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 Washington, Mar 28 - U.S. Representative Henry E. Brown, Jr. (SC-01) applauded bi-partisan legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives today that would make important changes to how the Department of Defense (DoD) manages care for injured military personnel. The legislation addresses the inadequate living conditions and bureaucratic obstacles faced by some service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.
The Wounded Warrior Assistance Act (H.R. 1538) improves the management of medical care, personnel actions, and quality of life issues for members of the Armed Services. Under the legislation, any injured service member will be assigned a medical case manager and a service member advocate to assist with treatment, rehabilitation, understanding and communication of the service member’s medical status and the medical care process. In addition, the service member advocate will assist with oversight of the service member’s welfare and quality of life. H.R. 1538 sets specific limits on the number of cases each manager and advocate could handle to ensure that service members and their families get the help they need.
In addition to a number of other provisions, including a toll-free hotline for reporting problems in facilities supporting injured service members and their family members, the bill makes important changes designed to improve the seamless transition of service members from the military to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
These new provisions will require use of a uniform separation and evaluation physical by DoD and VA that VA could use for disability ratings. It would require an interoperable electronic exchange of critical medical information between the departments and the use of electronic discharge forms, which DoD would provide to VA. These changes will go far to ensure that service members are not caught between the DoD and VA bureaucracies.
“As a longtime advocate for improving health care for our men and women in uniform, I am pleased that Congress has made these necessary improvements in a bi-partisan manner,” said Brown. “It is unfortunate that it takes legislation to make the procedural changes that should be made within the DoD and the VA. I am hopeful that both agencies will take this legislation as a strong signal that improving medical care must become a priority, not a burden.”
H.R. 1538 passed the House by a vote of 426 to 0 and now moves to the Senate.
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