2. Determine if the program data supports the use of functional evaluations to decrease time to reach MRDP and increase RTF; identify any factors related to timing, diagnoses, or demographics that impacted outcomes.
3. Identify the relevance, if any, to other Army initiatives or broader military medicine objectives. Defend your position using the statistical data provided.
Retention is one of the pillars of Army end strength. Determining retention potential of a wounded, ill, or injured Soldier in a timely and accurate manner can be difficult given the interaction of multiple variables: pain, physical requirements for a Military Occupational Specialty, manifold combinations of conditions and injuries, and individual response to treatment. Since January 2021, the Army Recovery Care Program (ARCP) has utilized Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs) and Work Hardening/Work Conditioning Evaluations (WH/WCE) in the Soldier Recovery Units (SRUs) to improve the process of making a separation and retention decision. Retrospective analyses of calendar year 2021 and 2022 data indicated improved Return to Force (RTF) rates for evaluated Soldiers over non-evaluated Soldiers. The restructure of ARCP and SRUs presents an opportunity to pause and evaluate whether and to what extent this evaluation program has met the initial objectives to decrease time to reach Military Retention Determination Point (MRDP) and increase RTF rates; what factors related to Soldier demographics, diagnoses, and evaluation timing, if any, impacted either of these objectives. A dataset covering four years and utilization of descriptive and inferential statistical testing allows the audience to determine if there is sufficiently significant value to merit broader adoption within military medicine.