The White House, President George W. Bush Click to print this document

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 16, 2007

Fact Sheet: Ensuring Our Wounded Warriors Get the Best Possible Care
Administration Moves Forward To Implement Recommendations Of The President's Commission On Care For America's Returning Wounded Warriors

     Fact sheet In Focus: Veterans
     Fact sheet President Bush Meets with Senator Bob Dole and Secretary Donna Shalala on the Commission on Care for Wounded Warriors

Today, President Bush discussed legislation Congress should pass and actions the Administration is taking to implement recommendations of the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors. In March, President Bush signed an Executive Order creating this bipartisan commission to conduct a comprehensive review of the services America is providing our returning wounded warriors. The Commission released its findings on July 25, 2007, and the President immediately instructed the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs to implement its recommendations.

Congress Should Pass The Legislation Necessary To Ensure The Commission's Recommendations Are Fully Implemented

To the extent that the Administration can move forward without legislative action, we are working to implement the Commission's recommendations; however, some reforms require Congressional action:

Modernizing And Improving The Disability And Compensation Systems

Commission Recommendations

  1. Change DoD Disability Entitlement for those deemed unfit for duty for combat-related reasons by providing an annuity based solely on rank and service, rather than percent disability.
  2. Expand TRICARE Coverage to those unfit for duty for combat-related reasons, not just those who are at least 30 percent disabled or who have 20 years of service, as in the current system.
  3. Restructure VA disability entitlement such that, for new entrants retired from service for fitness, VA benefits would include transition payments to cover living expenses equal to either three months of base pay (if no rehabilitation is needed) or family living expenses for longer-term rehab patients. The new VA disability benefits would also include "earnings-loss payments" and "quality-of-life payments."
  4. Reassess all disability rating schedules to ensure they reflect modern medicine and modern concepts of the impact of disability. VA would reassess disability status every three years and adjust compensation accordingly.
  5. Increase vocational rehabilitation benefits such that VA would pay a bonus equal to 10 percent of transition pay after year one, 5 percent after year two, and 10 percent after year three of training completion.

Legislation

Administrative Actions

Aggressively Preventing And Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Traumatic Brain Injury

Commission Recommendations

  1. Expand VA health coverage to ensure that all veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) receive care related to this condition.
  2. Address DoD shortage of mental health clinicians.
  3. Conduct awareness training and provide clinical guidelines for PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Legislation

Administrative Actions

Significantly Strengthening Support For Families

Commission Recommendations

  1. Expand TRICARE respite care and aide and personal attendant benefits to service members seriously injured in combat.
  2. Provide training and counseling to family members to support them as caregivers. DoD and VA should standardize and assure universal access to family services early in the treatment process. This package should include education about the service member's injuries and expected progress, caregiver training and counseling, and psychological services.
  3. Amend the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to allow up to six months of unpaid leave for family members of combat-injured service members, and allow combinations of unpaid and paid leave, when available.

Legislation

Administrative Actions

The Administration Is Acting Now To Implement Recommendations That Do Not Require Legislative Action

Immediately Creating Comprehensive Recovery Plans To Provide The Right Care And Support At The Right Time In The Right Place

Commission Recommendations

  1. Those seriously injured in combat will receive an individual Recovery Plan that leads them back to duty or public life seamlessly guiding and supporting them through medical, rehabilitation, and disability programs.
  2. A Recovery Coordinator will be assigned to service members seriously injured in combat to serve as their ultimate resource in the recovery process. The Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned Corps will help develop this cadre of well-trained and highly skilled advocates.

Administrative Actions

Rapidly Transferring Patient Information Between The Departments Of Defense And Veterans Affairs

Commission Recommendations

  1. DoD and VA must continue the work under way towards a fully interoperable IT system that will meet long-term administrative and clinical needs.
  2. DoD and VA must, within the next 12 months, have all patient information viewable by any clinician, health professional, or administrator who needs it within either department.
  3. DoD and VA must develop a plan for a user-friendly health and benefits portal for service members, veterans, and family members.

Administration Actions

Strongly Supporting Walter Reed By Recruiting And Retaining First-Rate Professionals Through Closure In 2011

Commission Recommendations

  1. DoD must ensure that Walter Reed (WRAMC) has the resources it needs in outpatient and inpatient care.
  2. DoD must implement tailored incentive packages to encourage civilian personnel to continue working at Walter Reed, and enable recruitment of new professionals as needed.

Administrative Actions

 

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