Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
USA Today
May 11, 2007
Pg. 13
Army Expected Greater Number Of Complaints
By Gregg Zoroya, USA Today
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Disputes with the Army over disability ratings, out-patient health care and misplaced medical records dominate the more than 700 complaints received by a new Army telephone hotline, public records provided to USA TODAY show.
After seven weeks, there were far fewer phoned-in complaints than the Army says it anticipated. The hotline started March 19, shortly after the revelations of problems with care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
The largest portion of phone calls — more than 40% — related to issues that have triggered several investigations, commissions and task forces following news coverage about Walter Reed: the Army's disability process, out-patient health care and lost records.
At least 115 complaints concerned disability evaluations and ratings, which made up the largest group of issues raised. Evaluations determine the extent of a soldier's disability, while the ratings determine a soldier's future benefits.
The high number of disability complaints reflects what troops have told veterans groups, says Ron Smith, counsel for Disabled American Veterans. "Soldiers are being very seriously underrated" for their wounds, he says.
The Army was prepared for more complaints when it created the hotline at 800-984-8523. But after a few hundred complaints in the first few weeks, the level has dropped off dramatically.
That's good news, says Col. Ed Mason, the hotline director. "This is a positive sign that the problem was not as large as it was blown up to be," he says.
Advocacy groups for soldiers and veterans disagree. "Seven hundred may be just the tip of the iceberg," says Joe Davis of Veterans of Foreign Wars.
"My sense is that many soldiers and families still don't know about the hotline and that others may see this line as too closely tied to the chain of command in a negative way," says Joyce Raezer, chief operating officer of the National Military Family Association. "That's kind of a shame because the chain of command has to know of the problems in order to fix them."
The Army says there should be no retribution for any soldier who uses the hotline, according to Mason. The Army posted the hotline number on its website and featured it in several military media outlets.
Other hotline issues beyond health care included simple requests for information, complaints about pay and entitlements, the Defense Department's Tricare insurance program and financial assistance problems.
Although the hotline was created for medical complaints, more than half of the calls related to legal issues, finances and employment. Of the 14 complaints received Monday, six concerned medical topics, five were about the Veterans Affairs Department, and others involved pay and job assignments.
The hotline staff aims to resolve issues in 72 hours. Shawn Artis says he was most affected by a caller who was on a two-week leave from Iraq when he learned his mother was dying of cancer.
Eager for more time with her, the soldier called the hotline. "He was afraid that the minute he got on the plane and left (to return to Iraq), his mother would pass," Artis recalls. "He said, 'I don't have anybody else I can ask.' "
The Army extended his leave.
May 11, 2007
Pg. 13
Army Expected Greater Number Of Complaints
By Gregg Zoroya, USA Today
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Disputes with the Army over disability ratings, out-patient health care and misplaced medical records dominate the more than 700 complaints received by a new Army telephone hotline, public records provided to USA TODAY show.
After seven weeks, there were far fewer phoned-in complaints than the Army says it anticipated. The hotline started March 19, shortly after the revelations of problems with care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
The largest portion of phone calls — more than 40% — related to issues that have triggered several investigations, commissions and task forces following news coverage about Walter Reed: the Army's disability process, out-patient health care and lost records.
At least 115 complaints concerned disability evaluations and ratings, which made up the largest group of issues raised. Evaluations determine the extent of a soldier's disability, while the ratings determine a soldier's future benefits.
The high number of disability complaints reflects what troops have told veterans groups, says Ron Smith, counsel for Disabled American Veterans. "Soldiers are being very seriously underrated" for their wounds, he says.
The Army was prepared for more complaints when it created the hotline at 800-984-8523. But after a few hundred complaints in the first few weeks, the level has dropped off dramatically.
That's good news, says Col. Ed Mason, the hotline director. "This is a positive sign that the problem was not as large as it was blown up to be," he says.
Advocacy groups for soldiers and veterans disagree. "Seven hundred may be just the tip of the iceberg," says Joe Davis of Veterans of Foreign Wars.
"My sense is that many soldiers and families still don't know about the hotline and that others may see this line as too closely tied to the chain of command in a negative way," says Joyce Raezer, chief operating officer of the National Military Family Association. "That's kind of a shame because the chain of command has to know of the problems in order to fix them."
The Army says there should be no retribution for any soldier who uses the hotline, according to Mason. The Army posted the hotline number on its website and featured it in several military media outlets.
Other hotline issues beyond health care included simple requests for information, complaints about pay and entitlements, the Defense Department's Tricare insurance program and financial assistance problems.
Although the hotline was created for medical complaints, more than half of the calls related to legal issues, finances and employment. Of the 14 complaints received Monday, six concerned medical topics, five were about the Veterans Affairs Department, and others involved pay and job assignments.
The hotline staff aims to resolve issues in 72 hours. Shawn Artis says he was most affected by a caller who was on a two-week leave from Iraq when he learned his mother was dying of cancer.
Eager for more time with her, the soldier called the hotline. "He was afraid that the minute he got on the plane and left (to return to Iraq), his mother would pass," Artis recalls. "He said, 'I don't have anybody else I can ask.' "
The Army extended his leave.