Board finally to review disability ratings

[unhappycamper]

Board finally to review disability ratings
By Kevin Maurer - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jan 16, 2009 14:54:49 EST

WILMINGTON, N.C. — A board mandated by Congress to review disability ratings of wounded veterans is finally accepting applications after months of delays.

Congress created the Physical Disability Board of Review after investigations found inconsistencies in how the military assigns ratings. The board has been delayed since its creation in 2007. It wasn’t until June 2008 — months after the panel was to begin operating — that the Defense Department formally announced its creation.

“Even at this late date, it is still good news to hear that the board is finally taking applications,” Vanessa Williamson, the policy director at New York-based Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said Friday. “But unless they are doing active outreach to troops and veterans, those with wrongly decided claims will not even know that recourse is available.”

The board posted its application on a Defense Department Web site last week after it was approved by the federal Office of Management and Budget.

Congress created the Physical Disability Board of Review after investigations found inconsistencies in how the military assigns ratings.


Rest of article at: http://navytimes.com/news/2009/01/ap_disabilityboard_011609/%2e