Military Officer - June 2007 - (Page 37)

washingtonscene Problems encountered by wounded warriors generate multiple task forces, hearings, and proposals to overhaul military and VA health care and disability systems. L E G I S L AT I V E N E W S T H AT A F F E C T S Y O U Critical Conditions M ilitary and VA health care and disability systems have been featured prominently in the media lately, with multiple task forces appointed and hearings held to identify what’s gone wrong and how to ﬁx the problems encountered by our returning wounded servicemembers and their families. Here’s a synopsis of progress as of late April: The Independent Review Group (IRG) was appointed by the secretary of defense to investigate conditions at Walter Reed and Bethesda medical centers. The IRG released its ﬁnal report in mid-April, ﬁnding that war-wounded receive ﬁrst-class care through the duration of their hospitalization, but the system breaks down upon transition to outpatient status. The group also criticized military services — especially the Army — for separating signiﬁcantly disabled servicemembers from the military rather than medically retiring them with health care and other beneﬁts. The IRG report highlighted a laundry list of problems, including: ■ qualiﬁcation and training of case managers; ■ inadequate resources for care of personnel with traumatic brain injury (TBI), burns, amputations, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); ■ inadequate and declining mental and behavioral health stafﬁng; ■ lack of electronic interface between military and VA care systems; ■ a “perfect storm” of base closures, staff outsourcing, and funding shortfalls that crippled services at Walter Reed; ■ different categorizations for Guard, Reserve, and active duty servicemembers that raise potential for differential treatment; ■ insufﬁcient assistance provided to servicemembers’ families; ■ inadequate housing and facility maintenance for outpatients and families; and ■ serious leadership failures to ﬁx these shortcomings. The IRG recommends the following: ■ assign each wounded servicemember a primary physician and case manager; ■ overhaul the disability evaluation system to ensure fairness and consistency; ■ accelerate transition from Walter Reed to Bethesda and Fort Belvoir, Va; and ■ address medical staff shortages with creative recruitment and compensation. Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs committees joint hearing — Two weeks before the IRG issued its ﬁnal report, MOAA Deputy Director for Government Relations Col. Ana Smythe, USMCRet., testiﬁed before a joint Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs committee hearing, offering suggestions to address many of the problems the IRG found. Smythe proposed establishing a Joint DoD/VA Seamless Transition Ofﬁce, staffed by DoD and VA personnel; a joint electronic [CONTINUES ON PAGE 40] JUNE 2007 Wounded Warrior Watchdogs ■ No fewer than six task forces appointed by cabinet-level officials have been tasked to recommend improvements for care and support of wounded warriors and their families. Over the next few months, we expect to see a growing consensus as these groups file their reports. Congress is expected to act on these recommendations this year. MILITARY OFFICER 33

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - June 2007

Military Officer - June 2007 Contents From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Getting the Best Care Stand By Me Promise for PTSD Cover Story: Heavy Duty Unified Medical Command Pages of History Faces of MOAA Information Exchange Member Books Advertising Index MOAA Member Services MOAA Calendar MOAA Scholarship Donors Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - June 2007

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