Conditions at Walter Reed [Archive] - Professional Soldiers ®

Gypsy

02-23-2007, 18:28

Most of you have heard about the deplorable and disgusting conditions in Building 18 at WRMC.

Here's Mr. Galloway's take on it...

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/shoptalk_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003548374

Galloway: Walter Reed Hospital Scandal is 'The Last Straw'
As The Washington Post probe proves, there's more to supporting our troops than making "Support Our Troops" a phrase that every politician feels obliged to utter in every speech, no matter how craven the purpose. How can they look at themselves in the mirror every morning?

By Joseph L. Galloway

(February 21, 2007) -- There’s a great deal more to supporting our troops than sticking a $2 yellow ribbon magnet made in China on your SUV. There’s a great deal more to it than making "Support Our Troops" a phrase that every politician feels obliged to utter in every speech, no matter how banal the topic or craven the purpose.

This week, we were treated to new revelations of just how fraudulent and shallow and meaningless "Support Our Troops" is on the lips of those in charge of spending the half a trillion dollars of taxpayer's money that the Pentagon eats every year.

The Washington Post published a probe, complete with photographs, revealing that for every in-patient who's getting the best medical treatment that money can buy at the main hospital at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, there are out-patients warehoused in quarters unfit for human habitation.

Some of the military outpatients are stuck on the Walter Reed campus, a couple of miles from the White House and the Capitol, for as long as 12 months. They've been living in rat and roach-infested rooms, some of which are coated in black mold.

There was outrage and disgust and raw anger at this callous, cruel treatment of those who have the greatest claim not only on our sympathies, but also on the public purse.

Who among the smiling politicians who regularly troop over to the main hospital at Walter Reed for photo-op visits with those who've come home grievously wounded from the wars the politicians started have bothered to go the extra quarter-mile to see the unseen majority with their rats and roaches?

Not one, it would seem, since none among them have admitted to knowing that there was a problem, much less doing something about it before the reporters blew the whistle.

Within 24 hours, construction crews were working overtime, slapping paint over the moldy drywall, patching the sagging ceilings and putting out traps and poison for the critters that infest the place.

Within 48 hours, the Department of Defense announced that it was appointing an independent commission to investigate. Doubtless the commission will provide a detailed report finding that no one was guilty -- certainly none of the politicians of the ruling party whose hands were on the levers of power for five long years of war.

They will find that it all came about because the Army medical establishment was overwhelmed by the case load flowing out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, brave soldiers who were wheelchair-bound with missing legs or paralysis, have been left to make their own way a quarter-mile to appointments with the shrinks and a half-mile to pick up the drugs that dim their minds and eyes and pain, and make the rats and roaches recede into a fuzzy distance.

All this came on the heels of my McClatchy Newspapers colleague Chris Adams's Feb. 9 report that even by its own measures, the Veterans Administration isn't prepared to give returning veterans the care they need to help them overcome destructive, and sometimes fatal, mental health ailments. Nearly 100 VA clinics provided virtually no mental health care in 2005, Adams found, and the average veteran with psychiatric troubles gets about a third fewer visits with specialists today than he would have received a decade ago.

The same politicians, from a macho president to the bureaucrats to the people who chair the congressional committees that are supposed to oversee such matters, have utterly failed to protect our wounded warriors.

They’ve talked the talk but few, if any, have ever walked the walk.

No. This happened while all of them were busy as bees, taking billions out of the VA budget and planning to shut down Walter Reed by 2011 in the name of cost-efficiency.

Among those politicians are the people who sent too few troops to Afghanistan or Iraq, who failed to provide enough body armor and weapons and armored vehicles and who, to protect their own political hides, refused to admit that the mission was not accomplished and change course.

But it's they who are charged with the highest duty of all, in the words of President Abraham Lincoln in his Second Inaugural in 1865: "to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan."

How can they look at themselves in the mirror every morning? How dare they ever utter the words: Support Our Troops? How dare they pretend to give a damn about those they order to war?

They've hidden the flag-draped coffins of the fallen from the public and the press. They've averted their eyes from the suffering that their orders have visited upon an Army that they've ground down by misuse and over-use and just plain incompetence.

This shabby, sorry episode of political and institutional cruelty to those who deserve the best their nation can provide is the last straw. How can they spin this one to blame the generals or the media or the Democrats? How can you do that, Karl?

If the American people are not sickened and disgusted by this then, by God, we don’t deserve to be defended from the wolves of this world.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joseph L. Galloway is a legendary war correspondent, winner of a Bronze Star and co-author of "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young." His column on military affairs is distributed by Tribune Media Services.

Warrior-Mentor

02-23-2007, 22:10

Tough to follow Mr Galloway, but here goes...

Yes, Walter Reed has taken a beating in the press lately. Sometimes a black-eye in the press is a good thing. In this case, it's spurned a bureaucracy to quickly fix the egregious treatment of our Nation's Wounded Warriors. Allow me to jump on the bandwagon.

At what point did our General Officers start believing that their rank entitled them to better treatment than their Soldiers?

Want an indicator?

Try to park at Walter Reed.

Out in front of the Main Hospital, there a driveway that leads to the 1st floor. ALL of the best parking is reserved. But not for our Nation’s wounded Warriors.

The parking is reserved for those [General] Officers whose personnel files have risen to the top, and not necessarily through their performance in combat. Yes, they’ve spent two, sometimes three decades in service to the country. And for that service, they have been paid.

Now, unfortunately, some of our Soldiers are the ones who are paying the price of our freedom. Like it or not, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”[Thomas Jefferson]

The Army defines Selfless Service as “Putting the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own.”

In ROTC, I was taught that Officers take care of their men first. That’s why Officers eat AFTER all of their men.

That’s why I am asking that the General Officers give their reserved parking to the people who’ve earned it, our Wounded Warriors. And I’m not talking about handicap parking. Our Soldiers deserve better. In lieu of a sign that indicates “Star Parking Only”, I’m proposing “Purple Heart Parking.”

It’s long over due we recognize those who have truly earned the right to, among many other things, a short walk to the hospital. And not just at Walter Reed….all the Military Hospitals. AAFES should do the same for post exchanges and commissaries as well.

It’s the least we can do.

incommin

02-24-2007, 05:31

dennisw

02-24-2007, 07:57

I was taught that Officers take care of their men first. That’s why Officers eat AFTER all of their men.
....... I have believed for years that our general officers are over paid and over pampered.......just like the CEO's in the civilian world.

The distance between the concepts above could not be any further. Maybe some of our leadership should read Virtues of War and learn a few things from Alexander.

The Reaper

02-24-2007, 10:01

I just wonder with all of the VIPs visiting WR on a regular basis, how things like this could go unnoticed?

Maybe they never checked on the outpatients or did follow-ups?

I do know that the hospital has a budget, wonder how much base maintenance money they have recently received, since every other base I know has been hit hard in the maintenance funding to pay for the GWOT.

The next question is how Bethesda is going to absorb WRAMC's patients as well as their own when WRAMC closes under BRAC. The last BRAC made some really stupid decisions. Do we anticipate a lot of Navy casualties? :rolleyes:

TR

Sionnach

02-24-2007, 10:01

I wonder what regs you'd be breaking if you taped the "Purple Heart Parking" sign over the GO parking.

Warrior-Mentor

02-24-2007, 12:17

I wonder what regs you'd be breaking if you taped the "Purple Heart Parking" sign over the GO parking.

TR,
We need an IG ruling on this one....what do you think?

The Reaper

02-24-2007, 12:47

IIRC, by the regs, all of those signs are unenforceable.

The MPs told me that handicapped, official vehicle, and MAYBE installation CO signs are the only one that could be enforced. GO, CO, CSM, and Yard of the Month signs are honored out of respect only.

Frankly, rather than GO, the closest parking to the building should be handicapped.

GO decals are clearly identifiable, so they know if you are a GO, or even an officer or not.

I understand that the general is busy, but he also has a driver who can pick him up sixty seconds after his cell phone rings.

OTOH, any GO who would chew ass or deny an amputee, a kid in a wheelchair, or a GI on crutches a closer parking spot at a medical facility should have his stars ripped off on the spot.

I suspect that a strongly worded (but respectful) note to the Garrison Commander, the CG, MDW, or the Surgeon General should get some changes. If not, one to the Washington Post certainly should after this debacle.

You never know till you ask.:D

TR

AxeMan

02-24-2007, 13:53

First of all, TR…..I must have met you before because I was working at SFUWO when you took those photos of the compound. Bet you came down to jump with us on Shark DZ.
Anyway, I think that some of you out there will have some interesting opinions of a related subject.
Do we owe our wounded SF brothers that can no longer work at team level due to their injuries some sort of job within the units?
Obviously some guys have many years of experience training, deploying, and working inside SF. For those that do, do we keep them around or do we put them out of the force? I have a few friends that fall into this category and am interested in what some of you think is the right thing to do, both for the wounded guys and the force.
…….MDW

Warrior-Mentor

02-24-2007, 20:25

GO decals are clearly identifiable, so they know if you are a GO, or even an officer or not.

Which also makes it easy for bad guys to track as well...
bad enough to have a blue sticker...now we need to have stars on it as well?

I understand that the general is busy, but he also has a driver who can pick him up sixty seconds after his cell phone rings.
TR

...but his wife doesn't have a driver. She's just got a car with his rank on it. :rolleyes:

The Reaper

02-24-2007, 21:08

...but his wife doesn't have a driver. She's just got a car with his rank on it. :rolleyes:

That is not him, it is his wife, who, last time I checked, has no rank or military privileges, nor does his car, without him in it.

If he isn't in it, she doesn't belong there.

TR

Warrior-Mentor

02-25-2007, 07:44

That is not him, it is his wife, who, last time I checked, has no rank or military privileges, nor does his car, without him in it.

If he isn't in it, she doesn't belong there.

TR

...and she won't drive his car [or park in a GO spot] without him in the car?

...and don't get me started on saluting "cars with stars"...

The Reaper

02-25-2007, 09:24

...and she won't drive his car [or park in a GO spot] without him in the car?

...and don't get me started on saluting "cars with stars"...

IIRC, the only one anyone other than the gate guards had to salute was when the red placards with the stars were uncovered.

TR

jbour13

02-26-2007, 04:28

Gents, I wholeheartedly agree that the system of taking care of wounded soldiers is not up to par with the system (big Army and the values we are entrusted with) that we are a part of. Not taking care of soldiers is a punishable offense under UCMJ....plain and simple.

Parking spaces marked for senior leadership = Force Protection violation. Only places that I agree with that need designated parking are at the HQ's of units. Nothing like the BN Commander coming in and not finding a space and then making life a living hell for the remainder of the day. :D Outside the PX, Commissary....live with the walking. I choose to park at the far end of parking lots for many reasons. I benefit from the exercise, my truck is not as likely to get door dinged, and there are more deserving people that came before me that benefit from shorter walks.

A little off track, but, I have been through both WRMC and Bethesda. Both are not adequately prepared for the amount of casualties that are being placed in their care. I've visited friends at both, and have visited random soldiers to see if I could help. It was a wake-up call to see that soldiers were given prescription meds and forced to make that long trip to recovery alone. Married soldiers typically have a recovery that is assisted by family. Single soldiers band together and bond to recover. I've seen it and it works from some of the friends that have had a short stay.

Near term solutions to this will undoubtedly take the heat off the system, unfortunately the system will not change until it is brought up again.

I do have a story to share of just how much rank a wife holds. Post 9/11 security posture was increased around all military installations. As such the MP's were overworked and needed help in securing bases and running gates. At that time I was a young E-5 and placed in charge of gate detail at Ft. Shafter Hawaii, which houses the USARPAC Commander (a 3 star position). We had multiple occasions of spouses and soldiers forgetting their ID cards and losing their minds when we told them "No card, no access. USARPAC CG guidance. Please proceed to the search pit or turn around." Now the young infantrymen in my charge were outstanding soldiers that followed the order to a "T". I was enjoying an MRE for lunch one day just inside the guard shack when I heard a lady making a big deal bigger about her right to access the post. Little did I know the significance. I stepped out, asked how I could be of assistance and was berated about not knowing my job. I explained the reasons as to why she couldn't access the installation and did so nicely. She steps from the car, and pokes me in the chest saying "young man, you've just made the biggest mistake of your short career!!" She steps back into the car, loops around and tears off. I giggle a little, shake my head and tell the guys good job. I enjoy my MRE and get back to my job of helping check ID's. 4 hours go by, I'm inspecting the next guard mount for their duties, and from around the corner I hear my name mentioned. "Is there a SGT ***** around?" "Uhhhhhh.....Yes Sir!!! Around the corner Sir." My mind is racing, my body goes a little cold when I realize who it is. As it turns out the irrate woman was the USARPAC CG's wife and he wanted to hear my side of the story. I rattle it out fairly quickly and get it out that I was doing as ordered. He lets out a big laugh and says thanks, hands me a coin and explains that no person, regardless of access and affiliation is beyond his word. That is one of a few occasions that I could say that general officers understand. Pucker factor went to zero, and I shared the story with my battalion commander...who at the time was not amused, and stayed at his phone for about 18 hours waiting for a call to get a sabot round. :D

Jack Moroney (RIP)

02-26-2007, 06:26

Do we owe our wounded SF brothers that can no longer work at team level due to their injuries some sort of job within the units…….MDW

There are pros and cons to this and then there is reality. When you are dealing with manpower ceilings everyone filling a slot that cannot fully perform in that slot prevents someone who can or prevents someone with the potential of being promoted to contribute at the next higher level from doing so. Unfortunately injury and disease are part of the price we all might have to pay for the profession that we have chosen. I cannot speak for anyone else, but when I found I could no longer perform at the level that I had set for myself I retired even though I had been "selected" for a position that would have allowed me to go to my full thirty years. I felt that I "owed" those for whom and with whom I served better and that no one "owed" me anything. Now that is just me, I am sure others will have different opinions.

The Reaper

02-26-2007, 09:17

She steps from the car, and pokes me in the chest saying "young man, you've just made the biggest mistake of your short career!!"

Actually, she just made a very big mistake, and if you had chosen to pursue it, could have likely abbreviated her husband's career. This is a classic example of someone who believes her husband's rank extends to her. It does not. She is entitled to no more courtesy or privileges than a buck private's spouse. Putting hands on a soldier at a guard post is a criminal offense. You were very kind to overlook this offense and did the CG a favor.

There are pros and cons to this and then there is reality. When you are dealing with manpower ceilings everyone filling a slot that cannot fully perform in that slot prevents someone who can or prevents someone with the potential of being promoted to contribute at the next higher level from doing so. Unfortunately injury and disease are part of the price we all might have to pay for the profession that we have chosen. I cannot speak for anyone else, but when I found I could no longer perform at the level that I had set for myself I retired even though I had been "selected" for a position that would have allowed me to go to my full thirty years. I felt that I "owed" those for whom and with whom I served better and that no one "owed" me anything. Now that is just me, I am sure others will have different opinions.

I argued this point at SWCS on several occasions.

We had a number of personnel at the HQs who could no longer jump due to accumulated injuries. Certain people wanted to separate them from the Army.

I pointed out that we were already short on 18s at the ODA level, and on SFQC instructors as well. Any relieved instructors would have to be replaced with guys from Groups and likely from teams, or with GS employees, or with contractors. The GS employees or contractors, to meet the prereqs, would have to be former 18s who were instructor qualified. After the selection process people would quite likely be the very same people who were just released, but they would be coming back at a significantly higher salary, in the case of contractors, with a cut which would have to go to the company providing them.

I think that a head full of knowledge, 20 years of experience, and a desire to teach more than makes up for the inability to exit an aircraft anymore, in most SWCS jobs. If not, we would not hire the same guys to come back and do the same jobs as civilians.

Just my .02, YMMV.

TR

Jack Moroney (RIP)

02-26-2007, 09:39

[QUOTE=The Reaper]I argued this point at SWCS on several occasions./QUOTE]

I agree with you on this and also this could work at many of the TDA organizations such as the various SOCs, but only to a point. There comes a point when relevance and past experience begin to separate too widely in some of the positions which would be best filled by an active duty soldier-especially in the junior grade positions- where they will be going back with additional experience and insights to the TOE organizations. I often feel on this forum that my observations become less relevant when reading some of the comments and offerings from the folks that are still serving or have only recently retired or left service. For that reason, and others, I am often hesitant to offer any opinions. I guess knowing one's weaknesses might be considered a point of strength, but knowing what you don't know often takes insight, experience and education. While I am sure that I could walk into some organizations today and do what is necessary to make things work, I would not only have to surround myself with good people but also those will current experience so that I did not make stupid decisions based on old perceptions and irrelevant past history.

Of course, some of the things I also see today seem to be mistakes revisited rather than lessons learned.

Jack Moroney-I can still see but it is difficult sometimes to see with clear vision.

dennisw

02-26-2007, 12:42

Col Moroney,

I would contend that what prevents most folks from seeing clearly is their arrogance or lack of humility. In reading your various posts, even if your eyes are not what they once were, you probably see more clearly then most.

Razor

02-26-2007, 13:58

...and there are more deserving people that came before me that benefit from shorter walks.

There are those that have trouble walking and need the closer parking space. However, there is another important feature to disabled spaces. If you take a look at a disabled parking space that's to standard, you'll see that its significantly wider than a normal parking space. This extra space allows those with walkers or wheelchairs to fully open their door, which is necessary to bring the walker/wheelchair close enough to the car to reach it. Without that extra space, if someone parks next to you, you can't fully open your door, so you can't get into your car and you have to 1) wait for that person to finish whatever they're doing and leave, or 2) ask a complete stranger to move your car back for you. Obviously, neither option is all that great.

I bet if you put a few of those wide handicapped spaces at the far end of the parking lot instead of right by the door, only those that truly need them would use them.

Warrior-Mentor

02-26-2007, 21:06

AxeMan

02-26-2007, 21:18

Originally posted by Jack Moroney:
There are pros and cons to this and then there is reality. When you are dealing with manpower ceilings everyone filling a slot that cannot fully perform in that slot prevents someone who can or prevents someone with the potential of being promoted to contribute at the next higher level from doing so.

Sir,
You are right about homesteaders stealing oppotunities from other qualified guys. That has been a problem as long as I've been in SF. I think homesteading is more of a problem up at USASFC and higher levels though. TDA assignments don't seem to go to far past three years these days. I guess I was talking more about giving a wounded guy a chance to work out what he is going to do with his life while he is still doing something good for the force. I am also talking about soldiers that have been around for eight or more years in SF. I don't think that less experience than that is really worth keeping around anyway.
Thanks for your input.
......MDW

Jack Moroney (RIP)

02-27-2007, 05:41

[QUOTE=Warrior-Mentor
Not to encourage micro-management, but to ensure that they at least walk through their area once in while...[/QUOTE]

Absolutely. Learned a long time ago, that the troops do best only what the boss checks.

The Reaper

03-01-2007, 13:20

Looks like some senior heads rolled.

I hope that he was truly personally wrong in his actions, and he is not paying the price for the installation O&M and BRAC cuts.

TR

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,255800,00.html

Top Army General Relieved of Command at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Thursday , March 01, 2007

WASHINGTON —

A top Army commander was relieved of his command at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Thursday after senior officials said they lost trust and confidence in his leadership abilities to address injured soldier care at military medical facilities.

Army Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman leaves his post as two-star general of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

The change comes on the same day that an independent panel reviewing allegations of poor quality-of-life conditions at two military medical facilities treating soldiers injured in Iraq and Afghanistan plans to meet for the first time.

Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, commanding General of U.S. Army Medical Command, will be acting as Weightman's temporary replacement.

"We'll fix as we go; we'll fix as we find things wrong," said Secretary of the Army Dr. Francis J. Harvey in recent comments in the press release. "Soldiers are the heart of our Army and the quality of their medical care is non-negotiable."

The panel will visit the Pentagon and will receive free and unrestricted access to Walter Reed and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Its report is expected in 45 days.

Officials were forced to respond after news articles drew concerns of a deteriorating environment at the 113-acre institution that helps soldiers recover from injuries. Building 18, a facility that houses hundreds of soldiers recovering from battle wounds, was reported to have mold and soiled carpets as well as mouse and cockroach infestations, among other problems.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised on Thursday to place the matter as an urgent priority and address the problems in the upcoming supplemental appropriations bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Congressional hearings are also planned for next week.

"Our wounded military personnel and combat veterans deserve nothing less than the best care, but the continuing revelations at Walter Reed Army Medical Center show a troubling trend," Pelosi said in a statement.

On the Senate side, Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Claire McCaskill are pushing legislation to insure injured soldiers returning from the two war fronts receive appropriate care, including improvements to facilities and procedures and services related to outpatient care for wounded and recovering service members at active military hospitals.

"We need to be aggressive about peeling away the layers and finding some accountability in the system. We need to not just take the word of the command. We have to dig down deeper and talk to the men and women who are living in this system," McCaskill said.

House and Senate lawmakers will hold hearings next week on the issue. Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson told the House Budget Committee that the conditions are "absolutely unacceptable."

Former Army secretaries Togo West and Jack Marsh are leading the investigative review panel and will have unrestricted access into outpatient issues at Walter Reed, the military said. Defense Secretary Robert Gates promised last week to improve conditions after The Washington Post reported the decrepit state of the hospital.

Army officials said last week that they were appalled by the conditions, and had they known they would have acted sooner. But family members, veterans groups and lawmakers say they first warned the Army's surgeon general as well as other top officials about outpatient neglect more than three years, a report in The Washington Post revealed Thursday.

The Pentagon wouldn't comment on the Post report, but Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England told the Senate Budget Committee on Thursday that Gates is "pretty much outraged as we all are. We are going to take whatever action we need to do and that is anything we need to do." He said the panel will review whether the conditions are systemic or an anomaly.

Spokesman Bryan Whitman said the review panel will have full access to facilities and personnel. The Army, however, has apparently told veterans at Building 18 not to speak with reporters on site. They are still free, however, to meet with anyone they want off campus.

According to a report in the Army Times, some soldiers say officials told them not to talk to reporters and to wake up at 6 a.m. to be ready for room inspections at 7 a.m.

“Some soldiers believe this is a form of punishment for the trouble soldiers caused by talking to the media,” one Medical Hold Unit soldier, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the newspaper.

FOX News Mike Emmanuel and Nick Simeone and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jack Moroney (RIP)

03-01-2007, 14:36

Looks like some senior heads rolled.

I hope that he was truly personally wrong in his actions, and he is not paying the price for the installation O&M and BRAC cuts.

.

I do too, but I think there is a lot of politics involved in this also and some of the bill payers are just going to those that were in the wrong place at the wrong time. My son just called from Bragg and tells me that they are expecting a visit tomorrow to review their handling of folks. He has the "pleasure" of escorting them as XVIII ABC representative. He will look like one of the walking wounded however seeing as he broke his butt on St Mere a couple of nights ago and hopes no one will ask him to sit down for any period of time.:D You know, while there is no excuse for any of this I can just imagine all those folks at WRAMC having to jump thru their 4th POC on a daily basis just for all the damn VIP visits. You all know what that is like, when some shit bird do gooder shows up-everything stops, things that should get done routinely get put off routinely. I think that these folks, regardless of their degree of culpability here, were in a no win situation and I am sure while their was all the money needed for care that they probably had jack squat for routine stuff to just take care of the little things. Just my .02 cents YMMV.

Roguish Lawyer

03-01-2007, 14:49

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/03/01/D8NJIQOO4.html

Walter Reed General Loses His Command

Mar 01 2:44 PM US/Eastern

By ROBERT BURNS
AP Military Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Army said Thursday that the two-star general in charge of Walter Reed Army Medical Center has been relieved of command following disclosures about inadequate treatment of wounded soldiers.
Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, who was commanding general of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command as well as Walter Reed hospital, was relieved of command by Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey.

In a brief announcement, the Army said service leaders had "lost trust and confidence" in Weightman's leadership abilities "to address needed solutions for soldier outpatient care" at Walter Reed.

The Army and the Defense Department launched a series of investigations after The Washington Post published a series of stories last week that documented problems in soldiers' housing and in the medical bureaucracy at Walter Reed, which has been called the Army's premier caregiver for soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

After a visit to the hospital compound last Friday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said those found to have been responsible for the problems at Walter Reed would be "held accountable."

"A bedrock principle of our military system is that we empower commanders with the responsibility, authority and resources necessary to carry out their mission," Gates said at the time. "With responsibility comes accountability."

A Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman, said before the action against Weightman was announced that an outside review panel created by Gates was holding its first meeting Friday at the Pentagon. Headed by two former Army secretaries, Togo West and Jack Marsh, the panel is to review treatment and administrative processes at Walter Reed and at the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md. Gates has instructed the group to report its findings publicly within 45 days.

Being relieved of command means Weightman is almost certain to have lost his future in the Army.

A native of Vermont, he graduated from West Point in 1973 and got his medical degree from the University of Vermont. He later served as the surgeon for the 82nd Airborne Division, including during Desert Storm.

He has held a number of medical commands, including service as a leading surgeon during the initial stages of the Iraq war.

Weightman's duties at Walter Reed will be assumed temporarily by Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, the commander of U.S. Medical Command, until a permanent replacement is found, Harvey said.

"The Army is moving quickly to address issues regarding outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center," the announcement said.

Last week the Army took disciplinary action against several lower- level soldiers at Walter Reed, but officials have declined to publicly confirm any details of those actions.

The problems at Walter Reed pertain not to the quality of medical treatment for wounded soldiers but rather to the level of care for those who are well enough to be outpatients, living in Army housing at Walter Reed. One building was singled out in the Post reports as suffering from ill-repair, including mold on interior walls.

The Army also has acknowledged problems with the system it uses to evaluate wounded soldiers in determining whether they are well enough to return to active duty.

At a breakfast meeting with reporters Thursday, in which he refused to discuss any aspect of the Walter Reed investigations, Harvey said the Army also was reviewing conditions at its medical centers elsewhere in the country. He would not be more specific.

incommin

03-01-2007, 14:59

Army Fires Commanding General at Military Hospital (Update2)

By Ken Fireman

March 1 (Bloomberg) -- The commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which is under investigation for outpatient care deficiencies, has been relieved of command, the Army announced.

Major General George Weightman was informed today ``that the senior Army leadership had lost trust and confidence in the commander's leadership abilities to address needed solutions for soldier-outpatient care'' at Walter Reed, the Army said in a statement.

The Defense Department is conducting an investigation of conditions in the facility's outpatient-care wards following a series of stories in the Washington Post. The newspaper reported that dozens of recuperating troops are lodged in mold-ridden, pest-infested buildings, and that hundreds face daunting bureaucratic obstacles to obtaining follow-up care.

Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley, head of the U.S. Medical Command, will take over running Walter Reed until a permanent replacement is named, the Army said. The hospital is located in Washington.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++

Well, that doesn't happen very often!

Jim

The Reaper

03-01-2007, 15:28

Hmm, RL, looks a lot like the version that I posted on the existing Walter Reed thread earlier today.:rolleyes:

TR

Hipshot

03-01-2007, 15:36

The Reaper

03-01-2007, 15:52

IMVHO they ought to take that SOB and bust him to E-1, then retire him. But then again, I have a son in harm's way and the thought that he might end up there under those conditions has colored my vision. That's certainly no way to treat our troops and there's no excuses!
:mad:

Pretty quick to throw the switch and assume the worst about the man, aren't we?

That is like giving a man a $100,000,000 plant to run, and giving him $50,000 per year to maintain it, and busting him when things start to slide.

The Army steals (reapportions) money from the Operations and Maintenance account to pay for unforseen contingencies, like the GWOT. It is also the slush fund when Congress underfunds the Army.

Every year I am aware of, the installation O&M accounts are raided to pay for higher priority items. IIRC, the maintenance backlog gets worse and worse. I think we were behind by more than 30 years on Fort Bragg. We were still putting SOPC students and RC soldiers being mobilized and demobilized in the same WW II splinter barracks I stayed in back in 1978, and that soldiers have been in since 1943. Roaches, rats, and mold? Wanna trade for a piss stained mattress on a bunk bed in a building on Bragg far from everything and with no AC?

Maybe this guy was spending money renovating his quarters and buying new furniture for his office while the troops suffered.

Or maybe he was working off a budget which was passed when there was no major combat taking place, he treated a few thousand patients per year, had shuttered several buildings which were unneeded, his post was being underfunded because it was on the BRAC, and had seen his O&M budget cut by 50% in the middle of receiving the most patients for the longest period since Vietnam. Maybe he had asked for extra funds and had them denied. Does anyone think that a General sees wounded American soldiers and does not care about them? Could be he was doing the best he could with what he had.

I would give the man the benefit of the doubt till the facts are all in. He may have just paid the price for bad decisions made well above him, to include Congress and the White House, which proposes the budget.

Frankly, I wouldn't want his job, regardless of the number of stars that came with it.

Let's not be too quick to judge here. Time will tell.

TR

Roguish Lawyer

03-01-2007, 15:53

Hmm, RL, looks a lot like the version that I posted on the existing Walter Reed thread earlier today.:rolleyes:

TR

You mean Joe Galloway didn't make an appearance on the WRMC radio station? LOL

Threads merged and title changed. :o

kgoerz

03-01-2007, 16:16

IMVHO they ought to take that SOB and bust him to E-1, then retire him

Robert Gates said those found to have been responsible for the problems at Walter Reed would be "held accountable."

We will see, said the same thing about Abu Ghraib. Only ones who went to jail were a couple of low ranking individuals to try and appease the Arab Community. Yes they deserved jail but so did a lot more in their chain of command.

It will be really hard on him making ends meet on a Generals retirement pay. Didn't the commander of Abu Ghraib walk away with a slap on the wrist also? When are they going to make these commanders of very public facilities take responsibility for their lack of leadership. Worst part is the wounded who suffered from this break down of command. But second to that is the PR disaster. No recovering from it.
We need to fight the Enemy, Anti Govt, Libs....etc. Instead we make it easy for them. It doesn't matter if there were other circumstances for this screw up. It's their command, their responsibility and they need to be held accountable. The public only sees another high ranking Govt. official getting off easy

Hipshot

03-01-2007, 16:17

If I came down to hard on the man without knowing all of the facts, then I apologize to him and those who might have taken exception to my words.

Having said that, there's still no excuse for those kinds of conditions in a military treatment facility. It's pretty evident to me that it's been a while since he made the rounds of his facility. He does have some measure of control on how what funds he does get are spent The new microwave oven for the doctor's lounge could wait until sufficient cleaning supplies had been purchased. That may be a simplistic example, but it makes my point. Care for the troops should come before creature comforts.

With that, I shall go back into hull defilade.

The Reaper

03-01-2007, 17:00

No need for that.

If he is guilty, let him swing.

I just want to see the facts before we break out the rope.

TR

Eagle5US

03-02-2007, 03:25

So, they relived the CG this morning. Good start for the public. Thing is, this isn't "new".
I had three surgeries (on my hand) at WRAMC between '95 and '96. That same building they are talking about was EXACTLY the same back then. Bulletproof plexi (with obvious breech attempts) surrounded the checkin desk. There was stale water in the carpet and mold in the "lobby area", and we were requested to sign a "disclaimer" regarding the room conditions before we would be authorized to sign (and pay) for our billet.

We refused and rented a hotel room up the street.

Once at the hand clinic, we complained to the staff there about it and received the standard answer:
"For $22 a night what do you expect?

The patient contact staff is basically a customer service representative. You lock these GS 3 and GS 4 level folks in a titanium clad "you can't fire me no matter what" contract, pay them a McDonald's workers wage, and expect Concierge level service to your "customer base".
It isn't going to work.

Add to that, many many MANY medical folks homestead at WRAMC. They grow there in the good ol'e boy system. Sorry assed E-4's become horrible, lazy E-7's who have little visability on what it means to soldier. Their "care" of the injured becomes a "chore" of babysitting the debilitated. The fact that their condition is no fault of their own usually falls by the wayside as there is no longer a "personal connection" between these soldiers. Many liken it to nursing home care, which is absolutely necessary, but not everyone can do it.

While it is good that there have been public squeeking of the gears to get this noticed, and it is SHAMEFUL that it took this long, I am saddened to say that WRAMC's business and record is not unique to itself as an institution.

There are a myriad of reasons mil healthcare is screwed up. This is but one demonstration of the direction that it has gone over the past 15 years or so.:(

Eagle

Ret10Echo

03-02-2007, 06:22

RUMINT: The Company Commander, 1SG and PSG in charge of Building #18 have been relieved.

Last time I checked, Captains don't get a very big budget...especially for Building that's on the BRAC list.

What's the price tags of the repairs?

I hope some bigger heads roll than just some junior officers and Senior NCOs.

If he/she doesn't have at least 1 or 2 stars on his/her shoulder, we've done a disservice [again].

Time for Generals to start taking responsibility for EVERYTHING that their command DOES or FAILS TO DO!

Not to encourage micro-management, but to ensure that they at least walk through their area once in while...

There is no excuse for poor conditions at any hospital in the United States, especially in those SPECIFICALLY for the military, both active duty and retired (VA). Between BRAC and various other "unfunded mandates" putting bandaids and signing waivers become the norm....(heck I had to sign lead and asbestos waivers before I could move into my government quarters in 93.)

Servicemembers are put in a position where there is not a whole bunch of recourse. Guys just suck it up so as not to be labeled a whiner. Commanders crush comments and send glowing reports of how "morale is up and the men are doing great"....

Relieving a GO...so we take away his aid and driver...big whoop, he has to carry his own bag. He still parks closer to the commissary than a PH awardee and the "consulting" and "military expert" offers make a nice addition to his retirement pay. Big penalty, but you crush an E-# and he has to figure out how to pick up the pieces...

my zero two

bost1751

03-02-2007, 08:42

Leaders are responsible for happens and fails to happen, or least that was in the leadership manual years ago. What most of us are not thinking about is that in the support side of the Army and other branches of service, leadership is found mainly in combat units, not in the soft support units. When I was stationed in Tolz, my team sergeant gave a talk on leadership to the Field Station in Augsburg. My brother was stationed there at the time. The Field Station CSM informed my Team Sergeant units such as that were run by managers. My brother was pissed at the comment but confirmed that was the way they were run. My team sergeant thought that was an interesting comment at best.

Walter Reed had poor First, it would go under. The CEO,, directors, CFO and on down the line would be fired. In the military, as previously mentioned, some poor CPT, SGM, E-8 or someone is going to take the fall. The CG and CSM and so on will continue on. It is a shame, but that's the way is seems to work.

Those overall responsible for the entire complex are the ones that should be held responsible and accountable. The question is, will that ever happen when stars are involved?

bluebb

03-02-2007, 10:14

Do we owe our wounded SF brothers that can no longer work at team level due to their injuries some sort of job within the units?

When I worked with the Singapore Commandos in the early 90s I encountered a man in a wheel chair in their all ranks club. He lived in a room there and took care of the club. I later learned that he had been a member of the unit and had been injured in a training accident. His unit took care of him and he was still a part of the team.
We too often forget our comrades who are no longer with us because of injury. We do a great job of remembering our fallen comrades but let slip from our mind those that can no longer pick up the weapon and strap on a ruck and make the hard walk with us to the objective. Just like the POWs did we need to keep the faith with them and reach out and drag them back into the circle. Weather it be a job our just a phone call to keep in touch.
This is not a ding on anyone on this forum just a thought.

“I can't do everything but I'd do anything for you”
Dire Straits

Blue

Eagle5US

03-02-2007, 10:49

This is not a ding on anyone on this forum just a thought.

And a fine one at that:cool:

Eagle

kgoerz

03-02-2007, 14:17

So, they relived the CG this morning. Good start for the public. Thing is, this isn't "new".
I had three surgeries (on my hand) at WRAMC between '95 and '96. That same building they are talking about was EXACTLY the same back then. Bulletproof plexi (with obvious breech attempts) surrounded the checkin desk. There was stale water in the carpet and mold in the "lobby area", and we were requested to sign a "disclaimer" regarding the room conditions before we would be authorized to sign (and pay) for our billet.

We refused and rented a hotel room up the street.

Once at the hand clinic, we complained to the staff there about it and received the standard answer:
"For $22 a night what do you expect?

The patient contact staff is basically a customer service representative. You lock these GS 3 and GS 4 level folks in a titanium clad "you can't fire me no matter what" contract, pay them a McDonald's workers wage, and expect Concierge level service to your "customer base".
It isn't going to work.

Add to that, many many MANY medical folks homestead at WRAMC. They grow there in the good ol'e boy system. Sorry assed E-4's become horrible, lazy E-7's who have little visability on what it means to soldier. Their "care" of the injured becomes a "chore" of babysitting the debilitated. The fact that their condition is no fault of their own usually falls by the wayside as there is no longer a "personal connection" between these soldiers. Many liken it to nursing home care, which is absolutely necessary, but not everyone can do it.

This is what I expected the main VA hospital on Long Island to look like. Not the most visible Military hospital in the country, in our nations capital. Do the States contribute to the funding. I ask because I was blown away when I went with my dad to the VA hospital on long island. The place was pristine and extremely modern. The staff was the most courteous I ever encountered from a public/Govt service institution. On top of that the place was packed with patients. My dad said it was that busy all the time. But he never had to wait for service longer then usual.
We all heard the horror stories about VA Hospitals. But I was impressed with the Hospital on Long Island. It's the main VA Hospital for the N.Y area. Maybe VA on Long Island is funded different or receives a large amount of private funding/Donations.

Razor

03-02-2007, 17:56

VA money is different from DoD money, or lack thereof.

The Reaper

03-02-2007, 18:03

. But I was impressed with the Hospital on Long Island. It's the main VA Hospital for the N.Y area. Maybe VA on Long Island is funded different or receives a large amount of private funding/Donations.

Come with me to the one in Fayetteville sometime, you know, across the street from the cemetery.

Looks like the Sec Army resigned over this one as well, that is a pretty big head to roll, wouldn't you say?

TR

BMT (RIP)

03-02-2007, 18:47

I wonder if anyone had talked with the IG? No I'm not trolling. :D

BMT

The Reaper

03-02-2007, 18:54

And why had the WRAMC IG not walked through the building and seen the problems for himself?

Or maybe he did, and his advice was not acted upon.

TR

Monsoon65

03-03-2007, 14:39

And why had the WRAMC IG not walked through the building and seen the problems for himself?

Or maybe he did, and his advice was not acted upon.

TR

That's what I'm curious about. All the wheeler-dealers getting their photo ops at WRAMC, showing them shaking hands with the wounded, and not one of them said, "Hey, this place kinda sucks. I wonder what's up?"

Warrior-Mentor

03-03-2007, 19:48

That's what I'm curious about. All the wheeler-dealers getting their photo ops at WRAMC, showing them shaking hands with the wounded, and not one of them said, "Hey, this place kinda sucks. I wonder what's up?"

That's because they visited the spit and polish main hospital...there's a number of buildings on the Walter Reed compound...this one was an apartment about a 1/4 mile down the road from the hospital.

vsvo

03-04-2007, 22:26

...this one was an apartment about a 1/4 mile down the road from the hospital.
And right across the street from the CG's and Army Surgeon General's quarters.

Pete

03-05-2007, 06:34

The war has been going on a long time. Wounded soldiers have been flowing through the "system" since it started. I've seen countless numbers of stories about the soldiers in re-hab. None mentioned the "system" as broken.

Politicians who hate President Bush have been hounding him since he took office. Looking for anything to pound him with. Politicians crawl all over Washington and a few probably even stumbled past WRAMC.

So a couple of reporters get an undercover story on a section of WRAMC and now the "system" is broke, soldiers could get better care in Canada or from the T-ban?

Facts sometimes get covered over by emotions when you have a hot story that makes President Bush look bad.

So; just how are the politicians (Reps & Dems) doing with the 3 billion in BRAC move money? Oh, yeah, politics as usual.

Pete

The Reaper

03-05-2007, 08:19

I noticed that most of the media seems to think that the military medical facilities and VA facilities are under the same system.

Once upon a time, when this country was younger and the media smarter, many of them had actually served their country, reported the facts, rather than editorializing, respected the President, and knew a thing or two about the military, firsthand.:rolleyes:

TR

Max_Tab

03-05-2007, 10:01

Pete

03-05-2007, 10:22

...... I'm sure there are people on here who have expereinced Womack ER first hand...

My wife made her first baby drop at Cape Fear, the second was in the old Womak as they were making the move into the new one. Night and day.

How will they handle an influx of new people. Just like how they do now. Busy phone lines, hard to talk with somebody, when you do you're at the wrong extension, call again, repeat a few times, give up, go Tri Care off post.

Only hit the Cat Cap once with my kids and that was $2,700 out of pocket. I'll pay for going to specialists at Chapel Hill. Not to say there isn't at Womack but I hate working the system.

Managed care (any government run system) means long lines.

Hillery Care is on the way.

Pete

The Reaper

03-05-2007, 10:48

Somebody needs to do an undercover story on Womack, here at Bragg. Worst hospital I've ever been too. I'm sure there are people on here who have expereinced Womack ER first hand, and know what I'm talking about.

With the BRAC recomendation's of moving 21,000 people to the Fayeteville area, I have often wondered what Womack's plan are to accomodate the influx?

Roger all.

Over 5 hours to get a dozen stitches while I was leaking on the ER Waiting Room floor.

Womack will not accept any new retiree patients, and the waits are still atrocious.

My wife made her first baby drop at Cape Fear, the second was in the old Womak as they were making the move into the new one. Night and day.

How will they handle an influx of new people. Just like how they do now. Busy phone lines, hard to talk with somebody, when you do you're at the wrong extension, call again, repeat a few times, give up, go Tri Care off post.

Only hit the Cat Cap once with my kids and that was $2,700 out of pocket. I'll pay for going to specialists at Chapel Hill. Not to say there isn't at Womack but I hate working the system.

Managed care (any government run system) means long lines.

Hillery Care is on the way.

Pete

I have long advocated that the proponents of socialized medical care look at the local VA hospital to see how that will work. Most people who choose the VA option in Favetteville do so because thay have no other source.

Scary, but true.

TR

Max_Tab

03-05-2007, 11:08

My daughter was having breathing problems, and we went in to the ER. She was in the number one triage list, and 9 1/2 hours later we still hadn't been seen. We left because we had a Dr's appt with ped's the next day, (only a few hours later at that point). While we were in there we met a lady, who was having a miscarriage, and and by the time we left she had been there for over 12 hours. They need to fix it soon. I've been to other post's military hospital's and it wasn't even close to the wait.

The Reaper

03-05-2007, 11:35

I walked around and sat in the old Womack ER for over three hours before being rushed onto a backboard and strapped down to a gurney with a serious spinal fracture. It took them that long to get around to X-Raying a jumper who had a bad malfunction, crashed, and complained of back pains.

Just to let you know, Womack AMC has an IG who loves to help people with their hospital problems.

He is located in the hospital administrative offices, take the hallway on the right at the Main Entrance Information desk, first or second door on the right (near the gift shop) into the admin hallway, second door or so on the right last time I checked. I referred another member of the board to him when he was not treated for over six hours after being brought in by ambulance while having a heart attack. IIRC, he finally had to be life-flighted to UNC Chapel Hill Medical Center, where he was stented very shortly after arrival. The Colonel in charge of the ER called him to look into his care.

Here is the thing. Do not go or take your kids to the ER for colds, minor fevers, etc. That is what your clinic is for. If you are not seriously ill, do not go. If you do go with a minor complaint, and you have to wait, good, that is as it should be. I only go to the ER for stitches, broken bones, heart attacks, strokes, resusitation, and fevers over 105 degrees. Everything else not threatening life, limbs or eyesight is a clinic visit.

The IG is there to help the CoC maintain standards and enforce regs. If you feel that the care you were provided at any Army Medical Center was substandard or did not follow policy, ask for the number to their IG office and go see him or her.

At the very least, it will light a fire under them.

TR

Max_Tab

03-05-2007, 12:16

The Reaper

03-05-2007, 12:26

Thanks for the info, I'm sure I will have to use it at some point. The only way I am going to the ER for myself is if I'm about to bleed out, missing a limb, damaged and eye, or am about to die. Does Clark Clinic have an IG to, or do you have to go through Womack for the clinic's?

The Womack IG handles the clinics as well. There is only one or two people in their office, so you can imagine the case load they have.

You can also take it to your IG and he should run it to ground for you, but it will have to go to the responsible IG (Womack, in this case) for action, and may delay the processing.

TR

incommin

03-05-2007, 12:32

x SF med

03-05-2007, 12:44

When I was going through the 18D reclass we had to work the ER on Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays. We gave the best care we possibly could - stitching kids, taking care of hurt jumpers, heart attacks, car accidents, motorcycle accidents - the gamut.

One Friday late afternoon, after a horrible 82nd Division Jump, we had a few hundred assorted injuries, from lacerations to guys having gone through vehicle windshields (equip. 1st drop), to backs and femurs. The ER was busy, and the waiting room was informed that non-life threatening cases would be delayed , possibly a few hours to care for the injured jumpers. Some patients left, some stayed, and one parent raised holy hell about her baby not getting seen.
short version: a COL's wife whose child had a bad cold, but she didn't want to go to peds sick call and mingle with the enlisted wives, so after her bridge and tennis, she brought the child to the ER to get seen - lucky me! "Ma'am, did you go to Peds sick call? answer: (see previous statement), me: well, Ma'am it's going to be a while, we have a lot of injured soldiers from 82nd jump today. answer: I'm Mrs. COL Smith, and I demand to be seen, immediately! me: Ma'am, I'm SGT XXXX, and did the whole command litany, ending with I'm very sorry, but you'll have to wait, I have some pediatric Tylenol to reduce the fever until a doctor can see you... answer: slap meds from hand - I am MRS COL SMITH my husband commands XXXX, and you will see my child now! me: Ma'am, please be seated, again, I'm SGT XXXX, hand her everything written out, we will get to you as soon as possible. Walk away"
Next day - while at ER again - the charge nurse (an LTC) walks up behind me and says - SGT XXXX, what did you do yesterday? You SF guys are a pain in the ass - I have a COL Smith in my office asking about an incident in the waiting room yesterday and he asked specifically for you..... (flashes of Leavenworth in the head) answer: Ma'am, I told his wife to wait until after we had cleared the jumpers out before we could see her child. (explain entire situation) SGT XXXX- go talk to the COL, I'm coming with you (evil smile on her face). COL Smith is a tabbed Ranger, Master Blaster, with a CIB and Combat Patch. He looks at me and smiles, saying: SGT XXXX, Thank you for not letting my wife wear my rank, you have balls - she railroads a lot of people that way. me: Sir, how's the baby, she had a pretty high fever, and was a little dehydrated, I was tied up when she got seen last night. COL Smith: She's doing fine, Thanks for asking... me: My job, Sir - SF Medic in training, I'm glad your daughter is doing well. May I return to duty, Sir? COLSmith: Yes SGT, thanks again for taking care of those men - I'm the XX Bn Cdr, and some of them were my men."

a short answer - the system can get very overloaded due to incidents like the one above - or it can be poor resource management at the site level.

Razor

03-05-2007, 13:52

I'll bet if someone goes sniffing hard enough around Bethesda (or any other civilian or military medical treatment facility), they'll find problems there as well.

The Reaper

03-05-2007, 13:58

I'm Mrs. COL Smith, and I demand to be seen, immediately! me: Ma'am, I'm SGT XXXX, and did the whole command litany, ending with I'm very sorry, but you'll have to wait, I have some pediatric Tylenol to reduce the fever until a doctor can see you... answer: slap meds from hand - I am MRS COL SMITH my husband commands XXXX, and you will see my child now! me: Ma'am, please be seated, again, I'm SGT XXXX, hand her everything written out, we will get to you as soon as possible. Walk away"
Next day - while at ER again - the charge nurse (an LTC) walks up behind me and says - SGT XXXX, what did you do yesterday? You SF guys are a pain in the ass - I have a COL Smith in my office asking about an incident in the waiting room yesterday and he asked specifically for you..... (flashes of Leavenworth in the head) answer: Ma'am, I told his wife to wait until after we had cleared the jumpers out before we could see her child. (explain entire situation) SGT XXXX- go talk to the COL, I'm coming with you (evil smile on her face). COL Smith is a tabbed Ranger, Master Blaster, with a CIB and Combat Patch. He looks at me and smiles, saying: SGT XXXX, Thank you for not letting my wife wear my rank, you have balls - she railroads a lot of people that way. me: Sir, how's the baby, she had a pretty high fever, and was a little dehydrated, I was tied up when she got seen last night. COL Smith: She's doing fine, Thanks for asking... me: My job, Sir - SF Medic in training, I'm glad your daughter is doing well. May I return to duty, Sir? COLSmith: Yes SGT, thanks again for taking care of those men - I'm the XX Bn Cdr, and some of them were my men."

a short answer - the system can get very overloaded due to incidents like the one above - or it can be poor resource management at the site level.

Sorry, bud, that is time to call security and have her escorted off the premises.

If she actually struck you when she slapped the meds, a little assault charge might be in order.

The good Colonel will find that the higher chain of command takes a dim view of that behavior, and she could terminate his opportunity for career advancement by behaving like that.

I'll bet if someone goes sniffing hard enough around Bethesda (or any other civilian or military medical treatment facility), they'll find problems there as well.

I guarantee that they are all like that. With the Army at war, and receiving such a small part of the DoD budget, compounded by ever rocketing medical costs, the O&M has gotten worse each year. The military hospitals are also raided by deploying units for staff, so even though the newer facilities, like Womack are quite nice physically, they are grossly understaffed and poorly maintained.

If I give you a new Mercedes and $30 per year to maintain it, it won't run well for very long.

Maybe the Administration and Congress will see that it is the money shortage, and fix it. Maybe.:rolleyes:

TR

SouthernDZ

03-05-2007, 16:36

In six months I will retire-retire......

My wife and I will be moving to San Antonio TX..... partly because our kids live in Texas and partly because (I am told) the medial care is there for us old farts!

Jim

I went through the UTSA Paramedic Bridge course for 18Ds in 1988; we did our clinical rotation through the University Hospital in downtown San Antonio. Patients camped out for 8-10 hours there as well (unless you were an interesting case, then the docs would pull your file from the bottom of the pile). A modest estimate is almost a 1/5th of the patients gave up and left without being seen. Every hour you would hear, "Smith, Smith, going once, going twice...."

I don't think the military healthcare system is the only one that needs a major overhaul.

NousDefionsDoc

03-05-2007, 20:07

I can fix this whole thing in one move. Bring Bob Hand, Hoss Leal and Jocko Mahoney back on AD and put them in charge of Walter Reed.

Or move the SOMB there and let the Sluggo Medics take care of them.

Karl.Masters

03-12-2007, 11:23

CNN is reporting that The Surgeon General of the Army just put in his retirement paperwork.

Karl

The Reaper

03-12-2007, 11:47

Well, lets see.

We have canned the Secretary of the Army, the Army Surgeon General, the hospital commander, and the unit commander over this, and the investigation is not even complete yet.

Anyone else think that this is being ignored and no real senior heads will roll?

The CSA is already scheduled to retire, anyone want GEN Schoomaker to resign before his effective retirement date?

The replacements had damn sure better mention that they are not adequately funded for base maintenance and O&M, even for a facility on the BRAC list.

TR

Karl.Masters

03-12-2007, 14:01

The replacements had damn sure better mention that they are not adequately fiunded for base maintenance and O&M, even for a facility on the BRAC list.

TR

Check - tough situation for new leadership...now that we're pretty much out of ways to create upward mobility opportunity in the COC, perhaps work can begin on dealing with the problem set and taking care of wounded Soldiers.

v/r
Karl

Jack Moroney (RIP)

03-12-2007, 14:13

perhaps work can begin on dealing with the problem set and taking care of wounded Soldiers. Karl

WHAT, ARE YOU NUTS-we haven't even begun to politicize this event. We have hours, days, nay even years of fodder yet to come from this event. This is not about care, it is about leadership and house keeping. It is about trade offs between bullets and bed sheets. Now perhaps they can get rid of the VIP waiting rooms and suites and start pumping money into troops facilities-nah, that will never happen, sorry lost my head:mad:

x SF med

03-12-2007, 15:38

I can fix this whole thing in one move. Bring Bob Hand, Hoss Leal and Jocko Mahoney back on AD and put them in charge of Walter Reed.

Bro, that is one evil plan - those 3 would not be nice to the people around them. Although, WRAMC would be sqared away in about 30 days, with them running the place.

I will have nightmares tonight, just thinking of the lovely times I spent with those 3 as instructors at Pre-Phase and The Q, thanks for the flashback.

My brain is echoing with, "It's Leee-al, not Leel, got it, and just to remember, meet me in the Gig Pit at 1700..."
and Mahoney's great line, "Are you sure you want to be SF? You sure don't act like it, you aren't trying hard enough."
Bob Hand - the one time I went to the Gig Pit, Bad Bob was leading the dance, made sure I never went back.

AxeMan

03-12-2007, 15:55

Political is right! Although I was under the impression that Congress had plenty of oversight in matters pertaining to the nation, it seems that those terrible Republicans in power are the cause of this entire mess. Check out how Nancy Pelosi (http://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/pressreleases?id=0085) has deferred all the blame to the right, as though the Dem's had no idea!

...........MDW

Karl.Masters

03-12-2007, 17:55

WHAT, ARE YOU NUTS-we haven't even begun to politicize this event. We have hours, days, nay even years of fodder yet to come from this event. This is not about care, it is about leadership and house keeping. It is about trade offs between bullets and bed sheets. Now perhaps they can get rid of the VIP waiting rooms and suites and start pumping money into troops facilities-nah, that will never happen, sorry lost my head:mad:

I can only imagine what these young warriors are going through with disability claims-proving that they are eligeable and fighting with the system that seems bound and determined to minimize disability claims.

This was my favorite part of my retirement physical. My deal was multiple knee surgeries - which is way beyond trivial compared to what I've seen in ward 6A, but illustrates the complete lunacy a Soldier encounters in the claims system.

Doctor: I see you have bad knees.

Karl: You could say that.

Doctor: Let's see you "duck walk".

Karl: You mean like Chuck Berry?

Doctor: Yes.

Karl: This is how we determine disability?

Doctor: Yes.

Karl: If you do an MRI you'll see the missing parts...

Doctor: Let's get to it.

Karl: Executes 1/2 of a duck walk and falls over in pain....

Doctor: Your knees are fine...

You're right COL M - what was I thinking....

Karl

(Duck Walkin' Daddy w/ 0% disability)

The Reaper

03-12-2007, 18:21

Same results here Karl.

"Put your hands over your head."

"It hurts when I do that."

Just follow my instructions, Sir."

I found out later that he is required by regs to use a Goniometer to measure the degree of flexion in the joints and IMHO, I should not have done any more than it took to get to the first painful movement.

He must have had that Goniometer installed in his calibrated eyeball back in India, because I didn't see any sign of it there and he had nothing in his hands.

When I complained to the VA about it later, Doctor Mengele said that he most certainly did use one, and the VA must take the word of a resident alien over an Army vet because that was the end of that.

TR

Patriot007

03-12-2007, 22:18

TF Kilo

03-13-2007, 02:36

I can only imagine what these young warriors are going through with disability claims-proving that they are eligeable and fighting with the system that seems bound and determined to minimize disability claims.

My fun times have just started. According to DOD regs, a disibility severance payment awarded to soldiers who are medically discharged with direct line of duty occurance of the disabling injury, is not to be taxed.

Mine was. Had I known, been informed of, or had an inkling as to where to look for the regs, I could have been refunded the 28% of my 43,000$ severance check that they withheld, within 25 days from departure of active duty.

Didn't know that, was informed that I would have to send a letter with my tax return citing St. Claire vs US, stating all this.. Well, that's not wholly true.. That applies more for servicemembers who got out, and subsequently have a VA disability awarded with combat relation to the injury.

My seperation orders state specifically that I got "jacked up" in the line of duty during combat.

After calling the IRS, Main military DFAS, Army DFAS in Indianapolis... and getting the mongoso run-around there wanting my VA paperwork which has no application to this whatsoever, I got fed the F up.

Google works wonders. Called the directors direct line, got his secretary. Stated my "case" to the secretary and was immediately transferred with a "I know EXACTLY who can help you"...

To:

SGM L,
Center Sergeant Major,
DFAS-Indianapolis Central Site

Now I have a pissed off SGM walking my paperwork straight thru the entire system to insure I have an amended W2 with my severance check removed from the taxable income portion of my W2, which will allow me to file my taxes and recieve my 10+ grand which the IRS now holds in their coffers.

Straight off the DFAS FAQ pages:

Taxable and Non-taxable Pay

Your Question:
Which part of my pay is taxable?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our Response:
Taxable Pay
- Entitlements that are a pay (base pay, sea pay, etc)
- CONUS COLA
- Bonuses not awarded or paid in a combat zone
- One-time Pays
- Non-combat related Disability Severance Pay

Non-taxable Pay
- Allowances (BAH, BAS, etc)
- Bonuses and wages earned in a combat zone
- Combat related Disability Severance Pay

Strange how you still get it taxed, regardless. You have to bring it to THEIR attention... right hand not talking to left type thing.

Another link, heaven forbid you guys have to use this stuff.

http://pom-ima.monterey.army.mil/sites/installation/sja/taxes/Disability%20Severance%20Pay%20Tax%20Refund.pdf

I haven't yet even started with the VA for filing for my disability. I guess being hard headed, starting from the bottom but not being afraid to talk to the top will work in my favor.

TF Kilo

03-13-2007, 03:02

The coverage of WRAMC has stirred many emotions and has evoked many of you servicemen to display your disgust with the Army medical system. If you would be kind enough to answer, my question to you is from your experiences how do you view the Army medical system?

Depends what you're talking about.

Medical care at 3/75 was excellent. Granted, my last 2 years there I worked in the aid station as a grunt crosstrained into being a medic, but I base my statement off the 4 years being serviced by the medics, not working as one. We had an in-house physical therapist, PA, Surgeon, and battery of Ranger medics that worked hard to make sure that everything was done right the first time, every time, regardless of the situation.

Medical care outside the compound? pfft. I'd call my platoon medic or go bang on his barracks door before I'd go to the ER.

Fort Benning EMS was good to go in terms of knowledge, training, and ability to care for what crossed their stretchers.

Once you got into the ER, that was a different story. I'd rather get an IV from a gorilla than most ER staff, let alone any actual medical treatment.

Here in alaska the care wasn't much better. Especially with an AF staffed hospital which was more intent on general BS'ing with each other than actual patient care. When I went there for myself or the wife, typically I had to correct things on the care rendered once we got home anyway.

Of course, the medical care is the same in the civilian sector, at least with regards to the closest located hospital in my area. I'm better off chancing the speeding ticket to go into Anchorage vs suffer in the ER here.

Ret10Echo

03-13-2007, 04:52

I'll bet if someone goes sniffing hard enough around Bethesda (or any other civilian or military medical treatment facility), they'll find problems there as well.

And as my brothers have already spoken of the VA system.....Walter Reed is the eyeballs of the gator above the water. These poor souls are in for a lifetime of struggle.
The politicos will turn this into a three ring circus. When they are done it'll be like gypsys in a jewelery store...a lot of noise, everything stuffed in somebody else's pockets and the customer missing his wallet too.
:mad:

Karl.Masters

03-13-2007, 17:58

I found out later that he is required by regs to use a Goniometer to measure the degree of flexion in the joints and IMHO, I should not have done any more than it took to get to the first painful movement.

He must have had that Goniometer installed in his calibrated eyeball back in India, because I didn't see any sign of it there and he had nothing in his hands.

When I complained to the VA about it later, Doctor Mengele said that he most certainly did use one, and the VA must take the word of a resident alien over an Army vet because that was the end of that.

TR

TR,

This is an even better example of how standards/regs/statutes/policies relating to the process of determining disability are both concealed from veterans and routinely violated by those entrusted with the process.

The VA has "gamed the game". Knowledge of how to operate within the system is tough to come by - and it shouldn't be.

Still holding out hope that all the fireworks around the Walter Reed issues can lift and shift from the blame game to process improvements.

Karl

Abu Jack

03-13-2007, 18:18

The GO's have gotten their just dues. Where were the senior NCOs? Who was speaking truth to power? Who was the Walter Reed Senior NCO? Retire the GOs as Major Generals instead of LTGs? Big Deal. Where were the Sergeants Major?
Abu Jack Out

Karl.Masters

03-13-2007, 18:31

My fun times have just started.

I haven't yet even started with the VA for filing for my disability. I guess being hard headed, starting from the bottom but not being afraid to talk to the top will work in my favor.

TF Kilo,

I flunked my "medical bureaucracy IQ test", but I found a book that is an awesome source of information on the VA process. Too late for me but it could save you some headaches if you are just beginning the magical mystery tour with the VA.

It's called The Veteran's Survival Guide/How to File and Collect on VA Claims. I picked a copy up at the National Marine Corps Museum for $17.95.

The author is MAJ John D. Roche, USAF (ret). The 2nd edition was published in 2006 by Potomac Books Inc. The web site is www.potomacbooksinc.com

I wish I had a copy of this reference when I was going through the process.

According to the author's biography, MAJ Roche was a VA claims specialist but defected back to the real world and wrote a book on the VA disability process and how to fight and win within the system. He bird dogs more trip wires in this book than I can count. There's another handbook that focuses on PTSD.

HTH, good luck-

Karl

Razor

03-13-2007, 22:20

I'd also recommend to join a vet service organization (DAV, VFW, AmLeg, PVA, etc). They know the VA game, and can give great advice to the vet on how to work the system.

TFK, back in the late 90s, without any "shooting wars" going on, there was an estimated 8-12 month wait on disability claims processing. A few years later, the VA had to fire 9500 employees nation-wide to meet budget cuts. Imagine the backlog nowadays...file as soon as you're able/ready and get the process started. A hint for your screening physical--whatever makes you hurt, do it two days before and the day before the physical. If its running, go wear yourself out on the road; if its raising your arms above your head, go do pull-ups until you cry. Exacerbate your condition to the extreme, so that even a blind man would see the incredible pain and hardship your disability causes you. This isn't the time to tough it out and gut through the hurt to get the job done.

Further, if your claim comes back with a significantly lower rating than you or the service org thinks is right, file an appeal immediately. It can take a long time, but the majority in informal poll of retired guys I know that did this say they got higher ratings in the appeal. I know of one guy that's fought for 8 years, and finally last year got what he deserved (with a very hefty backpay check). Don't quit.

The Reaper

03-14-2007, 06:45

If you file before you leave active duty, the wait can be as little as 90 days to start receiving payments.

TR

Ret10Echo

03-14-2007, 10:30

Provided you are remaining in the locality (state). VA rep in Arizona said I could not make a pre-retirement claim since I was not remaining in AZ.....

May have just been blowin' smoke.....

SouthernDZ

03-14-2007, 15:19

My SFer buddy that works at the EAST wing sent me this last night. It was an email to SOG1; a different perspective on WRAMC.

1 March 2007: This is from the Chief of Chaplains at Walter Reed. He provides a perspective of the Walter Reed issue.

I have had enough and am going to give my perspective on the news about Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Please understand that I am speaking for myself and I am responsible for my thoughts alone. The news media and politicians are making it sound like Walter Reed is a terrible place and the staff here has been abusing our brave wounded soldiers; what a bunch of bull!

I am completing my 24th year of service in the Army next month so you decide for yourself if I have the experience to write about this topic. I have been the senior clinical chaplain at Walter Reed for four years and will leave to go back to the infantry this summer. I supervise the chaplain staff inside Walter Reed that cares for the 200 inpatients, the 650+ daily outpatients from the war who come to us for medical care, the 4000+ staff, and over 3000 soldiers and their families that come for clinical appointments daily. Walter Reed has cared for over 5500 wounded from the war. I cannot count the number of sick and non-battle injured that have come through over that timeframe. The staff at this facility has done an incredible job at the largest US military medical center with the worst injured of the war. We have cared for over 400 amputees and their families. I am privileged to serve the wounded, their families, and our staff.

When the news about building 18 broke I was on leave. I was in shock when the news broke. We in the chaplains office in Walter Reed, as well as the majority of people at Walter Reed, did not know anyone was in building 18. I didn't even know we had a building 18. How can that happen? Walter Reed is over 100 acres of 66 buildings on two installations. Building 18 is not on the installation of Walter Reed and was believed to be closed years ago by our department. The fact that some leaders in the medical brigade that is in charge of the outpatients put soldiers in there is terrible. That is why the company commander, first sergeant, and a group of platoon leaders and platoon sergeants were relieved immediately. They failed their soldiers and the Army. The commanding general was later relieved (more about this) and his sergeant major has been told to move on--if he gets to. The brigade sergeant major was relieved and more relief's are sure to come and need to. As any leader knows, if you do not take care of soldiers, lie, and then try to cover it up, you are not worthy of the commission you hold and should be sent packing. I have no issue, and am actually proud, that they did relieve the leaders they found who knew of the terrible conditions some of our outpatients were enduring. The media is making it sound like these conditions are rampant at Walter Reed and nothing could be further from the truth. We need improvements and will now get them. I hate it that it took this to make it happen.

The Army and the media made MG Weightman, our CG, out to be the problem and fired him. This was a great injustice. He was only here for six months, is responsible for military medical care in the 20 Northeast states, wears four "hats" of responsibilities, and relies on his subordinate leaders to know what is happening in their areas of responsibilities. He has a colonel that runs the hospital (my hospital commander), a colonel that runs the medical brigade (where the outpatient wounded are assigned and supposedly cared for), and a colonel that is responsible to run the garrison and installation. What people don't know is that he was making many changes as he became aware of them and had requested money to fix other places on the installation. The Army did not come through until four months after he asked for the money, remember that he was here only six months, which was only days before they relieved him. His leaders responsible for outpatient care did not tell him about conditions in building 18. He has been an incredible leader who really cares about the wounded, their families, and our staff. I cannot say the same about a former commander, who was my first commander here at Walter Reed, and definitely knew about many problems and is in the position to fix them and he did not. MG Weightman also should not be held responsible for the military's unjust and inefficient medical board system and the problems in the VA system. We lost a great leader and passionate man who showed he had the guts to make changes and was doing so when he was made the scapegoat for others.

What I am furious about is that the media is making it sound like all of Walter Reed is like building 18. Nothing could be further from the truth. No system is perfect but the medical staff provides great care in this hospital. What needs to be addressed, and finally will, is the bureaucratic garbage that all soldiers are put through going into medical boards and medical retirements. Congress is finally giving the money that people have asked for at Walter Reed for years to fix places on the installations and address shortcomings. What they don't want you to know is Congress caused many problems by the BRAC process saying they were closing Walter Reed. We cannot keep nor attract all the quality people we need at Walter Reed when they know this place will close in several years and they are not promised a job at the new hospital. Then they did this thing call A76 where they fired many of the workers here for a company of contractors, IAP, to get a contract to provide care outside the hospital proper. The company, which is responsible for maintenance, only hired half the number of people as there were originally assigned to maintenance areas to save money. Walter Reed leadership fought the A76 and BRAC process for years but lost. Congress instituted the BRAC and A76 process; not the leadership of Walter Reed.

What I wish everyone would also hear is that for every horror story we are now hearing about in the media that truly needs to be addressed, you are not hearing about the hundreds of other wounded and injured soldiers who tell a story of great care they received. You are not hearing about the incredibly high morale of our troops and the fact that most of them want to go back, be with their teammates, and finish the job properly. You should be very proud of the wounded troopers we have at Walter Reed. They make me so proud to be in the Army and I will fight to get their story out.

I want you to hear the whole story because our wounded, their families, our Army, and the nation need to know that many in the media and select politicians have an agenda. Forget agendas and make the changes that have been needed for years to fix problems in every military hospital and the VA system. The poor leaders will be identified and sent packing and good riddance to them. I wish the same could be said for the politicians and media personalities who are also responsible but now want it to look like they are very concerned. Where have they been for the last four years? I am ashamed of what they all did and the pain it has caused many to think that everyone is like that. Please know that you are not hearing the whole story. Please know that there are thousands of dedicated soldiers and civilian medical staff caring for your soldiers and their families. When I leave here I will end up deploying. When soldiers in my division have to go to Walter Reed from the battlefield, I know they will get great medical care. I pray that you know the same thing. God bless all our troops and their families wherever they may be. God bless you all,

Chaplain John L. Kallerson
Senior Chaplain Clinician
Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Karl.Masters

03-14-2007, 16:15

I think I understand now. Ready, fire, aim. New steps in the problem solving process:

Step one: Read Washington Post.

Step two: Fire the wrong guy & replace him with the right guy, who really is the wrong guy.

Step three: Fire the guy that fired the wrong guy.

Step four: Have the guy who replaced the guy that fired the wrong guy fire the right guy.

Step five: Conduct an investigation. Or two, or six, or eight...

Step six: Go back to sleep.

Peregrino

03-14-2007, 16:45

SouthernDZ

03-14-2007, 16:54

Gypsy

03-14-2007, 16:54

I could be wrong, but wasn't IAP involved after Katrina?

Thanks for the post SouthernDZ.

SouthernDZ

03-15-2007, 05:57

Fired General Says "We Let Them Down"
Tom Philpott | March 15, 2007

"We didn't deliver what they needed and we didn't hear their cries for help," said Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, who was fired as commander of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center March 1.

"I'm not here to let down patients," Weightman added. "I'm here to take care of them."

Weightman was recalling how he felt listening to testimony last week of two severely-injured Walter Reed outpatients, and the distraught wife of another, describe episodes of institutional neglect that occurred after they moved from inpatient status to join hundreds of outpatients housed on or near the Walter Reed campus, usually for months, sometimes for years.

"I'll tell you what affected me the most," Weightman said of their testimony. "It's the frustration I heard from these patients and their families with our system. And I'm responsible for all that."

Weightman explained what he thought went wrong at the Army's premiere hospital in an hour-long interview with Military Update. There were breakdowns in leadership; a support staff too small to handle needs of a large outpatient population; hiring challenges tied to the planned closure of Walter Reed in 2011; a medical and physical disability board maze designed for a draft-era army, not for wounded volunteers fighting to stay in service.
Weightman also cited what he perceives as a sharp decline in support for the war among military families, a shift reflected in the nation itself. That can raise a family's anger at terrible injuries to loved ones and lower their tolerance for bureaucratic hassles as they seek proper care and support.

In the last six months, Weightman said, "I have seen a big change in how the families view the war. I mean, six months ago, I think, people were a lot more tolerant of the war and maybe accepting of the injuries that their son or husband or daughter incurred --and the frustration that went along with those -- because it was for the noble cause, the greater good."

Last November's election and the House-passed resolution opposing President Bush's troop surge into Baghdad are signs that support for the Iraq war is waning. Military families feel and share that, he suggested.

"Families are angry and that lowers their threshold about 'the system' as they navigate through both the direct care and the rehabilitation and disability evaluation," Weightman said.

Weightman's shouldering of blame for all problems at Walter Reed surprised some observers because many of the incidents of neglect and bureaucratic inertia occurred before he took command Aug. 25.

Annette McLeod, wife of Army National Guard Cpl. Wendell "Dell" McLeod who was injured in Iraq, told a House subcommittee March 5 that her frustration with the handling of Dell's outpatient care for traumatic brain injury, and his struggle to get a proper medical evaluation, began in late 2004. The commander of Walter Reed at the time, former Lt. Gen. Kenneth L. Farmer Jr., declined repeatedly to see her when she would visit his office to discuss Dell's situation, Annette testified. [Farmer did not testify so it is not known whether he would contest this account.]

But Annette described Weightman as "a fine, honorable man….In my estimation he was punished because he caught the tail end of it."
Problems at Walter Reed first were exposed in a Washington Post article Feb. 22. It described some outpatients as stuck in Building 18 just off the main campus, in rooms with holes in the wall, mold and mouse droppings. It described a lack of staff supervision to help schedule and escort patients to appointment, a particular problem for brain-injured patients. It referred to a bog of forms to fill out and long delays to receive care and battle through a medical review board.

A tsunami of critical news reports followed and a fresh crop of congressional hearings sprouted up along with announced Army investigations and a special presidential task force. Weightman was fired March 1 by Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey, who soon was forced to resign himself as was Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, the Army surgeon general.

Weightman, 56, took command of Walter Reed and the Army's North Atlantic Regional Medical Command after two years commanding the Army Medical Department Center and School at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. There he won accolades for applying the experiences of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to improve battlefield medic training. Many medical officers believed he would be Army surgeon general one day.

Staff Sgt. John Daniel Shannon, an outpatient since 2004, said Building 18 deteriorated on Weightman's watch. "I don't think he should have been fired. He said he didn't know. That is not true, in my opinion." Weightman said he visited four of five buildings for outpatients but not that one. In September, residents had complained about rodents and cockroaches. Weightman sent a preventive medicine team which traced the problem to unsanitary conditions including food in the rooms, he said.

He received no more complaints about the building until the Post article, he said. Weightman said he didn't know about the leaky roof that had left mold growing in two of 54 rooms and in five bathrooms. He learned that 26 rooms needed some repair.

He didn't know that earlier but, as commander, he should have.
Too many injured patients and their families are "being jerked through a knothole with getting things done," Weightman said.
"And, quite frankly, if relieving me allows the Army and the nation to move forward at a faster pace to improve the care of these soldiers and their families, then I think it will serve a purpose," Weightman said.

He expects to retire when Army investigations are completed.

Karl.Masters

03-15-2007, 12:08

Looks like the WSJ has done some Bomb Damage Assessment also. They are calling for MG Weightman to be re-instated:

Wall Street Journal
March 15, 2007
Pg. 16

Wonder Land

The Walter Reed Fiasco

By Daniel Henninger

Since its publication on Feb. 18 in the Washington Post, the story of the bureaucratic nightmares experienced at Walter Reed Army Medical Center by soldiers from the Iraq and Afghan wars has been Washington's biggest bonfire in a long time. Nearly four weeks on it still consumes official Washington -- with firings, hearings, denunciations and the waving forward of commissions.

The problem with bonfires made in Washington is that the high and wild flames of politics sometimes blind the public to the fire's true cause. So it is with the Walter Reed scandal. The true cause of this bonfire is Washington itself, the local tribe. As we know from dreadful experience.

The pain caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was made worse by Washington's inadequacies. In 2000, the Bremer Commission on terrorism said the national-security bureaucracy was poorly organized to protect us from a terrorist attack. The 9/11 Commission retrospectively confirmed the Bremer Commission's findings. Walter Reed is a scandal, but a familiar scandal.

It has also produced a particularly bitter irony. One of its first casualties was the career of Maj. Gen. George Weightman. Gen. Weightman, the commander of Walter Reed, is in fact precisely the kind of person the nation should wish to have in public life. But in an act of supreme self-destruction, our politics is driving him out of public life. We'll return to Gen. Weightman shortly.

Last week, a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi came forward to announce the speaker's perspective on the manifest problems at Walter Reed: "The American people spoke clearly in the November elections that they wanted accountability and oversight. Under the Republican Congress it has been almost nonexistent, and you can certainly see that with what occurred at Walter Reed." No, you cannot see that. Rep. John Tierney, a Massachusetts Democrat, added that "we should have known all this before."

But all this was known before, though not by Reps. Pelosi and Tierney.

On Feb. 17, 2005 -- two years ago -- GOP Rep. Tom Davis and the government reform committee held a public hearing on the maltreatment of wounded soldiers. The hearing was the culmination of an investigation, begun in 2003, by the committee and the Government Accountability Office. Virtually everything of substance in that Washington Post story was described, in numbing detail, at that hearing two years ago. Two soldiers, Army Sgts. John Allen and Joseph Perez, appeared before the Davis hearing and described their tours through the same hell painted by the Post last month.

Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff, described the problems at Walter Reed in words that should be inscribed on portals across every bridge leading into Washington: "Life every day in this system is like running in hip boots in a swamp." He called it a "bureaucratic morass."

The core of the problem has been the peacetime administrative system's difficulty in handling wounded or disabled soldiers from the reserves and National Guard. In the words of the system itself, they have "fallen off orders." Here's how that happens:

To enter treatment, a wounded reservist would ask to have his "active duty orders" -- i.e., the order that called him up for Iraq or Afghanistan -- extended for 90 days, what is called an active duty medical extension, or ADME. But some soldiers would fall off their active orders before the ADME came through. Others, often with complex injuries, would use up their three-month ADME and again fall off orders before receiving a renewal.

Sgt. First Class Allen told the Davis committee in laymen's terms what this means: "When my orders expire, it creates a multitude of problems for me and my family: no pay, no access to the base [such as Walter Reed], no medical coverage for my family and the cancellation of all my scheduled medical appointments."

Someone should make a movie called "National Lampoon's Federal Government." The dialogue would include this line from the GAO's Gregory Kutz describing the soldiers' problem: "overall, we found the current stove-piped, non-integrated order-writing, personnel, pay, and medical eligibility systems require extensive error-prone manual data entry and re-entry." That's right -- "and re-entry."

Despite the public record, the committee's new Democratic chairman, Henry Waxman, has rebooted the focus of the "mice-and-mold" scandal, from the obviously dysfunctional government to "privatization" at Walter Reed. Maintenance at Walter Reed collapsed in 2005, when the BRAC base-closing commission, whatever the merits and with President Bush's approval, ill-advisedly listed Walter Reed, amid a major war. So of course the civilian workforce went looking for permanent work elsewhere.

Into this collapsing "morass" the Army six months ago dropped Maj. Gen. George Weightman, M.D. No ordinary desk-bound doc, George Weightman spent five years in the infantry after graduating in 1973 from West Point. Then he went to medical school. It's a decision that has required him to design medical assistance techniques, in theater, with the troops that entered Saudi Arabia for the first Gulf War, in Honduras with Delta Force (there contracting malaria), in Kosovo as head of the 30th Medical Brigade for all troops in Europe, and in Kuwait training the surgeons and medics who would treat our wounded in Iraq the past four years, a model system. A former Army surgeon who served there with him told me he saw "numerous instances of George cutting through the bureaucracy on the run-up to Baghdad." And this is just the official side of the ledger. One son, also West Point, is on his second Army tour in Iraq, and the other is in the Army's medical school.

So when Defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered Army Secretary Francis Harvey to run across the Potomac River to Walter Reed and fire someone, this is who he hit. He fired the wrong person. The next day, Mr. Gates fired Mr. Harvey.

Washington of late has been giving talented civilians reason not to come there to serve, for fear of being destroyed in feckless political wars. So naturally it follows we should also drive out the best people willing to forego civilian wealth to defend us in real wars.

The powers-that-be in this sorry Walter Reed saga -- Congress, Sec. Gates, the Dole-Shalala commission -- could prove wisdom hasn't fled Washington by reinstating Gen. Weightman. A government establishment so profligate that it thinks nothing of throwing its best people onto bonfires of its own making will likely, over time, burn down to nothing.

kgoerz

03-15-2007, 15:17

Further, if your claim comes back with a significantly lower rating than you or the service org thinks is right, file an appeal immediately

They are always going to underestimate your first disability claim. Think of it as part of the process. Appeal is mandatory. My original Doc was a civilian contractor Doc. He was an as$#^&*. Treated me like a criminal. Part of my hand has no feeling. He tried to trick me by telling me to take off my shoes. He wanted to see if I used my bad hand. I flipped them off with the other foot and told him I knew what he was doing.
I have two steel pins in my hand. It was crushed years before. He gave me 0% for my hand. It was personal, I have no doubt. Besides the normal ware and tear the hand was the only thing I was claiming. It took two years but I finally got the additional 30% for my hand. I was at 10% before this. What a joke the first exam was.
My wife has friends who were in the medical field when in the ARMY. Talk about taking care of your own. They all have disability in the seventies and above. They all work full time and have no obvious physical problems. Horseback riding, water skiing ..etc. How they get away with it is beyond me. One chick got Lypo suction before her medical discharge. Ever hear of justifying that??

SouthernDZ

03-15-2007, 18:01

This letter was written by a MACV-SOG SSG to my old boss who was the SOG Surgeon, West Pointer, Combat vet x 5. Both of these men continue to make me proud to be an American and once a Soldier. The previous email from the WRAMC Chaplain was sent to me by this Doc (who is still on active duty).

Sorry I had to delete names (QPs - you would know who he is).

Thank you Doc - being wounded in action twice in RVN and a stint at Walter Reed when I suffered a stroke in my later career--I have to come to the defense of the Army Medical Corps across the board. As to the bean counters and Army bureaucrats be they civilian or military--I have no qualms about blasting their butt in a pico-second--if in fact they are guilty.

I cannot say enough about the care I received first from just a grenade frag in one tour and later in my second tour from 5 rounds of AK-47 in my chest stomach and arm-- the latter left me with one arm shorter than the other; steel stitches (which drives the x-ray people nuts at my annual when I do not forewarn them !) from my scrotum to my sternum and 14 pieces of copper sheathing lodged in my liver (that really gets the x-ray technicians and nurses going !)--I would not be here had it not been for Army surgeons, nurses, medics and physical therapists--from my medics in Cambodia to the nurses and surgeons at 3rd Surge Hospital, the Delta, from Saigon to Camp Zama to four other medical facilities in the States for about a year.

The care I received later on at Walter Reed was exemplary--from my stroke--I have a slight speech impediment but being a cajun from Louisiana--not too many people can tell !!

I am glad I received your e-mail--thank you. And for all of your information--after my last wounds from Viet Nam--there was an outstanding Doctor stationed at Ft. Sill who always inquired as to my recovery and offered advice etc--one super SOB (meant with affection)--his name is Col. RXXXXXXX--a super family friend, a Christian Officer and Doctor---second to none--a credit to his Country and West Point.

My best,
Bob
Once an Eagle but with the ravages of time, only a second hand Lion--albeit with claws and teeth still intact. God bless America and her Troops.

Razor

03-15-2007, 21:23

I have two steel pins in my hand. It was crushed years before. He gave me 0% for my hand.

He didn't consider 'taking one for the team' with the big chick at the embassy in the line of duty? :D

kgoerz

03-15-2007, 22:26

He didn't consider 'taking one for the team' with the big chick at the embassy in the line of duty?

I wasn't taking one for the Team. I was trying to take something off her plate.

Karl.Masters

03-17-2007, 11:13

VIP Ward at Walter Reed Gets Scrutiny

USA Today 03-15-07

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-15-walter-reed-vip_N.htm

Disclosures of substandard housing for troops treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center are prompting Congress to investigate whether the Army is running a plush ward at the complex for VIPs at the expense of ordinary war casualties.

House investigators are asking "if the allocations of resources is in any way adversely impacting the treatment of the troops," Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass., told USA TODAY in response to inquiries about the six-suite ward. Tierney leads a House subcommittee investigating allegations of poor care at Walter Reed. "Our nation's military, our returning heroes, are the true VIPs," he said.

The large, comfortable suites on the hospital's top floor are reserved for the president, the vice president, federal judges, members of Congress and the Cabinet, high-ranking military officials and even foreign dignitaries and their spouses.

The only enlisted members of the military who are eligible to stay there are recipients of the Medal of Honor.

The suites have carpeted floors, antique furniture and fine china in the dining rooms. That's a stark contrast to mold- and mice-ridden housing that some wounded troops had been found to be living in.

The Washington Post disclosed complaints about housing conditions for war wounded at Walter Reed last month, triggering some immediate repairs by the Army and investigations by Congress, the White House and the Pentagon. The secretary of the Army, Army surgeon general and the hospital commander have been fired or forced to leave office.

The ward is staffed by 21 nurses, doctors and clinicians. It averages 72 inpatients and 2,600 outpatients a year, said administrator Frances Cheever. Cheever said the staff-to-patient ratio is the same in the rest of Walter Reed as in the special ward.

The Eisenhower Executive Nursing Suite, also known as Ward 72, features heightened security, including bullet-proof windows and secure telephone lines. Among the other touches are flat-panel televisions and curio cabinets filled with gifts from foreign leaders. The ward is named for former president Dwight Eisenhower, who died at Walter Reed in 1969.

Army spokeswoman Cynthia Vaughan said it costs $950,000 a year to run the ward, or less than two-tenths of 1% of Walter Reed's annual expenses. But she acknowledged that salaries for nurses and other medical personnel come out of the general budget.

"It's certainly nicer surroundings," says retired Army lieutenant general Ronald Blanck, a former Walter Reed commander who was a recent patient in Ward 72 for cataract surgery. "But the care is exactly the same … that is given to every other patient at Walter Reed."

Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., spent most of his final year in office in Ward 72. He retired in 2003 at age 100 and died the same year.

Karl.Masters

03-17-2007, 11:23

KM - You forgot "proclaim moral outrage and apolitical motives". It goes somewhere between Step One and Step Five. Somehow I doubt Congress will acknowledge the role they played in this fiasco, especially since they're busy milking the situation for partisan advantage. :rolleyes: Peregrino

Roger that. Congressional moral outrange will no doubt be tempered in this case by the existence of the VIP ward at WRAMC, aka "Ward 72".

Last thing we need now is a laundry list of members that have been there lately....:eek:

The photos of the rooms on the USA Today site don't look anything those in bldg 18.

I think step 6 (go to sleep) might be coming even earlier.

Karl

:munchin

Patriot007

03-17-2007, 20:46

The Reaper

03-17-2007, 20:50

Warrior-Mentor

03-17-2007, 20:52

My understanding is that this is one of the things Rumsfeld was trying to fix with the new National Security Personnel System (for civilians).

Karl.Masters

03-18-2007, 10:20

Ms. Coulter makes some great points about the situation in her recent article. She states that the source of the problem is the protection the civil service workers enjoy despite their poor work performance. It is the command's responsibility to have everything up to par, but what can the command do when they can't fire the workers? http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=19824

I'm falling off the logic table. I think it is more about command responsibility (or lack thereof) and the priorities of the commander.

Ward 72: "up to par" and then some.

Bldg 18: Not even close to "up to par".

Same commander, organization, geographic location, and workforce pool, but these two parts of WRAMC might as well be on different planets.

Karl

kgoerz

03-18-2007, 17:24

The large, comfortable suites on the hospital's top floor are reserved for the president, the vice president, federal judges, members of Congress and the Cabinet, high-ranking military officials and even foreign dignitaries and their spouses.

This is total BS. The conditions at the Hospital have already been exposed, people have been fired, hearings being held....etc. The whole Military medical program is being scrutinized. They are fishing for anything to keep a negative story about the Military on the front page.
A VIP facility is suppose to be bigger and better. All private and Govt programs, facilities, Business have VIP accommodations. Where did they think The VP slept when he was in WRAMC. This is very similar to complaining when Air Force One lands and causes flight delays. It's the Presidents Plane not South West.

The Reaper

03-18-2007, 21:25

More info coming to light.

TR

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,259481,00.html

Walter Reed Crumbled as Army Delayed Private Maintenance Contract
Sunday , March 18, 2007

WASHINGTON —

An Army contract to privatize maintenance at Walter Reed Medical Center was delayed more than three years amid bureaucratic bickering and legal squabbles that led to staff shortages and a hospital in disarray just as the number of severely wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan was rising rapidly.

Documents from the investigative and auditing arm of Congress map a trail of bid, rebid, protests and appeals between 2003, when Walter Reed was first selected for outsourcing, and 2006, when a five-year, $120 million contract was finally awarded.

The disputes involved hospital management, the Pentagon, Congress and IAP Worldwide Services Inc., a company with powerful political connections and the only private bidder to handle maintenance, security, public works and management of military personnel.

While medical care was not directly affected, needed repairs went undone as the staff shrank from almost 300 to less than 50 in the last year and hospital officials were unable to find enough skilled replacements.

An investigative series by The Washington Post last month sparked a furor on Capitol Hill after it detailed subpar conditions at the 98-year-old hospital in northwest Washington and substandard services for patients. Three top-ranking military officials, including the secretary of the Army, were ousted in part for what critics said was the Pentagon's mismanaged effort to reduce costs and improve efficiency at the Army's premier military hospital while the nation was at war.

IAP is owned by a New York hedge fund whose board is chaired by former Treasury Secretary John Snow, and it is led by former executives of Kellogg, Brown and Root, the subsidiary spun off by Texas-based Halliburton Inc., the oil services firm once run by Vice President Dick Cheney.

IAP finally got the job in November 2006, but further delays caused by the Army and Congress delayed work until Feb. 4, two weeks before the Post series and two years after the number of patients at the hospital hit a record 900.

"The Army unfortunately did not devote sufficient resources to the upfront planning part of this, and when you do that, you suffer every step of the way," said Paul Denett, administrator for federal procurement policy at the Office of Management and Budget, the White House unit that prepares the president's budget and oversees government contracts.

The contract includes management of Building 18, which houses soldiers with minor injuries and was highlighted in the Post series as symptomatic of substandard conditions: black mold on the walls of patient rooms, rodent and cockroach infestation, and shoddy mattresses.

Those 54 rooms are now vacant. Interior work cannot be started until a badly damaged roof is repaired, and that will need another contract because it's not covered in the IAP contract, Walter Reed officials said.

"These rooms are exactly as they were left," Sgt. Gary Rhett, manager of Building 18, said Thursday. "No changes have been made."

The Army has confirmed the timing of the contract delays but declined several requests for comment on why the protest and appeal process took so long, even as more and more injured soldiers were arriving.

The trail goes back to the end of the Clinton administration. The Army began studying the cost benefits of privatization in 2000.

When President Bush took office, he mandated the competitive outsourcing of 425,000 federal jobs. At the time, the Pentagon was aggressively pushing for increased outsourcing, and in June 2003, then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told a Senate committee he was considering outsourcing up to 320,000 nonmilitary support jobs.

That's the same year that the Army asked for bids on Walter Reed and, coincidentally, the same year the United States invaded Iraq.

One company responded: Johnson Controls World Services Inc., which would be acquired by IAP in March 2005. It initially bid $132 million, but it and Walter Reed's then-management agreed that the Army was underestimating the cost.

By September 2004, the Army had decided it would be cheaper to continue with current management, which said it could do the work for $124.5 million. Johnson Controls filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office.

The protest was dismissed in June 2005, but the Army agreed to reopen bidding three months later to include additional costs for services. In January 2006, after two rounds of protests by IAP and two appeals by Walter Reed employees to the U.S. Army Medical Command, IAP was named the winner, according to Steve Sanderson, a Walter Reed spokesman.

Instead, in an unusual turn of events, the contract wasn't awarded for another 11 months, the GAO said. Walter Reed officials blame several factors, including an additional protest to the GAO filed by Deputy Garrison Commander Alan D. King, a separate appeal to the U.S. Army Medical Command by Walter Reed's public works director, at least one intervention by Congress, and delays on required congressional notifications about government employee dismissals.

IAP spokeswoman Arlene Mellinger said "it was up to the Army to decide when to begin that contract." The company was ready to start at any time, she added.

In August 2006, led by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., lawmakers asked then-Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey to hold off on the contract until Congress finished work on the fiscal 2007 defense appropriations bill. Congress approved that bill Sept. 29.

The Army's plan then was to eliminate 360 federal jobs at Walter Reed in November and turn the work over to IAP, according to the American Federation of Government Employees, a federal workers' trade union. But the Army failed to notify Congress 45 days in advance, as required by law, so the turnover was delayed until early this year.

Then it was IAP's turn to have problems.

When work finally began at the hospital, IAP made an immediate request, which the Army approved, to hire 87 temporary skilled workers for up to four months "to ease the turbulence caused by employees being placed into positions or other installations and otherwise finding new jobs early," said Sanderson, the Walter Reed official.

However, a "tight" job market in the Washington area meant that only 10 qualified temporary employees were found, he added. Meanwhile, injured soldiers continue to arrive weekly to a short-handed, deteriorated hospital, which the Army still plans to close in 2011.

Karl.Masters

03-21-2007, 11:02

Los Angeles Times
March 21, 2007
Pg. 1

Vet Shot In Iraq Fights For Benefits

Sgt. Joe Baumann is battling a military ruling that he does not qualify for a disability benefit or healthcare.

By Rone Tempest, Times Staff Writer

FT. LEWIS, WASH. — A sniper shot Sgt. Joe Baumann on a Baghdad street in April 2005. The AK-47 round ripped through his midsection, ricocheted off his Kevlar vest and shredded his abdomen.

The bullet also ignited tracer rounds in the magazine on his belt, setting Baumann on fire.

Almost two years later, the 22-year-old California National Guard soldier from Petaluma, walks with a cane, suffers from back problems and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder that keeps him from sleeping and holding a job.

"He can't even go to the grocery store by himself," said his wife, Aileen, also 22.

The question pending before a military review board at this big Army post south of Tacoma is whether to grant Baumann a military disability pension and healthcare or simply cut him an $8,000 check for his troubles.

It is a tense bureaucratic triage faced by thousands of wounded American soldiers as they negotiate their return to civilian life. If they are rejected by the military disability system, they can try their luck with the overwhelmed Department of Veterans Affairs, which means another lengthy process with uncertain results.

A 2006 analysis by the federal General Accounting Office showed that for National Guard members and reservists, the process takes much longer and is less likely to result in full disability benefits.

Baumann's case remains very much in limbo — despite the extraordinary assistance of two of his former commanders, who took time from their civilian careers to come to his aid.

In a preliminary ruling last month, the three-officer Physical Evaluation Board that is reviewing Baumann's case decided for the severance check, rating his disability at only 20% and characterizing his post-traumatic stress disorder as "anxiety disorder and depression."

If he accepted the $8,000, Baumann still would be eligible to apply for Veterans Affairs disability benefits. But VA benefits do not include retirement pay, family healthcare, and military post exchange and commissary privileges. In what many soldiers regard as the ultimate Catch-22, if he were accepted by the VA, he would have to pay the Army's $8,000 back.

"The Army acts like they just want you to get out the door as fast as possible at the lowest possible cost without taking into account how you are going to live for the rest of your life. Here's your $8,000; just go," Baumann said.

Maj. Jesse Miller, one of Baumann's former commanders, who in civilian life is a San Francisco tax litigator for the international law firm of Reed Smith, is acting as Baumann's attorney, commuting regularly from his high-rise office to the dilapidated brick building at Ft. Lewis where the Army Physical Evaluation Board hearings are held.

"Look, I love the Army," Miller said. "I wouldn't do this if I thought he were gaming the system. But from Day 1 in this case, I've felt that the system was stacked against getting a just and fair hearing."

Capt. Kincy Clark, a Silicon Valley software executive who was Baumann's company commander in Iraq, cut short a business trip to Italy to testify at a Feb. 28 hearing. Both men have dipped into their own pockets to help their former soldier. At Miller's urging, Reed Smith contributed its resources pro bono.

"The system was designed for a peacetime Army to ferret out malingerers," Clark said, "but they haven't updated it to accommodate the huge influx of wounded soldiers. Sgt. Baumann is no longer physically or, at this point, mentally fit to go to war. I believe he deserves the full retirement."

Staccato bursts of small-arms training fire sounded in the distance as Baumann discussed his case recently over lunch in a diner outside the Ft. Lewis gate. Baumann, who watched a soldier get shot on the same street where he was hit, said gunfire still made him jittery.

"If it hadn't been for Capt. Clark and Maj. Miller, I would have just taken the check like everyone else," Baumann said.

Instead, Baumann is one of a small percentage of wounded soldiers who have taken their case to a formal board hearing where they have the right to counsel.

As recent congressional testimony revealed, the fates of wounded and injured soldiers like Sgt. Baumann are in the hands of overwhelmed Army Physical Evaluation Boards, or PEBS, located at Ft. Lewis, at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio and at Walter Reed in Washington, D.C. Navy, Marine and Air Force evaluations are handled separately.

After lengthy review by a Medical Evaluation Board to determine if the soldier is still fit for service, the Physical Evaluation Board sets the degree of disability for each soldier, from 0% to 100%. A rating of 30% or higher means that the soldier can receive military disability retirement. Anything under 30% is settled with a check or nothing at all.

Even in seemingly similar cases, determinations vary.

Pfc. Jessica Lynch, the celebrated supply clerk who was taken captive during the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003, was granted 80% disability for her extensive injuries, including two spinal fractures and a shattered right arm. But her fellow prisoner of war, Spc. Shoshana Johnson, who was shot in both ankles, received a 30% rating.

According to the Army Physical Disability Agency, 90% of soldiers accept the boards' initial rulings, forgoing their right to a formal hearing.

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), who sits on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which heard some of the Walter Reed testimony, contends that soldiers who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries may not be fully capable of making such a choice.

"Once they sign that document, they're making a fundamental decision that will affect them for the rest of their lives," McCollum said.

Other critics said soldiers are trained to follow orders, not to objectively review decisions made for them. Some veterans groups say that, faced with unanticipated high casualties, the boards are increasingly guided by budget considerations.

"The Army is shortchanging soldiers by assigning lower disability ratings than they deserve. In some cases, the Physical Evaluation Board misinterprets, reinterprets or even disregards the Medical Evaluation Board findings," said David E. Autry, deputy national director of communications for Disabled American Veterans.

Army officials acknowledge the increased wartime caseload, but say they are doing their best.

"Our cases are now tougher — they are more complicated — as a result of the types of injuries soldiers are sustaining from combat operations," said Brig. Gen. Reuben D. Jones, commander of the U.S. Army Physical Disability Agency.

Jones said the military disability agency is "currently reviewing how we do our business to better serve the soldier."

Lawmakers have introduced "wounded warrior" reform bills in the House and Senate that would increase the number of counselors who help guide soldiers through the system.

A Veterans Disability Benefits Commission that Congress created last year is expected to release findings on the Physical Evaluation Boards in October.

"Until we get that report, we have been reluctant to wade in," said U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.), chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel. "But we all know that it is a complicated system that needs work."

All of this is little solace to Baumann and others as they go through the process.

After the Feb. 28 formal hearing at which two psychiatrists testified by phone about Baumann's post-traumatic stress disorder and Clark testified in person, the board sent Baumann back to Madigan Army Medical Center for more evaluations.

Miller hopes that the medical review will boost Baumann's disability rating above the 30% he needs for full retirement.

"Things seemed to go well in the most recent medical examinations," Miller said. "I'm hopeful they will make the right decision."

But Steven Engle, an attorney who heads the four-man Office of Soldiers' Counsel at Ft. Lewis, is not so sure. Like civilian public defenders' offices, Soldiers' Counsel represents soldiers who do not have their own lawyers in the formal board hearings. Because of the Iraq war, Engle's office caseload has jumped from two to three hearings a week to an average of four a day.

The Army reservist and former Marine said the boards had been reluctant to grant disability in cases alleging post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I think the Army's disability system is overly skeptical of PTSD," Engle said. "They don't seem to understand that this is not the same Army it was in 2001."

Reservists such as Baumann may face particularly tough odds. The 2006 GAO analysis stated that "Army reservists were less likely to receive permanent disability retirement or lump sum disability severance pay than their active duty counterparts."

National Guard and Reserve soldiers also receive much lower severance payments than regular Army soldiers because the payments are based on "active duty" time and do not include the years that reservists spend as civilian-soldiers.

According to the GAO, reservists' cases also move slowly, with more than 36% taking more than 120 days, compared to only 13% for the regular Army.

All this puts Baumann and his wife in an anxious state as they wait for the latest word from the Ft. Lewis evaluators.

"We were hoping to start a family in about two or three years," said Aileen Baumann, who works at a Novato, Calif., Starbucks and attends community college.

"But that would have to be pushed back if Joe doesn't get disability. I would have to drop out of school. It would be a very hard transition."

x SF med

03-21-2007, 12:41

Karl.Masters

03-21-2007, 12:51

Is it just me, or is something really broken with this system? Let Doctors amke the health determinations, and let the administrators amke sure the payments get to the soldiers who deserve it.

Illuminating article Karl, thanks for posting it.

xSF,
The lack of advocacy is what strikes me. The institutional attitude seems to be TBA YOYO. This young warrior's leadership helped him through gauntlet - good on them for doing that.
Karl

Karl.Masters

03-27-2007, 06:31

Then you don't need disability...

Tacoma News Tribune
March 25, 2007
Pg. 1

Injured Soldiers In Limbo

Cases go on while new rules in works

By Michael Gilbert, The News Tribune

The Army is rethinking the way it evaluates wounded and injured soldiers who are no longer fit for duty because of post-traumatic stress disorder and certain other conditions.

But a board at Fort Lewis continues to move soldiers with those medical problems through the Army’s disability assessment system, even though the new guidelines have yet to be published, according to attorneys who represent soldiers.

In effect, soldiers must argue their case without knowing the rules by which the board will size up their injuries, say the three Army lawyers who represent soldiers before the Fort Lewis Physical Evaluation Board, or PEB.

Attorneys from the Office of Soldiers’ Legal Counsel stated their objections in a Monday letter to the PEB president, Col. John O’Sullivan.

“A soldier’s statutory right to a full and fair hearing is fundamentally violated if they are not provided the standards upon which they are to be judged in advance of the hearing,” they wrote.

Meanwhile, in a letter sent after visiting Fort Lewis several weeks ago, the Army’s top civilian lawyer raised concerns about a possible “Wal-Mart greeter test” in determining whether soldiers are well enough to be denied benefits.

The PEB decides whether wounded and injured soldiers from across the Western United States should receive retired pay and military benefits such as health care coverage and base privileges, or one-time severance payments with no benefits, or no compensation at all.

The three attorneys who wrote the Monday letter are Maj. Damon D. Gulick, Lt. Col. Ronda W. Sutton and Steven E. Engle, a civilian who is the chief of office.

They said that until the new rules are distributed, the soldiers and their lawyers “do not know what evidence to gather, marshal and present that will be most relevant” to the board’s decision-making in each case.

A board official and an Army Human Resources Command spokesman declined to comment Friday.

The Army’s Physical Disability Agency is in the midst of a rewrite of the guidelines for rating the severity of injuries such as PTSD; lost range of motion in joints such as the neck and shoulders; sleep apnea; and other conditions.

The revisions are apparently in response to complaints that have come to light in the wake of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center scandal last month. Since then, soldiers and their advocates have raised questions about the fairness of the Army’s system for determining whether wounded and injured soldiers are fit for duty, and if they’re not, how to compensate them for their disabilities.

Fort Lewis is home to one of three Physical Evaluation Boards in the Army. The others are at Walter Reed in Washington, D.C., and at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. A fourth, mobile board is occasionally convened to address case backlogs around the country.

Each PEB is made up of a senior line officer, a doctor and a personnel expert. If they find a soldier isn’t fit to return to duty, they decide if the disability is related to his or her service in the Army, and if it is, the board sets a percentage rating to the disability.

Soldiers whose disabilities are rated at 30 percent or more generally are entitled to be medically retired. They receive a percentage of their base pay each month and continue to receive benefits including health care coverage and base privileges.

Soldiers who are rated at less than 30 percent disabled generally receive a severance payment equal to two months pay for every year of service, up to 12 years. They’re released from service with no further benefits.

In some cases, the boards find that a soldier’s disability is due to a condition that existed before he or she joined the Army, in which case the soldier is entitled to no compensation.

Despite dramatic increases in the number of wounded and injured soldiers, the number receiving medical retirements from PEBs had dropped – from 642 in 2001 to 209 in 2005, according to recent reports in the Army Times.

Soldiers have complained that PEBs unfairly discount the impacts of injuries, often releasing them from the Army with modest severance payments, no military medical coverage and a disability that makes it difficult to find work as a civilian.

The Army’s top civilian lawyer, Benedict S. Cohen, earlier this month wrote a memo to senior Army officials to report several complaints he heard from Fort Lewis staff “closely involved in the administration of the PEB process.”

During a Fort Lewis visit several weeks ago, Cohen reported, staff members alleged that the PEB “routinely” misapplies Army regulations and Department of Defense instructions “to evade reaching the 30 percent disability threshold that triggers soldier eligibility” for medical retirement and benefits.

“It was claimed that PEBs employed a ‘Wal-Mart greeter’ test, whereby if an injured soldier could function as a Wal-Mart greeter he or she would receive a rating of 0 percent disability, as opposed to the outcome mandated” by Army and Defense Department regulations, Cohen wrote.

“The staff cited as evidence of misapplication of relevant standards the fact that despite the onset of the GWOT (global war on terrorism) and subsequent dramatic increase in the number and severity of injuries, findings of disability had held steady at 9 percent and more recently had even fallen below that average,” he wrote.

Cohen sent his memo to the assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs, the Army Inspector General, and the Army Judge Advocate General. He wrote that he had no way of knowing whether the allegations were true, but that, “In my view, this information may warrant further assessment.”

An official with the Fort Lewis PEB said Friday that he could not respond to News Tribune inquiries about cases before the board. He referred a reporter to the public affairs officer with the Army Human Resources Command in Alexandria, Va., Lt. Col. Kevin Arata.

Arata did not return telephone and e-mail inquiries from The News Tribune, but instructed the Fort Lewis PEB official not to speak with the paper, the official said.

“He said we weren’t to discuss the subject,” said John Mills, the chief adjudicator with the Fort Lewis PEB. “We can’t talk about it.”

The lawyers who represent soldiers before the PEB wrote that it was unclear how the board would account for the new guidelines for PTSD and other conditions in the cases it is hearing while the rewrite is under way. The board hears up to four or five cases each workday.

It was unclear whether the new guidelines would be retroactive, or if soldiers would have the chance to argue their case in another hearing.

Soldier will fight Fort Lewis board

Dennis Abitz, a retired Army Reserve sergeant major, has post-traumatic stress disorder and a metal plate in his neck.

He said the Physical Evaluation Board at Fort Lewis on Thursday reduced his disability rating from 30 percent to 10 percent, even though his injuries would appear to fall within the categories of cases the Army is now reviewing.

Abitz had been on temporary disability retirement the past year and had to appear last week for a reassessment of his status.

His neck injury was reduced from 20 percent to 0, and his PTSD held at 10 percent, he said.

“They weren’t supposed to come up with a decision until after the new rules came out,” said Abitz, 47, who belonged to an Army Reserve unit in Wisconsin. “The regulations make it clear they’ve got to give you a copy of what the new rules are so that you can make your case.”

Abitz said he began to suffer PTSD after the Persian Gulf War, when he encountered the horrific remains of Iraqi troops obliterated by U.S. airstrikes as they tried to retreat from Kuwait.

The Army called him back up to active duty in December 2002 to return to Kuwait with his logistics unit to set up camps for the invasion of Iraq that would follow in four months.

He’d had neck surgery just a month earlier, but the Army cleared him for duty.

After several months, he said, an Army doctor in Kuwait diagnosed him with a fragmented disk, and he was sent home.

Since then, Abitz has been locking horns with the Army’s medical and disability system. The Veterans Administration rated his injuries as a 70 percent disability, but he said he wants to receive the medical retirement status from the Army so his wife and his child will have medical insurance.

Abitz said he’s going to appeal.

“I’m not yet willing to walk away,” he said