A sizable minority  of wounded warriors submitted their applications more than a year after  injury, often foregoing some retroactive benefits because of this delay in  applying. About 60 percent of the applicants with no pending claims have  been approved for benefits by SSA, with a majority of the approved  claimants having a mental health disorder as their primary impairment. SSA has for some time been  considering a legislative proposal to change or waive the statutory  retroactive benefit period specifically for wounded warriors to help those  who may not apply soon enough after disability onset. A Small Percentage of Wounded Warriors Receiving DOD or VA Benefits Also Receive SSA Benefits, and Those With Higher Disability Ratings Are More Likely to Receive Benefits From SSA

Among almost 251,000 wounded warriors receiving DOD or VA disability  benefits, we found that about 26,000 (10 percent) of this cohort had  applied for SSA disability benefits and about 9,000 (4 percent) were  receiving SSA benefits as of July 2008. 6.) SSA, DOD, and VA Have Developed Programs and Initiatives to Reach Wounded Warriors, Particularly since 2007

SSA, DOD, and VA have taken individual and collaborative steps at the  national level to establish and maintain outreach to wounded warriors  who may qualify for SSA disability benefits. Since 2007, SSA has increased its outreach efforts to wounded warriors by  initiating contact with DOD and VA medical facilities and tailoring its  information about disability benefits to meet their needs. 7.) This  level of interaction was less common at VA sites. A Number of Challenges Affect Agencies’ Outreach Efforts to Wounded Warriors, Especially for Those with TBI and PTSD

Agency efforts to help wounded warriors learn about and apply for SSA  disability benefits early in the recovery process can be affected by  challenges, including some servicemembers not being ready to apply and  misinformation that may be passed among wounded warriors. SSA Is Expediting Wounded Warrior Claims With Assistance From D and VA, but The Transfer Of D Medical Records Can Prolong Decision- Making

as established a nationwide policy requiring its district offices, the state  SSA has expedited the processing of wounded warrior benefit claims, with  ses in the transfer of DOD  assistance from VA and DOD; however, weaknes medical records to SSA can prolong decision-making for some cases. DOD medical records are  transferred to SSA as paper documents, a process which can take weeks  or months, according to DDS officials. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

We were asked to examine (1) the number of wounded warriors who have  applied and been approved for Social Security Administration (SSA)  disability benefits, and the extent to which wounded warriors who receive  Department of Defense (DOD) or Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)  disability benefits also receive SSA benefits; (2) the extent to which SSA,  DOD, and VA have worked to inform wounded warriors about and help  them apply for SSA disability benefits, and the challenges that confront  this outreach effort; and (3) whether the agencies have taken any steps to  facilitate the processing of wounded warriors’ SSA disability benefit  claims. We obtained and analyzed administrative data from SSA, DOD, and  VA on wounded warriors’ utilization of financial benefits from all three  agencies. Section 2: How you learned about SSA benefits

4.
Why GAO Did This Study

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.

What GAO Found

As of December 2008, about 7,600 of the16,000 wounded warriors who have applied for SSA disability benefits since 2001 have been approved. The majority filed their applications since 2007. Also, 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. To varying degrees, SSA, DOD, and VA have increased outreach to help wounded warriors learn about and apply for SSA disability benefits. Since 2007, SSA has increased its outreach to DOD and VA medical facilities and has tailored benefit information for wounded warriors. DOD--and to some extent VA--have incorporated SSA information into their case management practices as well. Locally, DOD and SSA staff have worked together to reach servicemembers, but collaboration has been less common at VA hospitals. Meanwhile, there are challenges to reaching and working with this population. Many of the wounded warriors may not be ready or able to hear about SSA benefits early in their recovery. Also, brain injuries and mental health disorders can impede many wounded warriors' ability to absorb outreach information and complete the benefit application. With help from DOD 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. For their part, DOD helps SSA identify claimants who are wounded warriors, and VA has expedited the transfer of its medical records and histories to SSA. However, 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.