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Retroactive traumatic injury benefits no
longer just for OIF/OEF injuries By Bonnie Fletcher, Texas Veterans Commission, Austin Effective October 1, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is extending retroactive traumatic injury payments to servicemembers and Veterans who suffered qualifying injuries during the period of Oct. 7, 2001, to Nov. 30, 2005, regardless of their place of duty when the injuries occurred. This is important information for many servicemembers and Veterans who suffered any traumatic injury while serving at any duty station outside of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). In October 2010, President Barack Obama passed the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2010, which removed the requirement that injuries during this period be incurred in OIF/OEF. The Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) Traumatic Injury
Protection Benefit, known as TSGLI, will be payable for the injuries
that occurred during this time period. This benefit is payable
whether or not the servicemember or Veteran had SGLI coverage at the
time of the injury. All branches of the service are reevaluating any denied claims that were previously submitted and reaching out to those individuals whose injury did not occur during these conflicts. National Guard and Reserve members are also eligible for a TSGLI payment, even if the cause was not related to their military service, such as an injury that occurred while working at home or a civilian automobile accident. For more information or to apply for a TSGLI payment, servicemembers and Veterans should go to http://www.insurance.va.gov/sgliSite/TSGLI/TSGLI.htm. They can also contact their branch of service TSGLI Office.
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