Benevolent Support

USSOCOM : Benevolent Support FAQs

All information below was found directly from USSOCOM's Warrior Care Program Website.

What is USSOCOM?

The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is a Unified Combatant Command that oversees Special Operations Forces from the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. The command is part of the Department of Defense.  USSOCOM is headquartered at MacDill AFB in Tampa.

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What does "Special Operations Forces" mean?

Special Operations Forces are comprised of military service members who have been selected to receive special training and are assigned to special units. Examples include Army Rangers; Army Special Forces, known as Green Berets; Navy SEALs; Marine Special Operations; and Air Force Special Operations. SOF service members are located at military installations and medical facilities throughout the country.

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What is the USSOCOM Warrior Care Program (Care Coalition)?

The USSOCOM Warrior Care Program (Care Coalition) is a congressionally recognized Warrior Care Program, providing non-medical advocacy and assistance to wounded, ill, and injured Special Operations Forces (SOF) service members and their families.  The Care Coalition was founded as a USSOCOM Commander's program under General (Ret.) Doug Brown in 2003.

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Why does USSOCOM need the Care Coalition?

•USSOCOM cannot afford a conventional attrition rate because of the required investment of time and resources in the production of SOF.  This is expressed in the long-standing SOF truths: humans are more important than hardware and SOF cannot be mass produced. 

•The Care Coalition was founded in 2005 by Gen. Brown to fill the gaps in the non-clinical care for SOF wounded, ill, and injured. 

•The welfare of our service members and their families is paramount to SOF readiness and our ability to accomplish the mission. 

•We have fostered relationships with outside sources (non-profits, private companies) to bridge gaps in care and services provided to our SOF wounded, ill, and injured. 

•Our RCCs have the trust of the recovering Service Members and their families, and maintain contact to ensure they are receiving optimal care.

How is the Care Coalition different from the Service Wounded Warrior Programs? 

We focus on a specialized group of wounded, ill, and injured Service embers and their families. With a smaller target population, we are able to assist SOF wounded, ill, and injured during their recovery, rehabilitation, reintegration, and transition. Our primary goal is to assist SOF wounded, ill, and injured in getting back to duty, operationally fit and mentally prepared.  If the Wounded Warrior is not able to return to active duty, we assist in the transition of the Wounded Warrior and his/her family to civilian life. We leverage both government, private and community programs to support this mission.

In what way does the Care Coalition provide advocacy to SOF Wounded, Ill, and Injured? 

The USSOCOM Care Coalition RCCs provide SOF wounded, ill, and injured comprehensive non-medical case management to include assistance with Department of Defense and other government benefits, family program assistance, medical referral management, TRICARE assistance, navigation through the IDES process, referrals to the Department of Veterans Affairs, referrals to internal and external Wounded Warrior programs (i.e. USSOCOM MASP, transition, the Service Wounded Warrior Programs), and other federal and non-federal programs. 

What transition assistance does the Care Coalition provide? 

•The transition program rests on four pillars: community outreach, fellowships, employment assistance, and retraining/educations. 

•The transition team cultivates a network of civilian and government organizations through continuous community outreach to establish a wide net of opportunities for possible fellowship sponsorship, employment assistance and retraining/education options for our SOF wounded, ill, and injured. 

•For those in IDES, the fellowship program provides SOF wounded, ill, and injured Warriors an opportunity to immerse themselves in the daily operations of a sponsoring organization prior to the service members' separation from the service. Through fellowships, SOF wounded, ill, and injured Warriors gain familiarity with the requirement of an employment opportunity to ascertain where their interests lie prior to making a long-term commitment.  Fellowships also enhance their technical skills and business knowledge, while preparing them for civilian employment. 

•The employment assistance program introduces SOF wounded, ill, and injured Warriors to a network of identified employers who have expressed an interest in hiring SOF service members. The participating organizations benefit from the access to talented, experienced, and dedicated candidates. 

•Retraining opportunities allow SOF wounded, ill, and injured Warriors to enhance their skills, train in new career fields, or gain certification to become more marketable in the civilian sector. This program is mutually beneficial to the SOF wounded, ill, and injured Warriors and the sponsoring organization in which the Wounded Warrior conducts his or her retraining, fellowship, and/or employment.

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Why does a Service Member need a Comprehensive Recovery Plan (CRP)? 

The recovery mission can be challenging. A CRP helps to provide order in chaos—it maps out goals, including whether the Service Member wants to return to duty or transition to civilian life. The CRP ultimately sets up Service Member and their family for success.

Why does USSOCOM Warrior Care Program have a dedicated Benevolent Support Section? 

Due to the large number of non-profits (501C3s) that are available to support our wounded, ill, and injured and their families, the USSOCOM Warrior Care Program Benevolent Support Section was established to vet these organizations and ensure that the non-profits interacting with our SOF Wounded, Ill and Injured are well intentioned and that the service member does not inadvertently break any laws or policies in gift acceptance. The Benevolent Support Section also provides an avenue for non-profits to find and vet service members and veterans that meet their mission statement. 
We ensure that a non-profit is not covering something that is already a government benefit. The Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs benefits should always be used prior to non-profit support.

What is the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act (U.S.C. 2601a) and how does it relate to gift acceptance? 

10 U.S.C. 2601a, often referred to as The Wounded Warrior Assistance Act was written to allow service members in a certain status to accept gifts outside of the normal allowed amount for a service member to accept (the $20/$50 rule). This Act allows that those wounded in combat, in combat training, or in a combat zone, or while engaged in hazardous service to accept gifts from charitable organizations through their Ethics Advisor. This law and the follow on policy is one of many gift acceptance exemptions and exceptions within the Department of Defense.

How many non-profits does the USSOCOM Warrior Care Program interact with?

We have established relationships with over 100 non-profits that service SOF Wounded, Ill and Injured, their families, and the families of the fallen.