Lynn Cites Progress in DOD, VA Partnership

The partnership to ensure seamless transitions for wounded warriors from military to Veterans Affairs medical care has made significant progress, but work remains to be done, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said here today.

In testimony before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Lynn and Deputy Veterans Affairs Secretary W. Scott Gould laid out their goals and achievements to show the progress of the partnership, established four years ago. “The professionalism and commitment of the staff in both departments is helping make [seamless transition] a reality,” Lynn told the committee. “We’ve reached a historic level of cooperation between the departments.”

A modernized disability evaluation system is one of the vital tools to create seamless transitions, Lynn said, noting that the former system remained relatively unchanged for decades. The new Integrated Disability Evaluation System, which DOD and VA developed, serves more service members, Lynn said, and full adoption of the new system, expected to be in place by year’s end, is the partnership’s top priority.