Last week I visited the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) in Indana. Wait! Stick with me here and don't go to sleep -- if you are a Wounded Warrior, Family member, Advocate, Recovery Care Coordinator, or Federal Recovery Care Coordinator, you want to hear this.
DFAS has an entire unit dedicated to tracking and resolving pay issues for Wounded Warriors. Did you know that? I met the director, and he walked me through a sample case where a Wounded Warrior is identified in theater, and the then his/her pay issues are tracked back to the receiving unit in Germany, or medical facility CONUS. A pay specialist is then assigned to the Wounded Warrior to ensure their pay and benefits are squared-away.
I also met with a young and energetic team working on the DFAS Family Support Debit Card to the families of the nation’s Wounded Warriors. If your family member is hurt, and you need immediate access to cash, the card can be sent to you in as little as 48 hours with enough funds to cover initial travel expenses incurred while visiting your wounded service member. One of the team members was putting together an application packet at 3am! Expenses you may incur include meals, lodging, local transportation and other incidentals. Find out more by calling 1-800-984-8523.
You can learn more about the DFAS Wounded Warrior support and special pay and entitlements by visiting their site here.
If you are a recovering severely injured Service member, or a family member of a recovering severely injured Service member that is likely to be medically retired, one of the first questions you may have is about retired disability income, and how that income may/may not be offset by your likely VA disability rating.
Check out this PPT that takes you step-by-step thru the the Retired Disability Income Estimator to learn more about estimated total income after medical retirement.
Already have a good idea about the process, and how your VA benefits may/may not affect your retirement pay?
Skip right to their nifty DoD Retirement Disability Estimator. Have any other questions? Contact a member of the Recovery Team like your Recovery Care Coordinator, Advocate, or Federal Recovery Care Coordinator.
DFAS also has new mobile version of MyPay, and recently launched this information video on Web changes and usability improvements. Learn more here: