Army Captain didn't know about burn pit registry until VA event

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
August 3, 2014

The VA held a Welcome Home Salute 2014 and it was a great idea considering while military leaders keep assuring the public the troops are all informed about VA benefits, this proves they are not informed at all.

U.S. Army National Guard Camp Crowder, 890 Ray A Carver Ave, Neosho, MO 64850
Who should attend: Any Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation New Dawn Combat Veteran that wants to learn more about VA services and get assistance from staff

Booths and information from the following areas will include:
Vet Center, Audiology, Dietitian, Mental Health, Dental, My HealtheVet, Health Educator, and more!

What exactly does the DOD explain to them about benefits when a Captain did not know about the VA burn pit registry?

One of the veterans who participated in the event was Capt. Charlie Ledgerwood, weekend training site commander at Camp Crowder.

“For me it is beneficial because I got to find out when I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009, 2010 with the 203rd Engineers, that we had an open pit burn site at the air force base where I was stationed,” he said. “And now, there is an open burn pit registry so I need to get registered for that because I was there, in case I have health problems. I know that some of my troops have had health problems, so I am going to be calling them, letting them know about that.”

Group holds health event for combat vets
By Todd G. Higdon
Posted Aug. 2, 2014
Area war veterans had the opportunity Saturday to get information about veterans’ health care during an event at Camp Crowder.

“This is our 2014 Welcome Home Salute,” said Sarah McBride, public affairs for Veterans Healthcare System for the Ozarks, who held the event. “The event is targeted toward combat veterans, Operation Iraq Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation New Dawn, but it is open to any veteran who wants to come and learn about information. So we have VA services, as well as veterans benefits administration here, dietitians, we have got health, disease prevention, health promotion, enrollment and eligibility specialists, just to get the word out to returning veterans or any veteran who wants to information on it, what services are available to them.”
read more here

Reporters jumped all over the VA with story after story of what they got wrong but when they got things right, reporters were not really interested. They find veteran after veteran with complaints and horror stories but don't seem to manage to find the majority of veterans receiving great treatment. They don't seem interested in covering VA sponsored Stand Downs for homeless veterans all over the country. What makes all of this worse is, none of them are really interested in asking what the DOD is getting so wrong it makes it harder for military folks after they leave service. Congress sure as hell doesn't care or they would be holding the DOD accountable.

There has been a long history of the Vice Chiefs making claims about what they are doing and how it is working but this video from 2010 as they gave their speeches to Senators on the Armed Services Committee, the result proves their claims were false.

Did you know that while the DOD was ordered by Congress to do Pre and Post Deployment Screenings, they were not doing the Post deployments ones? They claimed they didn't have time or the manpower. In other words, the law didn't apply to them even though they were telling reporters they were doing everything possible to get them the help they needed on PTSD. Here is the video covered by CSPAN in a hearing back in 2010.

Enhanced Post-Deployment Health Assessment (PDHA) Process
(DD Form 2796)

BACKGROUND

DD Form 2796 - DoDI 6490.03, Deployment Health, 11 Aug 06 describes the post-deployment health activities. "The DD Form 2796 is required if a DD Form 2795 was required during the pre-deployment phase or per the decision of the COCOM commander, Service component commander, or commander exercising operational control if any health threats evolved or exposures (OEH or CBRN) occurred during the deployment that warrant medical assessment or follow-up." "Each individual who requires a DD Form 2796 must be scheduled for a face-to-face health assessment with a trained health care provider (physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, advanced practice nurse, independent duty corpsman, independent duty medical technician, or Special Forces medical sergeant) during in-theater medical out-processing or within 30 days after returning to home or processing station." The purpose of this screening is to review each deployer's current health, mental health or psychosocial issues commonly associated with deployments, special medications taken during the deployment, possible deployment-related occupational/environmental exposures, and to discuss deployment-related health concerns. Positive responses require use of supplemental assessment tools and/or referrals for medical consultation. The provider will document concerns and referral needs and discuss resources available to help resolve any post-deployment issues.