Fort Lewis Soldier and Family Assistance Center Assists Wounded Warriors with Social Security

When soldiers return from combat, they often are plagued with physical and cognitive injuries, a common one being traumatic brain injury. Soldiers are taught to "suck it up, and drive on." The stigma for seeking help has diminished slightly over time, but there are still issues within the ranks. However, at the Wounded Warrior Battalion, help is always available through the Solider and Family Assistance Center just south of Seattle.

While going through the medical process, it is highly recommended that soldiers file for Social Security Disability.

Social Service Coordinator Stacie Overbay handles this role at the SFAC. For a year she has diligently assisted soldiers with their paperwork, which includes a functional report and a history report. She estimates that she has had more than 880 soldier contacts from April 2008 to present. She understands that soldiers are often stressed out and have a hard time focusing.

"The application can be frustrating, and soldiers might not know exactly how to answer the question," she said.

The process of filling out the application takes approximately 45 minutes. Soldiers are not required to have their medical paperwork, but having it could make filling out papers easier. Social Security will retrieve your records through the process. Overbay encourages soldiers to ask questions and learn as much about the process as possible.

"The biggest thing is you must have patience because the process takes so long; it can be frustrating for a soldier," she said.

I spoke to several soldiers about going through Social Security. Some soldiers were reluctant to talk about it because they were going through the reconsideration phase and didn't want to make anyone mad -- possibly affecting their case. Out of the 10 soldiers I spoke with only one had been granted benefits. In fairness, every case is different, making it difficult to determine if cases are being mishandled.

I contacted the Seattle Region Social Security Communications Director Eileen A. McSherry, and she stated in an e-mail: "Please know that SSA is committed to providing quality service to all of the American public, including our military members and veterans."

To make things easier for soldiers, Social Security has a process to expedite the process. If soldiers are interested in this process, they can go to http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10131.html.

The Wounded Warrior Battalion and SFAC are helping soldiers through the Social Security process, and hopefully in time more soldiers will receive what they deserve and need for their lives. As one soldier honestly put it, "Most of us soldiers will never even been seen by a disability examiner, so we are putting a lot of trust into people. Those writing our medical reports at Madigan and the people at the Social Security office that have a pile of our files on their desk. It must be consuming, but they need to get it right." Soldiers who are interested in learning more about their rights can go to http://www.socialsecurity.gov/woundedwarriors/.