We as a nation, have thousands of injured soldiers from past wars and now those fresh from the Iraq and Afghanistan fight. They all return from the war zone, to a military hospital with serious and complicated medical needs. Many times, these soldiers rarely understand their entitlements when they pass through the “medically discharge system.” These heroes and warriors are usually still dealing with various levels of medical pain to ask the right questions, nor understand what is said to them.
The Iraqi War has brought this home hard, so this spring, the U.S. Army brought about a new program to assist all severely disabled soldiers. The new program is called “The Army’s Disabled Soldier Support System (DS3). Now, both the disabled soldier and their family members have a new way to find answers too many of their questions.
This program provides an additional safety net for severely disabled soldiers who may have been overlooked after being medically retired from the service. For this program, severely disabled means a disability rating, or the likelihood of a rating of 30 percent or more, and a special condition. The rating or special condition does not have to be related to a combat wound or injury. Some, but not all conditions include the loss of an eye or limb, a spinal or disfiguring injury, or a psychiatric disorder.
This program is also designed to assist the soldier once he or she returns to the civilian world. At the soldier’s request, the DS3 task force can conduct specified research, and then contact an organization or agency to educate them on any supporting Army Regulations and Policies.
They have a great web site at www.ArmyDS3.org, that contains a program overview, photos, news, resources and links. You can also contact them by calling 1-800-833-6622.
Please share this web site with all the Veteran Rider groups, as most support and work with many severely disabled soldiers and their families. Every one of these severely disabled soldiers deserves our very best effort to support them!
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