Special Compensation for Assistance with Activities of Daily Living (SCAADL) was authorized by the Fiscal Year 2010 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 111-84). This special monthly compensation is for eligible catastrophically injured or ill Service members who require assistance with activities of daily living or who are at a high risk for personal safety and cannot live independently in the community without caregiver support. SCAADL provides financial assistance for the non-medical care, support and assistance by a primary caregiver for the Service member. Catastrophically wounded, ill and injured Service members and their caregivers may reach out to their primary care managers or care coordinators to discuss eligibility for this program.

A Service member must meet all of the following conditions to be eligible for SCAADL:

• Has incurred or aggravated a permanent catastrophic illness or injury in the line of duty;
• Needs assistance from another person to perform the personal functions required in everyday living or requires constant supervision;
• Has been certified by a DoD or VA-licensed physician to need assistance from another person to perform the personal functions required by everyday living and, in the absence of such assistance, would require hospitalization, nursing home care, or other residential institutional care; and
• Is an outpatient and has identified a designated primary caregiver

The amount of compensation paid to catastrophically wounded, ill or injured Service members is based on the member’s level of dependency, caregiver assistance required, and the local wage rate for a home health aide in the member’s geographical location. The Department of Defense uses the same assessment tool and Bureau of Labor Statistics wage rates for home health aides that the Department of Veterans Affairs uses for their caregiver program to ensure consistency as required by the FY2011 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 111-383).

DoD Instruction (DoDI) 1341.12, October 31, 2019

SCAADL Application DD Form 2948, May 2019