70,000 disabled vets still have chance to gain ‘retiree’ status (please pass along)

[unhappycamper]

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/11/02/2868481/70000-disabled-vets-still-have.html

70,000 disabled vets still have chance to gain ‘retiree’ status
By TOM PHILPOTT — Contributing Writer
Published: November 2, 2013

About 70,000 disabled veterans who served on active duty after 9/11, and were medically discharged with disability ratings of 20 percent or less, still have a shot to gain “retiree” status, with base shopping privileges and lifetime eligibility to Tricare for themselves and families.

The catch is they have to know about this opportunity, and they must apply.

Applying is a breeze. Notifying eligible veterans they can apply is the greater challenge. Efforts to reach many of them by mail have been delayed.

To win an upgrade in disability rating, qualified vets don’t have to appear before one more medical or physical disability evaluation board. They have only to fill out a short application form, send it to a panel called the Physical Disability Board of Review, and wait until the board reviews all relevant health records and decides whether the veteran’s parent service did indeed lowball their original disability rating.