U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member: Finance, Agriculture, Energy, Ethics and Aging Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release March 7, 2007		CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Comm. Director 303-455-5999
Salazar Takes Action to Improve DOD and VA Health Care Services WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Nation’s attention this week has focused on substandard conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where American soldiers have been subject to deplorable recovery room conditions while at the same time the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration have failed to provide wounded veterans with a “seamless transition” from inpatient and outpatient medical care. United States Senator Ken Salazar today requested that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs Jim Nicholson work together to prepare for Congress a series of joint recommendations by the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) for improving care for the Nation’s service members and veterans. “While I am encouraged by the creation of two independent commissions to investigate troops’ reintegration into civilian life and the conditions at Walter Reed and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda,” wrote Senator Salazar, “as you know, studies do not substitute for action on items that need immediate attention.” In his letter, Senator Salazar called for Secretaries Gates and Nicholson to make specific improvements in three key areas to move DOD and VA closer to “seamless transition” for America’s troops and veterans: Clear Accounting of America’s Service Members and Veterans: Currently, the Administration continues to underestimate the number of troops and veterans linked to America’s Global War on Terror, as evidenced by repeated inadequate funding requests for VA healthcare. Senator Salazar asked DOD and VA to provide Congress with updated data on veterans who have served in the Global War on Terror (GWOT). By forcing DOD and VA to develop and disclose this information, both they and Congress will gain a more clear and accurate understanding of the demands on Department resources; Medical Record Portability: Currently, wounded service members returning from overseas come to Walter Reed and other medical facilities with electronic records. Unfortunately, in many cases these facilities struggle to use these records effectively and to share them with the VA. Senator Salazar asked DOD and VA to make immediate improvements on the portability of service members’ medical records as they transition from inpatient to outpatient care, and then to long-term care with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs; and Fixing the Bureaucracies at DOD and VA: Currently, the focus of investigations is on the symptoms of larger, administrative and bureaucratic problems. Rather than singling out individuals for blame, Senator Salazar asked DOD and VA to examine the underlying Departmental structural and procedural problems that led to these conditions in the first place. The full copy of Senator Salazar’s letter is available by clicking here. Regarding the recent revelations about Walter Reed Army Medical Facility, Senator Salazar said, “I have visited the Walter Reed Army Medical Facility every year as a United States Senator. I have traveled to Iraq to be with our men and women in the combat zone twice. I honor their service and sacrifice and have worked hard to support troops on the battlefield and upon their return back home… “I did not see, nor did anyone mention, the deplorable conditions which have recently come to light, but that does not change the fact that they exist in some buildings at Walter Reed. I am personally dismayed that any of our Veteran heroes have been exposed to the conditions that existed in some of the areas at Walter Reed…” Read more of Senator Salazar’s statement on Walter Reed by clicking here. # # #