"For more than five years, thousands of wounded and injured military reservists and National Guard troops nationwide might have lost medical benefits because of a Pentagon mistake, according to an investigation by Sen. Ron Wyden.More Information
In a letter sent on Wednesday to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, the Oregon Democrat said that many wounded troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq who ended up in Warrior Transition Units at military bases or in community-based programs near their homes lost up to six months of medical coverage that's provided to them under a 2005 law.
The Transition Assistance Management Program, or TAMP, was supposed to help personnel returning from active duty get the medical care they needed before their civilian coverage kicked in. The problem was that the Pentagon began counting the 180 days of coverage the moment the troops returned to the United States, not once they left active duty.
Those who needed extensive care in the Warrior Transition Units often exhausted their six months of benefits before they went home, according to Wyden. Pentagon paperwork leaked last year to the Tribune-Review showed that the typical reservist or Guard member will spend about a year in the special medical units, or longer if they're in a community-based program.
While many of those troops received federal medical insurance in retirement packages, others didn't. Neither Wyden nor the Pentagon can estimate exactly how many thousands lost out on the care they needed..."
Continued: Gaffe may shortchange wounded vets - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Veterans who may find themselves in this condition may wish to contact Congress for assistance.
- About Warrior Transition Units
- Warrior Transition Command Blog - solicits blogs from warriors in transition
- Wounded Warrior Mentor Program
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