Commission Calls for Fundamental Changes to Military Health System

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/25/AR2007072500261.html?nav=rss_nation

Commission Calls for Changes to Military Health System

By Steve Vogel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 25, 2007; 2:04 PM

A presidential commission examining the care given to wounded U.S. service members is calling for "fundamental changes" in the management of the military's health care and disability system, according to a draft report released this morning.

The President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors, which briefed President Bush this morning on its findings, and voted today on its final recommendations.

"We don't recommend merely patching the system, as has been done in the past," the draft report stated. "Instead, the experiences of these young men and women have highlighted the need for fundamental changes in care management and the disability system."

The commission, led by former senator Robert J. Dole (R-Kan.) and former Health and Human Services secretary Donna E. Shalala, was established by Bush this spring following disclosures of poor conditions and treatment for wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

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