McConnell cuts medical process time in half

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Trevor Rhynes
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  Filing a claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs used to take approximately 180 days to complete, but now the 22nd Medical Group's separation history physical exam program has cut the time in half to file claims with the VA.

When service members are within 180 days of their separation from the military a process is initiated reviewing their medical records before they go to the Department of Veterans Affairs for a physical, or within 90 days of a physical done here.

The review process is completed to identify any medical concerns or history of injuries that the member may have to file a disability claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"The purpose of the program is to facilitate the continuity of the care with the disability claims with the VA," said Sandy Geer, 22nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron records auditor. "We want to have these people file their claims while they're still in the military. We want that process completed by the time they leave."

The program began in January with the intent of helping service members file their medical claims before they left the service.

"Within 30 days, all of my appointments with the VA were completed for the claims I had," said Master Sgt. Dawn Hart, 22nd Aerospace Medicine Squadron superintendent. "She was a huge help, if I didn't have her assistance this process may not have been done when it was. I had five appointments in a two-week span. Her help lifted a huge weight off of my shoulders."

The program is still developing, but Geer and her VA advisors have already cut the time by more than half for personnel to complete this process.

"Currently, we're getting through this process in between 50 to 70 days, and the average is 120 days," Geer said. "I think the reason why we're so successful is because of the relationships we have with the people on the VA side of this process. They know the VA side of things, I know the medical side of things and we talk a lot, making the process run so much smoother."

Geer said her reward for helping these service members is being able to help their transition be as smooth as possible.

"I'm very glad I'm able to continue my caregiving in this way," Geer said. "I really enjoy helping service members navigate this process. It's a good feeling hearing them tell me I was a big help in their transition."