Is The Army Shortchanging Injured GIs?

Commission: Unwieldy, Inconsistent System Is Being Used To Rate Severity Of Disabilities

(AP)  The Army might be shortchanging injured soldiers by rating the severity of their disabilities with a system that is both unwieldy and inconsistent, the head of a special commission said Thursday.

Pentagon officials denied those who rate the disabilities would cheat service members but pledged to investigate. "I'm trying to make sense of this finding," said acting Army Secretary Pete Geren.

Meanwhile, two Democratic senators criticized the Department of Veterans Affairs, expressing concern that President Bush's nominee to be VA's undersecretary for health, Michael Kussman, was long aware of problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center but didn't respond.

"The warning lights were flashing at Walter Reed years ago, but the Bush administration chose to ignore the problem and our injured service members paid the price," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

Testimony to Congress on Thursday by retired Lt. Gen. James Terry Scott, chairman of the Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission, is the latest to document problems in a system under extra strain as thousands of service members return from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Scott suggested there could be an effort to keep costs down as the military rates the severity of soldiers' disabilities. He said the Pentagon "has strong incentive to assign ratings less than 30 percent" so the military won't have to pay disability benefits.

In a preliminary review of Pentagon and VA data, Scott's commission found the Army was much more likely than the other active forces to assign a disability rating of less than 30 percent, the typical cutoff to determine whether a person can get lifetime retirement payments and health care.

VA ratings tend to be higher, due to a separate system that gives consideration to whether injured veterans are afflicted with multiple disabilities.

"It is apparent that service members are not well-served," Scott said at an unusual joint hearing of the Senate Armed Services and Veterans Affairs committees.

His commission was formed in 2004 to study ways to improve the benefits system and is to issue a report later this year.

Separately, the VA came under fire by members of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee after reports that Kussman, now the acting undersecretary, and other top department officials knew of problems at Walter Reed as early as 2004.

At the time, Kussman co-chaired a task force on improving veterans care and produced a report in which Walter Reed patients — seriously wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan — stated that they were "frustrated, confused, sometimes angry" about their experiences, according to Salon.com..

"It's troubling that that long ago there was a report somewhere that these issues were festering over there. Was it not shared with anybody at the VA at the time?" Murray asked.

"Oh no, we knew about it," Kussman replied.

[sclaires]

I grew up as an Army brat and then worked 17 1/2 years for them. The only time I had decent medical care was when I was 8 years old and had a severe bone infection. And this was on Okinawa in 1949 to show you how long ago it was. The rest of the time I did not receive the care that I should have and was never diagnosed with Lupus which I have had since I was at least 12 or so.

My mother received some of the worse medical care that I can think of from so-called orthopedic surgeons at an Army hospital. I don't know if the surgeons were board-certified or not but from what I could see, they didn't know what they were doing.

I then worked at an Army hospital as a typist during part of my working career. And this was over 25 years ago and the medical care was as bad then as it is now. For a hospital that is on a basic training base, they don't even have an emergency room. There is a 12 story building but only about 20 or so beds are used. And at one time all the beds were in use. Now that hospital sends all the dependents, retired military, and most of the active duty military to civilian hospitls downtown. Apparently they figure they will get better care in a civilian hospital then in the Army one. After working there, I know I wouldn't get anywhere near it for any type of medical care.

[doc18d]

Not a one of you has a clue of what your spewing in here. I am a Disabled Vet. During my time in the militarty and now I have received nothing but the best medical care. Since when did this country care what conditions the soldiers live in. The only reason you care now is to politicize it. These facilities did not get run down ion the last 6 years. We soldiers have been living in and recieving medical treatment in substandard conditions for the last 26 years that I have been a soldier and the first 18 years of my life as a military dependent. No one political party is responsible for these conditions. All americans are. Stop bashing Bush for a second and do something productive to fix this system. Or doesn't that fit into your agenda.

[drinuk]

Of course they are shafting these guys, same in the UK. These kids are coming home injured and having to lie in hospital beds supposedly looked after by bloody Islamic cretins who are taking the P I S S out of them. Jeeeezz. Batman and Robin (Bush & Blair) should be strung up, this is the stuff of revolution.

[bluestardad]

ASK THESE BOUGHT B A S T A R D S WHY THEIR SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL TRUMPS THEIR DUTY TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHO ARE BEING KILLED FROM THEIR STATES?

ASK THEM HOW MUCH AIPAC INFLUENCES THEIR VOTES ON IRAQ?

IF YOU DON%u2019T KNOW WHAT AIPAC IS THEN DO A LITTLE RESEARCH OR SHUT THEHELL UP YOU IDIOTS! TRULY SOME OF YOU ARE SO IGNORANT IT DEFIES REASON THAT YOU CAN CROSS THE ROAD!

http://www.aipac.org/forms/join_aipacClubs.htm


Alexander, Lamar- (R - TN)
Allard, Wayne- (R - CO)
Chambliss, Saxby- (R - GA)
Cochran, Thad- (R - MS)
Coleman, Norm- (R - MN)
Collins, Susan M.- (R - ME)
Cornyn, John- (R - TX)
Craig, Larry E.- (R - ID)
Dole, Elizabeth- (R - NC)
Enzi, Michael B.- (R - WY)
Graham, Lindsey- (R - SC)
Hagel, Chuck- (R - NE)
Inhofe, James M.- (R - OK)
McConnell, Mitch- (R - KY)
Roberts, Pat- (R - KS)
Sessions, Jeff- (R - AL)
Smith, Gordon H.- (R - OR)
Stevens, Ted- (R - AK)
Sununu, John E.- (R - NH)
Warner, John- (R - VA)

If you think Americas sacrifice is worth it contact your ELECTED OFFICIAL and tell them http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

The House Speakers email address: [e-mail]

[e-mail] Here is the Republican Party email address too!

[e-mail] Here is the Democratic Party email address also!

[johnshaft4]

In light of the VA reprehensible treatment and Bush war lies, misrepresentations, ANYONE who would go to Iraq instead of Canada until this blows over is suicidal.

[me4prezz]

I work for a hospital that is a only a couple of miles from the VA hospital. We are CONSTANTLY getting veterans at our hospital because they cannot wait any longer or get the care they need at the VA hospital here. But, they come to our hospital and they don't get their care covered, but they will die waiting for the care they need at the VA.

SOLUTION:
Pay for veterans health care from the billion dollar industry of oil that has seen record breaking profits in the last....oh....7 years? Yep, since Bush went into office. What a coincidence!

We have the billion dollar oil industry pay for verteran health benefits in lieu of an inquiry into gas gouging and call it even.

[randalds]

Yes they are. This is because the republicans in power right now pledged to run this country like a business. Of course they failed in the running it efficiently part, but because of this philosophy they see our wounded troops not as human beings or brave soldiers, but rather as an expense. Something that gets counted against profit. So they are, like in any business, providing them with the absolute minimum of care and at the lowest price. This is, for instance, why they contracted out the maintenance at Walter Reed to a Halliburton subsidiary, who immediately slashed the maintenance staff from 300 to 100. You've seen the result. The upshot is that this administration does not see our wounded troops as actual people, but rather only as a liability to be disposed of as cheaply as possible. They simply do not care any longer for troops that can't keep fighting. They are expendable refuse to them.

[ne_patriot7]

Hmmmmm.. this is how Republicans support the troops....
1- send them to war without a plan,
2- without proper body armor,
3- without vehicles that are armored
4- extend, extend, extend the tours
5- stop loss, so you're stuck in the service forever.
6- using weekend warriors for full time war.

and when they come home broken and hurting:

7- cut their benefits
8- charge them for their meals while in the hospital
9- cut their benefits some more.
10- put them in hospitals with moldy walls and rats running around.
11- rate their disabilities low to save money.
12- cut their benefits some more.
13- deny them psychiatric help at critical times.

Why on earth would anyone want to volunteer for an Army the Republicans have so f*cked up..

On behalf of all injured soldiers... Thanks Bush.... for nothing, you useless piece of cr@p..

[frankly6]

So this is what Bush means by "support the troops"?

They go and fight for this country trusting that if they should be injured their country will make every effort to make them whole. But instead they have to come home and fight their own government to get adequite care.

[taylpatr]

The only thing that makes me glad about this situation is that when I meet my maker,I won't have the karma that our lawmakers are bringing on themselves.If they had any humility or humanity, they would forgo their automatic raise and take care of the men and women who fight their battles for them.Lookout,Mr.Politic!God's watching you!So is the Devil!Your hole is getting deeper.I would suggest that if you feel any guilt or remorse over this,ACT ON IT!

[j-whitman]

Yes, big time ,, Shortchanging our troops, injured GI's & all thier families -- But what's new ?? Republicans say it's honorable.