Lessons From Walter Reed
Linda Bilmes, the Harvard finance expert who helped establish the true cost of the war, including veteran healthcare, turns her attention to the Walter Reed scandal, and the bureaucratic quagmire that keeps our soldiers from getting help. Bilmes offers four lessons to avoid future problems. We can only hope someone takes her advice.Linda Bilmes, the Harvard finance expert who helped establish the true cost of the war, including veteran healthcare, turns her attention to the Walter Reed scandal, and the bureaucratic quagmire that keeps our soldiers from getting help. Bilmes offers four lessons to avoid future problems. We can only hope someone takes her advice.
Your support matters…Boston Globe:
Soldiers injured in theatre are supposedly able to apply for disability benefits before they are discharged. But to take advantage of the program a soldier must know when he is going to be discharged. Unfortunately, much of the force doesn’t know when it will be discharged because of repeated deployments and “stop-loss” orders. Furthermore, National Guard and Reserve soldiers are excluded from the pre-discharge program.
The bureaucratic fumbling between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs also diverts the VA’s stretched medical resources into claims processing and away from providing prompt, needed treatment.
Here are some simple lessons from the Walter Reed scandal that will improve the lot of the 900,000 servicemen who are still deployed into the Iraq and Afghanistan wars:
Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.
You can help level the playing field. Become a member.
Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.
Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.
Opinion
Much of the criticism wasn’t about legitimate concerns about academic integrity or campus antisemitism. It was about who is in power.
Education
By forcing out university presidents over hypotheticals posed by right-wing members of Congress, one cannot help but worry that this will only serve to fuel antisemitism.
Editorial Cartoons
Science
A study 13 years in the making confirms that DNA changes are not the only, or even the main, cause of aging.
The Harvard emeritus law professor claims abuse of power cannot be considered grounds for impeachment. The constitution says otherwise.
The mainstream media insists manipulated video poses a threat to our democracy. It’s a form of fearmongering that only serves the powerful.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.