Reickhoff: Dole-Shalala Commission Report: Walter Reed Was Just the Beginning

[unhappycamper]

Dole-Shalala Commission Report: Walter Reed Was Just the Beginning
Paul Rieckhoff
Posted July 26, 2007 | 12:37 AM (EST)


On March 6th, 2007, in response to a series of articles in the Washington Post that documented the poor conditions, neglect, and bureaucratic hurdles faced by outpatients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, President Bush authorized the creation of "The President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors," headed by former decorated World War II veteran and Senator Bob Dole and former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala.

Today, the Dole-Shalala Commission released their draft report, proving to the American public that the Walter Reed fiasco is just the tip of the iceberg. This draft report illustrates the enormous scope of hurdles facing our nation's wounded veterans. Many troops and veterans are forced to wait months and even years for medical appointments and disability pensions. Some veterans forced to wait have committed suicide, while other have fallen deep into debt.

Last week, the Secretary of the VA Jim Nicholson ended an embarrassingly bad tenure by resigning from his post. This week, a group of disabled Iraq veterans are suing the VA for failing to provide them with care and resources. The situation is extremely urgent. Our veterans' healthcare system is facing tremendous challenges at every level and the Department of Defense and the VA are not ready to respond. This report should be a wake-up call for all Americans, reminding them that supporting the troops requires more than empty rhetoric and magnetic bumper stickers.

While the Commission will release its final report next week, a draft is available now and includes the following six major recommendations which should all be implemented as rapidly as possible:

1. Implement Comprehensive Recovery Plans
2. Restructure Disability and Compensation Systems
3. Improve Care for People with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
4. Strengthen Support for Families
5. Transfer Patient Information Across Systems
6. Support Walter Reed Until Closure in 2011


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[madrchsod]

1. watched this last night on news hour...

shalala explanations of this report was right on the money and even old bob sounded reasonable. i posted this last night and got 2 responses ,i hope yours gets more play because this is far more important than the clinton -obama bullshit

[fed-up]

2. If this admin sends them into battle-they sure as hell better care for them on their return

lawsuits-hearings-let's hope this admin puts our money where their mouth is and gives these guys the care they need-what a disgrace to treat the vets this way


Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, points out a graphic about veterans medical claims during a news conference in San Francisco, Monday, July 23, 2007. Sullivan is part of a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, filed Monday in federal court in San Francisco, seeking broad change in the agency as it struggles to meet growing demands from veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/schedule110/july07/07-25-07/witness.shtml
WITNESS LIST (with links to statements)

House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

Full Committee Hearing on
PTSD and Personality Disorders: Challenges for the VA

July 25, 2007, 10:00 A.M.
Room 334, Cannon House Office Building