Noteboom The Law Firm

Disability Evaluation System May Help Claims Process

April 21, 2010 - A new pilot program intended to simplify the application process for disability compensation for soldiers is now being used in Fort Benning. The Disability Evaluation System (DES) was created for soldiers separating from the military due to service-related disabilities or retiring.

The DES program started in 2007 and was designed to merge processes used to determine if soldiers are fit enough to stay on active duty and as an extension, if they are eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation. Prior to the DES program, soldiers were subjected to two very different and lengthy processes to have benefits eligibility determined. The DES, however, requires only one physical exam and disability rating to determine benefits.

Fort Benning was the latest base to get the DES program, bringing the total amount of installations participating in the DES program to 27. Soldiers using this program will:  

• Know prior to discharge what their benefit rating will be;
• Know what benefits to expect from the VA; and
• Know the entire benefits available to them prior to leaving the service.

 All the participating installations are working to work out the bugs in the system. The program's goal is to develop a more dependable evaluation and compensation program for both the VA and the soon to be veterans. By determining disability ratings for service-related injuries and medical boards prior to discharge, everything should run smoother, at least in this arena.