25 Recommendations Made to Improve the Transition For New Veterans

NEW REPORT CONTAINS BLUEPRINT TO HELP “CUT THE RED TAPE FOR VETERANS,” CRAIG SAYS 

(Washington, DC) Officials from the Department of Defense and Department Veterans Affairs would work together on a joint process of assigning disability ratings under a new plan presented to President Bush. The joint process would determine fitness for duty, the levels of disability for retirement and VA disability compensation.

"This one action to unify the disability rating process will help cut the red tape for injured servicmembers and that should lead to an improved benefits delivery system. I believe this will be a major step forward for future generations of military personnel," said U.S. Senator Larry Craig, the nation’s top Republican on the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. "The plan is good, I believe."

"Just last week I was at Walter Reed visiting with a young man from Idaho who was wounded in Iraq. I am committed to do whatever I can to improve his life and the lives of all veterans."  (continued…)

The proposed joint process of disability ratings was one of 25 recommendations made by the Task Force on Returning Global War on Terror Heroes. The task force was led by VA Secretary Jim Nicholson and included officials from the Departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Education, as well as the Office of Management and Budget, the Small Business Administration and Office of Personnel Management.

President Bush called for the creation of the group in light of the problems discovered recently at Walter Reed. The full report can be accessed online at: http://www.va.gov.

While not a specific recommendation within the report, the task force worked with the General Services Administration to unveil a new version of http://www.usa.gov. That website includes a specialized section of Internet links to Federal services and benefits available to military servicemembers, veterans and their families.