WASHINGTON (Oct. 28, 2013)--Army officials continue fielding a web-based technology that enhances transparency of the Individual Disability Evaluation System (IDES) process for Soldiers and commanders, while also providing system administrators an enhanced capability for identifying challenges and potential obstacles.
"We want to make sure the Soldier is taken care of all the way through the system, they understand the system, and they're getting the care they need," said Lt. Gen. Howard B. Bromberg, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1.
Aligned with the Department's Ready and Resilient Campaign plan, the dashboard is a resiliency tool, which aids commanders in taking care of Soldiers during their career. Commanders and authorized staff now have the ability to view and search individual Soldier cases in the system and track their step-by-step progression through the process. If commanders see an obstacle to a Soldier's progress, they can intervene as required. Also, individual Soldiers with an open IDES case have the ability to view and track their own case from start to finish and estimate the completion date based on Army averages for all remaining steps.
"The IDES Dashboard reinforces the Army commitment to ensure Soldiers and families receive the support they deserve as they complete their service and begin their transition from military service," said Col. Carl Johnson, Director, U.S. Army Physical Disability Agency.
"Having enhanced capabilities to track individual Soldier readiness ultimately increases our ability to ensure Army readiness," Johnson added.
The Army rapidly fielded the IDES Dashboard Aug. 28, to aid in tracking a Soldier's transition from military to veteran status ultimately to ensure uninterrupted care and entitlements. The initial fielding allowed sufficient time to make system refinements prior to wide-spread notification to the force.
Officials from the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1 sent an informational e-mail Oct. 28 to key Army leaders and to more than 20, 000 Soldiers in the IDES process to make them aware of this new online tool and its capabilities.
Johnson said, "The Army has made significant improvements and is meeting timeline goals for stages it controls."
"We continue to work with our partners in the Veterans Administration (VA) to improve the process, eliminate backlogs, and provide our Soldiers and Veterans the benefits they deserve," he added.
Related Links:
Ready and Resilient Campaign Plan
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