Veterans Must Act Quickly to Submit Concerns to VA Presidential Task Force

Forty-five days. That's all the time veterans have to share their concerns with the Interagency Task Force on Returning Global War on Terror. Created in the wake of the recent Walter Reed scandal, President Bush directed VA Secretary Jim Nicholson to seek out gaps in health care services returning veterans receive.

Ideas and recommendations may be submitted via:

Email TFHeroes@va.gov

Correspondence
Task Force on Returning Global War on Terror Heroes
c/o Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning
Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue, NW (008)
Washington, DC 20420

Fax 202.273.9599

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Task force details:

The President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors will recommend ways to:

1. Improve The Transition From Deployment To Other Military Service Or Civilian Life. The Commission will examine returning wounded service members' transition from deployment in support of the Global War on Terror to productive military service or civilian society, and recommend needed improvements.

2. Ensure High-Quality Services For Returning Wounded Service Members. The Commission will evaluate the delivery of health care, disability, traumatic injury, education, employment, and other benefits and services to returning wounded service members by Federal agencies and the private sector. It will recommend ways to ensure programs provide high-quality services.

3. Increase Access To Benefits And Services. The Commission will analyze the effectiveness of existing outreach programs for service members and identify ways to increase awareness of and access to benefits and services and reduce any barriers or gaps in these benefits and services.

* Commission Members Will Consult With Foundations, Veterans Service Organizations, Non-Profit Groups, Faith-Based Organizations, And Others, As Appropriate.

The President Also Announced Former Senator Bob Dole And Former U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala Will Serve As The Commission's Co-Chairs. In total, the President will announce nine members to serve on the Commission – including the two co-chairs.

* Bob Dole: Senator Bob Dole was elected to Congress from his home state of Kansas in 1960 and to the U.S. Senate in 1968. He resigned from the Senate in 1996. His personal history of service includes active duty in World War II, during which he was gravely wounded and received for heroic achievement two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster.

* Donna Shalala: In 1993, President Clinton appointed Donna Shalala Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), where she served for eight years, becoming the longest serving HHS Secretary in U.S. history. She has served as President of the University of Miami since June 1, 2001.

Interagency Task Force On Returning Global War On Terror Heroes

The President Also Directed U.S. Department Of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Jim Nicholson To Establish An Interagency Task Force On Returning Global War On Terror Heroes. The Task Force will bring together top-level officials from the U.S. Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Education, as well as the Office of Management and Budget and the Small Business Administration. It will identify and examine existing Federal services provided to returning Global War on Terror service members, identify gaps in these services, and seek recommendations from appropriate Federal agencies on ways to fill those gaps quickly and effectively.

In Addition, Defense Secretary Robert Gates Has Formed An Independent Review Group To Conduct An Assessment Of Outpatient Treatment At Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) And The National Naval Medical Center (NNMC). The group held its first meeting on March 1, 2007. It will identify any critical shortcomings and opportunities to improve care and quality of life for injured and sick members of the armed forces at WRAMC, NNMC, and other facilities if necessary, and make recommendations for corrective actions.

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