The Office of Warrior Care Policy regularly supports a number of Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs initiatives including the Warrior Care in the 21st Century coalition, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) and the Interagency Care Coordination Committee (IC3) . Continue below for more information on each of these initiatives and WCP’s involvement thereof.
Warrior Care in the 21st Century coalition
The Department of Defense (DoD) is committed to building an international coalition dedicated to developing effective non-medical and medical programs and policies for the 21st-century warrior. The Warrior Care in the 21st Century coalition addresses warrior care issues – both non-medical and medical – affecting all nations; identifies common challenges, best practices, and innovative solutions to support current and future care and support for Service members; and validates workable solutions to long-term challenges. While medical advances and research have led to decreased fatality rates of Service members, new challenges have arisen. International relationships developed during the last few years allow all participating nations to maintain an ongoing dialogue on common challenges, determining what’s necessary to enhance and develop meaningful and measureable solutions for wounded, ill and injured Service members and their families. The Warrior Care in the 21st Century coalition focuses on resilience, recovery and rehabilitation, as well as reintegration:
- Resilience at home and in theatre
- Recovery (non-medical) and Rehabilitation (medical): determination of fitness and recovery
- Reintegration: benefits, determination after separation or retirement, and support of non-governmental organizations
For more information on the Warrior Care in the 21st Century coalition, please contact us warriorcare@osd.mil.
United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH)
Eliminating nationwide homelessness, particularly among Veterans, is a priority of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), a council comprised of Cabinet Secretaries and other senior leaders across 19 federal member agencies. The Office of Warrior Care Policy (WCP)is an active member of this council, collectively working with other participating agencies to drive action on achieving U.S. President Barack Obama’s goals to end homelessness. Performance is driven by four goals and 10 objectives set in Opening Doors – and, measured annually in a performance and accountability report.
Additionally, USICH conducts its annual Point-In-Time (PIT) Count – a nationwide census led by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – on a single night in January to estimate the number of Americans, including Veterans, without safe and stable housing. When possible, Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve Service members, as well as DoD staff participate in this annual count.
For more information on the USICH, please contact us warriorcare@osd.mil.
Interagency Care Coordination Committee (IC3)
“One Mission… One Policy… One Plan”
The Interagency Care Coordination Committee (IC3) is a joint effort between the Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) which aims to draw full potential and raise awareness to interagency coordination of complex care, benefits, and services. The IC3’s mission is to implement a standard model for coordinating all aspects of interagency and interdisciplinary importance that are part of Service members’ and Veterans’ rehabilitation pathway after injury or illness. This includes but is not limited to: care coordination, disability benefits, education and training, employment support, housing, and transportation.
In a staple effort of this program, the IC3 established the Lead Coordinator (LC) role to provide personal guidance and assist Service members, Veterans, and their families on the road to a better understanding of the benefits and services to which they are entitled. The LC role is for an existing member of the care management team who, while fulfilling responsibilities of their primary role, assumes responsibility for coordinating and overseeing execution of the Interagency Comprehensive Plan for Care Coordination Support (ICPCCS). The LC may be a medical or non-medical case manager and is not responsible for the actual delivery of care beyond their scope of practice
The Office of Warrior Care Policy (WCP) participates in and continues to prioritize support for the IC3 initiative by working with other agencies and organizations to facilitate communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and sharing of knowledge, practices and ideas, with the ultimate goal of ensuring the smoothest of transitions for wounded, ill or injured Service members.
For more information on the IC3, please visit the DoD/VA IC3 website or contact us warriorcare@osd.mil.
