Speedier Benefits Promised to Severely Wounded

Service members and veterans categorized as "catastrophically wounded" in combat will see the time they must wait for their benefits claims processed drop significantly, officials from the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments promise. "We’ve taken a two-year process and reduced it to six months," said Air Force Maj. Gen. Keith W. Meurlin, the chief of DoD’s transition policy and care coordination office, on Feb. 23. The expedited claims process only applies to service members whose injuries are permanent and severely disabling, and who cannot take care of themselves without assistance. DoD and VA officials hope to accelerate the claims process for all veterans at some point, with the goal of cutting the present two-year wait in half by eliminating military medical evaluations and transferring that responsibility exclusively to the VA.