to expand
the process to all servicemembers transitioning from military to civilian life.
Regardless of its breadth, the seamless transition initiative is an important
one for many of our nation’s veterans, and it is something of which all Maryland
attorneys should be aware. For more information about seamless transition and
other important veterans programs, please visit
www.va.gov.
Betty Joan Thurber is a Management Analyst with the Department of Veterans
Affairs. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the
views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States of America.
