DoD Recovering Warrior Task Force Panel

I was recently contacted by a staff member from the DoD Recovering Warrior Task Force. There is a panel discussion that they are holding in the Crystal City (Arlington), VA on Dec. 5, and they are looking for interested members going through the IDES. I was asked to post this announcement (which sounds like a good opportunity for people to have their concerns heard):


The DoD Recovering Warrior Task Force (RWTF) is seeking Wounded, Ill, or Injured Service members who are in the Integrated Disability System Evaluation System (IDES) process, preparing for transition to civilian life, and willing to participate in a panel discussion.

The RWTF was established by Congress in 2010 to provide DoD with advice and recommendations on matters relating to the care, recovery, and transition of Recovering Warriors. Each year, the RWTF submits its recommendations to the Secretary of Defense in an Annual Report. Visithttp://dtf.defense.gov/rwtf/index.html for further information about the RWTF, including links to its FY2011 and FY2012 annual reports.

On Wednesday, 5 December 2012, the RWTF will be meeting in Crystal City (Arlington, VA). As part of the meeting agenda, the RWTF will hold a 90-minute panel discussion with several Wounded, Ill, or Injured Service members going through IDES and preparing for transition to civilian life. Panel participants will be asked to talk about the services available to them during the transition period. There are no right or wrong answers. The panel participants’ input will supplement what the RWTF hears from Wounded, Ill, and Injured Service members in the field, and will inform the RWTF’s FY2013 recommendations.

If you live in the vicinity of Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, or Maryland, and are interested in participating in this panel discussion or would like to get more information, please email the RWTF at [email protected] or call the RWTF’sOperations Director, Mr. John Booton, at 202-689-5961 .
 
Unfortunately I do not live in the area. It seems to me that one of the biggest problems I have seen is how Service Members are treated by their COCs during the MEB/PEB process. Personally, my COC has been fully supportive. Another issue that is very common is the lack of true transparency and communication with the service members. MEB offices are under-staffed and PEBLOs are over-worked. The VA in itself, with some exceptions, is a quagmire of red tape and political BS that would even send the Dalai Lama on a shooting spree. Just my .02 cents but if you are attending, take note.
 
Special thanks to Mr. Perry for posting the Recovering Warrior Task Force's message. If you are interested or have any questions, please let me know (either here on the forum or in an email). If you're ready to sign up, please contact the RWTF at [email protected] or call the RWTF's Operation Director, Mr. John Booton, at 202-689-5961. Thank you for your support!
 
I almost would like to foot the bill to go myself, if for nothing more than to stress the point, wounded warrior treatment units, Social security liaisons, need to be a DoD mandate per base/post/station including the AF. Additionally PEBLO's should be assigned to the VA and not to the MTF's they work at, and funding should come from the VA and be increased to cover the workload. Every body in the chain of IDES should have SOMEONE they answer too. My chain of command has been awesome and has taken great care of me, but that has been based on the fact i believe that I try everyday to do SOMETHING anything that keeps me relevant in my CC's eyes, But I am tired, sore, getting worse by the day and picture myself being told to sit in a corner and color real soon, and when that happens I know my Mental state will diminish rapidly.
 
I almost would like to foot the bill to go myself, if for nothing more than to stress the point, wounded warrior treatment units, Social security liaisons, need to be a DoD mandate per base/post/station including the AF. Additionally PEBLO's should be assigned to the VA and not to the MTF's they work at, and funding should come from the VA and be increased to cover the workload. Every body in the chain of IDES should have SOMEONE they answer too. My chain of command has been awesome and has taken great care of me, but that has been based on the fact i believe that I try everyday to do SOMETHING anything that keeps me relevant in my CC's eyes, But I am tired, sore, getting worse by the day and picture myself being told to sit in a corner and color real soon, and when that happens I know my Mental state will diminish rapidly.

Thank you for your response. It sounds like you have many thoughts to share regarding transition services for Recovering Warriors. Would you be interested in submitting a statement to the Recovering Warrior Task Force? Each of the members would be provided a copy and, if time permits, your statement will be read to the Task Force during a public forum on Tuesday, 15 January 2013. The information you provide will help inform the Task Force on recommendations they make in the upcoming year.

V/R,
Karen Wessels
 
I agree with Twitch and hucklebuck, but for my 2 pennies... Now the Army is getting away with a sly deal and I feel the other services will be following through. Appearently there has been a huge amount of chapters over MEB recently here on JBLM, why do I bring this up? I am a witness and I myself had suffered through taunts by leaders to get me to snap on them so they could punish and chapter me so I would lose out on my benefits/retirement. I am not a conspiratist, but it sure seems like someone put the word out, just like the JBLM Forensic Psyshology thing happened. It makes sense that doing a chapter saves the DoD huge amounts of money instead of seperation/retirement...
 
Thank you for your response. It sounds like you have many thoughts to share regarding transition services for Recovering Warriors. Would you be interested in submitting a statement to the Recovering Warrior Task Force? Each of the members would be provided a copy and, if time permits, your statement will be read to the Task Force during a public forum on Tuesday, 15 January 2013. The information you provide will help inform the Task Force on recommendations they make in the upcoming year.

V/R,
Karen Wessels

I would happily submit a formal statement on my experiences/observations, both my own and those of troops I have found myself assisting through the process (sanitized for HIPAA) In the last 1.5 years, I have been directly involved with six IDES cases, aiding airmen of all ranks through the process, since no one has ever been there to answer there questions. You can PM me here for details needed for me to get involved, or email directly at twitch.sasser@ gmail.com (remove space before gmail just avoiding spam bots)
 
Thanks to Jason this site helped!!! Though without this site there isn't much information out there!! I received my DOD rating. I submitted my VA paperwork close to a year ago and still have heard nothing!!

The fix in my mind; Service member goes through MEB/PEB. Once a unfit; three things should happen.

1= Annotate which ones don't meet standards ie the primary reason the individual cant stay in service.

2= List alll the rest of the issues that may not necessarily affect there duty status.

3= DOD Rating 30% Migraines
DOD/VA combined Rating 40% - Migraines and skin disease (not duty related)

Done: paperwork goes to the VA and any other entity that may need it.
 
I will pass this info to the rest of the PEBLOs in my office to see if there are any interested Marines at our location.
 
Good morning!

We are very much interested in hearing directly from Service members who have been through IDES and transitioning (or have recently transitioned) out of the military. The more we hear from our Service members (current and former), the better informed we are to make recommendations that will make a difference. There are two ways to provide your input to the RWTF:

1) For those of you who are able to attend the meeting in the DC area in person, please email[email protected] or callthe RWTF Director of Operations,John Booton, at202-689-5961. If you would like to attend in person, please contact us no later than 15 November.

2) For those of you who cannot attend in person, pleaseconsidersubmitting awrittenstatement to the Task Force. Each Task Force Member will be provided a copy during the upcoming business meeting, and your statement would also become part of the public record for that meeting. With that in mind, please be sure to take out any personal information about yourself that you do not want in the public record, and be sure to remove anyone else’s personal information. Statements can be emailed directly to[email protected]and must be submitted no later than 26 November. If you have any questions, you can alsocall the RWTF Director of Operations, John Booton, at202-689-5961.

We are looking forward to hearing directly from Service members in person and in writing. Thank you to TSgt Twitch and others for taking the time to provide your input, and to Mr Perry for connecting us through the PEB Forum.

V/R,
Karen Wessels
 
Good morning!

We are very much interested in hearing directly from Service members who have been through IDES and transitioning (or have recently transitioned) out of the military. The more we hear from our Service members (current and former), the better informed we are to make recommendations that will make a difference. There are two ways to provide your input to the RWTF:

1) For those of you who are able to attend the meeting in the DC area in person, please email[email protected] or callthe RWTF Director of Operations,John Booton, at202-689-5961. If you would like to attend in person, please contact us no later than 15 November.

2) For those of you who cannot attend in person, pleaseconsidersubmitting awrittenstatement to the Task Force. Each Task Force Member will be provided a copy during the upcoming business meeting, and your statement would also become part of the public record for that meeting. With that in mind, please be sure to take out any personal information about yourself that you do not want in the public record, and be sure to remove anyone else’s personal information. Statements can be emailed directly to[email protected]and must be submitted no later than 26 November. If you have any questions, you can alsocall the RWTF Director of Operations, John Booton, at202-689-5961.

We are looking forward to hearing directly from Service members in person and in writing. Thank you to TSgt Twitch and others for taking the time to provide your input, and to Mr Perry for connecting us through the PEB Forum.

V/R,
Karen Wessels

You will be hearing from me via e-mail as I live in Oregon and cannot afford to be there in person.
CB-WTU SMs are getting the short end of the stick in being able to transition successfully.
Information is not forthcoming, or is inaccurate, seperation/discharge process is abbreviated, leaving many unable to know their rights, options, benefits, etc. They are rushed through and kicked to the curb by this truncated process.
Most of the SMs who are affected by this process are National Guard and Reservists as they make up the bulk of the CB-WTU personnel.

V/r,
nwlivewire
 
I sent a response to the above listed email. Please let me know if you need me to elaborate on anything I wrote.

Joe
 
I sent a response to the above listed email. Please let me know if you need me to elaborate on anything I wrote.

Joe

Yes, we received your response and your input will be invaluable to the Task Force members. A copy of your statement will be provided to each of them at our upcoming meeting in December. Thank you for your service and taking the time to provide your insight.

If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message.

V/R,
Karen Wessels
 
You will be hearing from me via e-mail as I live in Oregon and cannot afford to be there in person.
CB-WTU SMs are getting the short end of the stick in being able to transition successfully.
Information is not forthcoming, or is inaccurate, seperation/discharge process is abbreviated, leaving many unable to know their rights, options, benefits, etc. They are rushed through and kicked to the curb by this truncated process.
Most of the SMs who are affected by this process are National Guard and Reservists as they make up the bulk of the CB-WTU personnel.

V/r,
nwlivewire

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. As I indicated in an earlier post, the more we hear from our Service members, the better informed the Task Force will be to make recommendations that will make a difference. If you have any questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to email me.

V/R,
Karen Wessels
 
Karen,

Understand I missed a great opportunity but wanted to chime in anyway. Believe I've worked with your office (maybe in particularly you) on some Navy cases. I work in Navy headquarters with all Navy Sailors going through IDES. If any other opportunities/training conferences should come up, pls feel free to contact myself.

I agree with some many members (all services) going through this, it can be confusing, complicated, etc. My main purposes on this site is to assist (mainly with USN members) and answer any questions I can. Here's my contact info:

YNC(SW/AW) Nathaniel Trice
Assistant Branch Head (PERS-82)
Disability Separations, Disability
Email: [email protected]
Work: 901-874-3230
 
Feel free to contact me if something like this comes up. Im at the WTB in Ft. Meade, MD where all my apts are in Bethesda at the TBI Clinic. I would love to have a one on one or discuss some issues.
 
I feel an important thing to stress, and I know it doesn't really have to do with the whole MEB process, more so afterwards... but, one way to alleviate some of the stress the Servicemembers have during this process would be to have better JOB PLACEMENT for them afterwards. ESPECIALLY Federal Hiring, the process takes entirely too long, and veterans get out to find nothing waiting for them. I feel it would only be beneficial for the Gov't to take care of its veterans by speeding up the hiring process, and also by having job placement as a part of the transition process. Just a thought....
 
Federal Hiring freeze is in effect. And those internships at Federal Agencies...... free work but no future job. Feds just arent hiring and budget cuts... starts with the contractors and then the GS employees.. I see it everyday..Those job fairs are nice and the experience is good but you are right EODStew24, the placement is horrible.
 
Karen,

Understand I missed a great opportunity but wanted to chime in anyway. Believe I've worked with your office (maybe in particularly you) on some Navy cases. I work in Navy headquarters with all Navy Sailors going through IDES. If any other opportunities/training conferences should come up, pls feel free to contact myself.

I agree with some many members (all services) going through this, it can be confusing, complicated, etc. My main purposes on this site is to assist (mainly with USN members) and answer any questions I can. Here's my contact info:

YNC(SW/AW) Nathaniel Trice
Assistant Branch Head (PERS-82)
Disability Separations, Disability
Email: [email protected]
Work: 901-874-3230

Take everything that the Navy states, and especially what PERS 82 states, with a grain of salt. They have a very bad habit of ignoring well-establish disability laws and policies to avoid paying proper disability benefits.

Mike
 
Federal Hiring freeze is in effect. And those internships at Federal Agencies...... free work but no future job. Feds just arent hiring and budget cuts... starts with the contractors and then the GS employees.. I see it everyday..Those job fairs are nice and the experience is good but you are right EODStew24, the placement is horrible.
That sucks.. My Sister In-Law is a GS14 for the VA... she was telling me the VA is still very much hiring. I have received some calls for EOD work with the TSA... however there are 100's of EOD Techs competing for the same job.. and honestly, I am not wanting to go back into that job field anymore. I think it is just sad that a Veteran with a degree and 8+ years of leadership experience, cant seem to get a government job due to either the length in application processing or the bureaucratic BS they have to go through (i.e. Certain of number of Credits in college, in a certain field of study) Silly.
 
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