The Army is dispatching support specialists to counsel injured servicemen and –women who are applying for benefits under the Traumatic Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance. Although every injured servicemember who cannot perform the normal tasks of daily life for a period of at least 30 days is eligible for up to $100,000 dollars. However, currently only about 40% of the claims for this benefit are approved, not because the claims are not valid, but because they do not have the level of documentation the army requires for proof. Some cases are easy to prove, such as the loss of a limb, severe burns, traumatic brain injury, or spinal-cord injuries. However, servicemembers who suffer severe wounds to limbs that are saved, or that suffer more mild forms of brain injury but are still dependent on others for dressing, bathing, toileting, or eating, often do not provide the level of documentation necessary for approval.
The counseling specialists have been dispatched to Walter Reed Army Medical Center (AMC), Brooke AMC, William Beaumont AMC, Womack AMC, and Eisenhower AMC, and will soon be in place in almost another half-dozen AMCs across the country.
This move is an attempt to help the large number of wounded, especially the number of troops with head injuries, to get the help they need to adjust back after their injuries.
The Army feels a responsibility for those who are injured on duty, but unfortunately for most of us when we are injured, no one steps forward to help. If you have suffered a life-impairing injury, consult the personal injury lawyers at the Glick Law Firm, P.A, who are prepared to stand up against the powerful interests that hurt you.
