HAVE QUESTIONS? WE HAVE ANSWERS.
Frequently Asked Questions
General Information
Here are some of the most common questions we receive about our mission, history, and nonprofit status.
What Does Return To Duty Mean?
Return to Duty (RTD) is the official term used when a military member or first responder is determined to be medically fit to return to service after recovering from an injury or illness.
Whether that duty is to a mission, teammates, family, or starting a new chapter in life—RTD's goal is to help patients return to what they're passionate about and help them achieve the best quality of life possible through better healthcare.
Who Does RTD Serve?
We are currently focused on helping US Special Operations Forces (SOF) with spine, compression, or mobility injuries find and receive the highest quality healthcare options, education, and quality care.
That means... Active-Duty, Guard, & Reservists, and Retired.
We are actively growing our provider network to include the world's top neuro and ortho spine surgeons as well as other healthcare providers who support various treatments associated with recovery.
501c3 Nonprofit Status
Return To Duty was founded in 2022 and officially received approval for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in late 2022.
For more information, see Make A Donation.
History & Mission
Return To Duty is founded by a passionate and dedicated group of current and former military and first responders now working in the private healthcare and medical device sectors. The team has dedicated their lives to public service, experiencing their own battles with various service-related injuries and issues.
Now, with RTD, we come together with a new mission: to serve as advocates facilitating better patient education and care through an extensive network of trusted HCPs that can provide meaningful solutions to help patients return to duty and an enjoyable quality of life.
For more information, see About Us.
Our Vision
Return To Duty is the first and only centralized forum that:
- Empower patients through education to help them make well-informed healthcare decisions.
- Provide an extensive network of trusted HCPs offering advanced technology and patient-focused solutions.
For more information, visit Our Mission.
Members
Our mission is to connect as many of our serving men and women with healthcare providers that can provide them with the best possible healthcare education and care. By empowering our community—we can and will make a difference for good.
How Much Does Membership Cost?
For Members—No cost! Members can expect complete access to our Healthcare Provider (HCP) network at no charge.
Learn more about Our Mission.
Who Is Eligible To Join?
We are currently only serving US Special Operations Forces (SOF) operators and the family members who support them.
In the future, we may look to expand this to additional groups, including:
- Active-duty Military & Veterans
- National Guard & Reservists
- Firefighters & Law Enforcement
- First responders & EMS staff
Why Only Spine & Compression Injuries?
We are currently singularly focused on helping SOF members with spine, compression, and mobility injuries because that's where our specialties and capabilities reside.
In the future, we hope to be able to expand healthcare offerings and provider connections being just spine.
Subscribe to the newsletter to stay up to date—or follow us on social media.
Providers
We take tremendous pride in vetting and accepting only the highest-quality healthcare providers (HCPs) with a track record of excellence into the RTD Network.
How Much Does Being A Provider Cost?
For Healthcare Providers (HCPs)—NOTHING.
Admission into the RTD network is currently limited and will be based on a strict nomination/approval process as well as excellence in care.
IMPORTANT: HCP recommendations to our network WILL NEVER be made based on payment, sponsorship, or "pay to play."
Who Is Eligible To Join?
We are currently ONLY accepting healthcare experts in spine, compression, and mobility injuries (neuro, ortho) and by personal reference.
In the future we hope to expand our network for other injuries; however, all providers will go through a strict screening and vetting process.
Future areas will be:
- Spine
- Total Joins
- Sports Medicine
- Mental Health
- Physical Therapy
- Primary Care
Be The Difference. Become A Supporter.
Join the RTD mission to help US Special Operations Forces with spine injuries receive guidance and access to the healthcare options, education, and quality care.
Together—we can improve quality of life, extend careers, and better our nation.