Processing of Veterans Affairs Review for Injured Soldiers Within 100 Days

On the 28th, soldiers lined up to receive career counseling at the 2022 Military Personnel Employment Fair held at KINTEX in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] From now on, when injured soldiers, police officers, or firefighters apply for veterans' review, it will be processed within 100 days.

On the 29th, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs announced that it will introduce various systems for "rapid veterans' services," including shortening the registration period for soldiers, police officers, and firefighters as national merit recipients.

The Ministry will introduce a "Fast Track for Veterans' Review" and plans to establish an organization dedicated to this within the Veterans' Review Committee by January next year. Applications can be made for incidents occurring within 6 months before discharge or retirement, and within the past year. The processing period will be reduced from the existing 8 months to 100 days.

The "National Veterans Disability Certificate," which can replace the physical examination required for determining the disability grade of national merit recipients, will be operational from July next year. Currently, about 14,000 people undergo physical examinations annually, which are only available at five major city veterans hospitals, taking an average of 2 months for the assessment. The National Veterans Disability Certificate can be issued at nearby tertiary hospitals, reducing the required time.

In particular, active-duty soldiers, police officers, and firefighters who were wounded or injured in the line of duty will be able to receive this certificate at military hospitals and police hospitals where they have been treated. The Ministry also plans to expand the veterans' review meetings, which have so far been held only at the Veterans' Review Committee in Sejong City, nationwide from next year, operating "visiting veterans' review meetings." This will alleviate the inconvenience of long-distance travel for applicants with mobility difficulties.

The Ministry expects that with the operation of these various systems, the average registration period for national merit recipients, currently about 8 months, will be reduced to within 6 months by the end of 2024.