–By Sarah Greer, AW2 Stratcom–
This morning, AW2 Symposium delegates gathered one last time and reported their issues directly to senior Army leadership.
“You’ve worked hard this week,” Army Family Action Plan representative Ronnie Thomas told the delegates. “You took raw emotion written on a piece of paper and turned it into substantive recommendations that can help yourselves and other Army Families.”
The top five issues, as voted on by the Symposium delegates, are:
- Concurrent receipt of retired and Veterans Affairs (VA) disability pay
- Comprehensive psychoeducation for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)/traumatic brain injury (TBI) servicemembers, family members, and caregivers
- Veterans Affairs (VA) education for Army Wounded Warrior Program Advocates
- Stipend for primary caregivers of ill/injured servicemembers
- Community support coordinators in geographically dispersed areas
Each of the five focus groups was represented by a spokesperson, who described the group’s top issue(s) to leadership and other delegates, and told some of the stories they had heard during the course of the week.
The VA focus group considered VA education for AW2 Advocates their top issue. “We want to advocate for our AW2 Advocates,” said focus group spokesperson and AW2 Soldier Jared Hatch. “We want to help them help us understand the programs and benefits available to wounded Soldiers. This shouldn’t be a difficult thing to implement.”
Jared also emphasized the difference concurrent receipt of payments would make for AW2 Families. “We know people are already working on this issue,” he said, “but if we don’t push it forward, it might wither away. Medically retired Soldiers have different needs than other retirees, such as childcare costs for medical appointments and often exceeding more than our TRICARE allowance for combat-related injuries.”
AW2 spouse Kimmie Davis represented the family focus group. “PTSD and TBI have touched all of us in a great way,” she said. Family members and caregivers need face-to-face education for how to care for their Soldiers with PTSD/TBI.”
Kimmie also discussed the need for a stipend for caregivers of AW2 Soldiers. “As a Family member myself, I quit my job to care for my injured husband,” she said. “Losing a job causes emotional and financial stress on the entire Family, and this shouldn’t be an additional burden for the Soldier and Family.”
AW2 Soldier and medical II focus group spokesperson David Booth discussed the passion his group members felt for placing community support coordinators in geographically dispersed areas. “We started discussing just the American islands,” he said, “and then realized that servicemembers throughout the country need focused support. It’s our goal for every single Soldier to be touched and represented, and to have access to the treatment facilities that can meet their needs.”
AW2 Soldier DeKeither Stamps represented the careers focus group. Their issues weren’t voted in the top five, but he emphasized the importance of taking care of wounded Soldiers for as long as it takes. “These Soldiers will never be the warfighters they once were,” he said. “We owe it to them and to the American people to return them to their communities with the tools to be successful.”
Army leadership was very receptive to all 11 issues presented this morning, including the six not voted in the final list. Leadership asked questions and pledged to work diligently to address these issues.
“AW2 will work inside the Army, inside the Defense Department and with other agencies to resolve these issues to the best of our ability,” said AW2 Director COL Jim Rice. “The 63 delegates this week have been the voice of all AW2 Soldiers, and AW2 takes their recommendations very seriously.”
