Armed Forces Casualty Assistance Readiness Enhancement System (CARES): Design for Flexibility

摘要

The families of fallen soldiers are required to complete a considerable number of forms in order to receive various benefits and entitlements from the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Administration, Internal Revenue Service, and Social Security Administration. They must do so at a time when the families' grief is raw and normal tasks seem an unbearable burden. Active duty soldiers appointed Casualty Assistance Officers (CAOs) assist surviving families through the process. However, CAOs tend to be inexperienced, usually serving in this capacity for the first and only time, and they often times find themselves challenged to provide accurate and thorough assistance. Moreover, changing laws and updated regulations regarding casualty entitlements add to the pressures and perplexities that many CAOs experience. As a consequence, some families do not receive all benefits and entitlements in a timely manner. Furthermore, in some instances potential benefits may be overlooked entirely. To help remedy these shortcomings, we have developed the Armed Forces Casualty Assistance Readiness Enhancement System (CARES) an information system that improves how the Department of Defense cares for military families in arguably their greatest time of need.