28 July 2007

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



Message from the Co-Chairs

Next month, this Commission will convene to publicly discuss our recommendations. In doing so, we must fulfill the following objectives of our charter:
  • Evaluate and recommend improvments, where needed, to the transition from wounded warrior status back to military service or civilian life
  • Evaluate and recommend ways to ensure access to the highest-quality service for returning wounded warriors
  • Analyze the effectiveness of the process through which health care services and benefits are delivered.”
Commission Urges Improvements to Servicemembers' Care
Today, the nine-member panel outlined six recommendations:

• Create comprehensive health recovery plans and develop a corps of highly trained coordinators to help servicemembers transition back to military duty or civilian life every step of the way.

• Simplify the way disabilities are determined and make the compensation system less confusing.

• Improve the system for diagnosing and treating post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, and work to make servicemembers less vulnerable to these two signature ailments of the war on terror.

• Significantly strengthen support for Families.

• Develop "My eBenefits," a one-stop Web site and information source for servicemembers that combines Defense Department and Veterans Affairs databases.

• Keep Walter Reed staffed with first-rate professionals until it closes in 2011.

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