A Washington Post story that exposed dire conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center has spurred Sen. Claire McCaskill to co-sponsor legislation that would increase inspections at active duty medical hospitals.
The Post reports that soldiers in facilities at Walter Reed face neglect in quarters with "mouse droppings, belly-up cockroaches, stained carpets, cheap mattresses" scattered throughout.
"Caring for our returning heroes is one of the things we can still get right about this war, and that's why the deterioration of the conditions at Walter Reed is both appalling and unacceptable," said U.S. Senator Barack Obama, who is sponsoring the legislation with McCaskill. "The brave men and women wounded at war should receive the best we have to offer and the highest quality of care, and that's why this legislation would cut red tape, improve service, and require frequent inspections of all active duty military hospitals."
"I felt sick when I read these articles about how our injured American military men and women are being treated at Walter Reed," said Sen. McCaskill. "They sacrificed and fought bravely in Iraq and Afghanistan. They shouldn't have to fight a whole new war at home to receive the service and compensation they deserve."
According to a McCaskill release, the proposed legislation would:
*Simplify the paperwork process for recovering soldiers
*Improve the ratio of caseworkers to recovering soldiers
*Increase the training of caseworkers;
*Require more frequent IG inspections of hospital facilities and standards of care
*Establish timelines and benchmarks for repairs to substandard facilities
*Provide recovering soldiers with psychological counseling
*Require regular reporting to Congress on: the total number of recovering soldiers at military hospitals; the number of caseworkers; the average waiting time for treatment; and the number of suicide attempts, accidental deaths or drug overdoses.
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