| Veterans
News Flash 
House
Acts to Improve Care for Veterans
March 28, 2007
WOUNDED WARRIOR ASSISTANCE ACT
Today,
the House unanimously passed H.R. 1538, the Wounded
Warrior Assistance Act. This bipartisan bill
responds to the problems brought to light at the
Walter Reed Army Medical Center and other military
health care facilities by including provisions
to:
1)
improve the access to quality medical care for
wounded service members who are outpatients at
military health care facilities;
2)
begin the process of restoring the integrity
and efficiency of the disability evaluation system
and taking other steps to cut bureaucratic red-tape;
and
3)
improve the transition of wounded service members
from the Armed Forces to the VA system.
Following
is an overview of some of the key provisions of
the bill:
Improves the system of case managers
for wounded service members. The bill
improves the training and reduces the caseloads
of medical care case managers for outpatient wounded
service members, so that service members and their
families can get the help they need when they need
it. For example, the bill requires that case
managers for outpatients handle no more than 17
cases and review each case at least once a week
to better understand patient needs.
Creates
a system of patient advocates. The
bill also creates a system of patient advocates
for outpatient wounded service members. These
advocates are there to fight, when necessary, to
ensure that outpatients get the right treatment. The
bill limits patient advocates to a caseload of
no more than 30 outpatients.
Establishes
a toll-free hot line. The bill
requires DOD to establish a toll-free hot line
for reporting deficiencies in facilities supporting
medical patients and family members, requiring
rapid responses to remediate substantiated complaints.
Establishes
independent medical advocates. The
bill also establishes an independent medical advocate
to serve as a counselor and advisor for service
members being considered by medical evaluation
boards.
Calls for improved training. The
bill requires DOD to recommend annually improvements
in the training of health care professionals, medical
care case managers, and patient advocates to increase
their effectiveness in assisting recovering wounded
warriors. The bill, at a minimum, requires
DOD to make recommendations about improving training
in the identification of post-traumatic stress
disorder, suicidal tendencies, and other mental
conditions among recovering service members.
Creates
an Army Wounded Warrior Battalion pilot program. The
bill requires the Army to establish an Army Wounded
Warrior Battalion pilot program at an installation
with a major medical facility modeled after the
Wounded Warrior Regiment program in the Marines. The
unit is intended to track active-duty soldiers
in “outpatient status” who still require
medical care.
Begins the process of reforming
the disability evaluation system. The
bill begins the process of reforming administrative
processes in order to restore the integrity and
efficiency of the disability evaluation system. For
example, the bill requires DOD to establish a standardized
training program and curriculum for those involved
in the disability evaluation system.
Improves
the transition of wounded service members from
the Armed Forces to the VA. Finally,
the bill takes some substantive steps in reducing
the turmoil of being transferred from military
to veterans’ medical care for service members
who are discharged. The bill creates a formal
transition process from the Armed Forces to the
VA for service members who are being retired or
separated for health reasons. The transition
is to include an official handoff between the two
systems with the electronic transfer of all medical
and personnel records before the member leaves
active-duty.
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