President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors

President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors

Contents

Charter

On March 6, 2007, U.S. President George W. Bush established the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors , also known as the Dole-Shalala Commission, to examine and recommend improvements to the effectiveness and quality of transition from to return to military service or civilian society, health care, benefits, outreach to Service members and awareness by Service members of health care and benefits programs.

Work Process

The Commissioners visited United States Department of Defense (DoD), United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and private-sector treatment facilities, interviewed injured Service members and their families, health care professionals, and program managers, conducted a survey of injured service members, reviewed letters and emails from Service members, veterans, family members, and health care personnel, and analyzed recommendations of past commissions and task forces. This Commission had the unique task of evaluating the entire continuum of care instead of analyzing discrete systems and processes as was the tasks of similar Commissions.

Findings

The Commission found consistent reports of high-quality battlefield medicine care provided by military and VA medical staff. Much of the report findings focused on “seriously injured” Service members, as defined by recipients of the one-time payment from Traumatic Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance to severely injured service members.

The Commission found strong correlation between the feedback they received about DoD/VA health care and the feedback typical the feedback one would receive about health care from the private sector, such as poor care coordination and continuity, ineffective information technology systems, enduring stigma threatening those who seek mental health care, and inadequate long-term rehabilitation and staff shortages.

Recommendations

This Commission made six recommendations with "action steps" to implement each recommendation. Also, each "action step" directs specific action roles to the VA, DoD, United States Congress or some combination of these three entities.

1. Immediately Create Comprehensive Recovery Plans to Provide the Right Care and Support at the Right Time in the Right Place

  • Develop integrated care teams
  • Create Recovery Plans
  • Develop corps of Recovery Coordinators (with Public Health Service)

2. Completely Restructure the Disability and Compensation Systems

  • Clarify the objectives of DoD and VA disability programs
  • Create a single, comprehensive medical exam
  • Provide lifetime TRICARE benefits for combat-injured
  • Restructure VA disability payments
  • Determine appropriate length and amounts of transition payments
  • Update and keep current the disability rating schedule
  • Develop flexibility within Vocational Rehabilitation and Education (VRE) program

3. Aggressively Prevent and Treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Enable all Iraq & Afghanistan veterans who need PTSD care to receive it from the VA
  • Address shortage in mental health professionals
  • Establish and expand networks of experts in PTSD and TBI
  • Expand training regarding PTSD and TBI
  • Develop or disseminate clinical practice guidelines

4. Significantly Strengthen Support for Families

  • Expand eligibility for TRICARE respite care and aide and attendant care
  • Expand caregiver training for families
  • Cover family members under the Family Medical Leave Act

5. Rapidly Transfer Patient Information Between DoD and VA

  • Make patient information available to all personnel who need it, initially in readable form
  • Continue efforts for fully interoperable information system
  • Develop a user-friendly single web portal for service members and veterans

6. Strongly Support Walter Reed By Recruiting and Retaining First-Rate Professionals Through 2011

  • Assure adequate resources
  • Strengthen recruitment and retention of needed administrative and clinical staff

Press Coverage


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control — Active February 2008 – Present Country United States Allegiance United States of America Branch [Navy] …   Wikipedia

  • Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal — The Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal resulted from a series of allegations of unsatisfactory conditions and management at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington, D.C. culminating in two articles published by The… …   Wikipedia

  • Donna Shalala — 5th President of the University of Miami Incumbent Assumed office June 1, 2001 …   Wikipedia

  • UNITED STATES OF AMERICA — UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, country in N. America. This article is arranged according to the following outline: introduction Colonial Era, 1654–1776 Early National Period, 1776–1820 German Jewish Period, 1820–1880 East European Jewish Period,… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Choctaw — For other uses, see Choctaw (disambiguation). Choctaw Choctaw portraits Total population 160,000   …   Wikipedia

  • India — /in dee euh/, n. 1. Hindi, Bharat. a republic in S Asia: a union comprising 25 states and 7 union territories; formerly a British colony; gained independence Aug. 15, 1947; became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations Jan. 26, 1950.… …   Universalium

  • United States — a republic in the N Western Hemisphere comprising 48 conterminous states, the District of Columbia, and Alaska in North America, and Hawaii in the N Pacific. 267,954,767; conterminous United States, 3,022,387 sq. mi. (7,827,982 sq. km); with… …   Universalium

  • Europe, history of — Introduction       history of European peoples and cultures from prehistoric times to the present. Europe is a more ambiguous term than most geographic expressions. Its etymology is doubtful, as is the physical extent of the area it designates.… …   Universalium

  • Military Affairs — ▪ 2009 Introduction        Russia and Georgia fought a short, intense war in 2008, fueling global fears of a new Cold War. On August 7 Georgia launched an aerial bombardment and ground attacks against its breakaway province of South Ossetia.… …   Universalium

  • china — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. a translucent ceramic material, biscuit fired at a high temperature, its glaze fired at a low temperature. 2. any porcelain ware. 3. plates, cups, saucers, etc., collectively. 4. figurines made of porcelain or ceramic material …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”