The Big News in Military Disability: New Changes Make it Easier to Transition Medical Care from...

The DoD and VA recently announced a new Interagency Coordination of Complex Effort. This is a program designed to help make it easier for service members with disabilities that require complex medical care to transition from DoD healthcare to VA healthcare upon leaving the military. For people requiring continuous or regular treatments from multiple providers, this process can be overly complicated with the risk of things falling through the cracks.

In order to simplify the process, the DoD and VA have created the role of Lead Coordinator (LC). LCs will have the tools and procedures to simplify and improve lines of communication between the DoD and VA healthcare systems. Upon transition, one person from the service member’s care management team will be designated the LC and will serve as the go-to person for the service member and their families. The LC will help the service member transition all aspects of their medical care and will offer assistance and guidance in understanding which VA services and benefits they are entitled to. While the LC will not orchestrate the transition themselves, they will assist and guide the service member and their families throughout the process to ensure that nothing is missed or forgotten.

This system has been developed to focus on providing a smooth handoff between the healthcare systems, with a holistic approach to continuity of care and support as the main emphasis. The first phase of LC training ended in November 2015 with a total of 1500 DoD and 1200 VA staff ready to serve as LCs.
If you or someone you know is transitioning out of the military and has severe injuries or illnesses requiring complex care, contact your local DoD or VA provider and ask for a Lead Coordinator to be assigned to assist you in receiving the care you need and deserve.