A Court Challenges Air Force Gatekeeping
A federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia has ruled that the Air Force improperly diverted thousands of service members from the Integrated Disability Evaluation System, or IDES. Congress required IDES as the process for evaluating service-related disabilities. The court found that the Air Force’s Initial Review-in-Lieu-of process, known as IRILO, violated the Administrative Procedure Act. The court also determined that the Air Force lacked authority to create the prescreening system. In practice, IRILO kept some wounded, injured, or sick service members from receiving the medical evaluations and legal protections tied to IDES.
Former Airmen Say Benefits Were Put Out of Reach
Former Air Force personnel, including Kathleen L. Watts and Robert Newman, filed the lawsuit in July 2025. They argued that IRILO denied them consideration for medical retirement benefits connected to medical conditions incurred in the line of duty. The case presents a serious question about how many service members were diverted from the required system. The prescreening process remains in place for now because the court has not finalized a remedy. The ruling could affect tens of thousands of service members, while the possibility of a larger class action remains unresolved.
Warnings to Air Force Leaders Went Nowhere
Retired Air Force pilot and injured-service-member advocate Jeremy Sorenson said the Air Force had known about the problem for years. He said IRILO “saves” the Air Force money, which senior leaders used as a reason not to correct it. Sorenson told Lt. Gen. Stephen Davis in August 2023 that the process improperly kept Airmen out of IDES. In October 2024, he presented more specific allegations, including arbitrary Return to Duty recommendations in the RILO or IRILO process and forced entry into the Non Duty Disability Evaluation System. Sorenson said the Air Force took no corrective action, even after he copied nearly 200 senior leaders and Inspectors General.
The Inspector General Faces Its Own Questions
Sorenson said Lt. Gen. Davis conducted a yearlong Inspector General inquiry into injured service member and line-of-duty issues. According to Sorenson, the inquiry avoided every specific violation of law he had identified. He called the court’s decision “fantastic,” but said it should never have required a lawsuit to force action. Sorenson urged Secretary Meink and Secretary Hegseth to ensure that staff bureaucrats cannot ignore problems affecting service members and their families. It is a modest request: follow the law before a federal judge has to explain it.
Watchdog Independence Comes Under Fire
Ryan Sweazey, president of the Walk the Talk Foundation, said his organization has helped hundreds of service members navigate Inspector General complaints. He described what he sees as a troubling pattern in the Air Force Inspector General system, alleging that the watchdog protects the institution while the institution rewards the watchdog. Sweazey called the IRILO case an example of that alleged arrangement, saying the Air Force’s “independent watchdog” ignored an illegal practice and that its head was later promoted. The report says Lieutenant General David Lyons was contacted by email for answers, while responses from Lyons and Davis were still pending at press time.
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