Wounded, ill and injured Soldiers to heal closer to home
The Army is standing up community-based Warrior Transition Units around the country. (Photo courtesy of Warrior Transition Command)download hi-res photo
WASHINGTON, D.C. (5/27/09) - The U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command (WTC), which oversees the Army’s Warrior Transition Units (WTUs), is issuing refined criteria and instructions for assignment to WTUs that will result in more Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers recovering in their hometown, utilizing local civilian health care, but remaining under the direct supervision of Army unit leaders and medical case managers.
As part of the Army’s Warrior Care and Transition Program, Soldiers whose injuries or illness require more complex medical care are assigned to a Warrior Transition Unit, which provide unit leadership and hands-on care management to Soldiers.
The Army has established 36 WTUs at active duty Army posts, and nine Community Based Warrior Transition Units (CBWTUs) located regionally around the U.S. CBWTUs have Army cadre and medical case managers on staff comparable to active duty WTUs, but assigned Soldiers normally live at home and undergo treatment in the local civilian Tricare health network.
In the past, Reserve Component Soldiers who were mobilized for active duty deployment and became ill or injured were routinely assigned to the active duty WTU at the mobilization station or Army post where they reported for deployment.
Under the new guidance, commanders of WTUs and Army hospitals who determine Soldiers’ eligibility for WTU assignment will have the authority to transfer a wounded, ill or injured Reserve Component Soldier to the CBWTU or WTU that is nearest to the Soldier’s hometown.
The impetus for the change came from Army Secretary Pete Geren, who has met with hundreds of recovering Soldiers in WTUs around the world and related that one of the chief complaints from Reserve and National Guard Soldiers was separation from the family during the healing process at an active duty WTU.
WTC planners said clinical care requirements will always drive the determination for WTU assignment. Within the Warrior Care and Transition Program, each candidate Soldier undergoes a comprehensive medical evaluation to determine WTU eligibility.
If a Reserve Component Soldier qualifies for retention on active duty for medical reasons but does not require the daily medical care management provided by an active duty WTU or military treatment facility, the Soldier will be assigned to the CBWTU closest to his or her hometown or support network, provided the location has the medical capacity to meet the Soldier’s treatment needs.
If the Soldier’s condition requires daily care management, he or she will be assigned to the active duty WTU at the military treatment facility closest to his or her hometown. Commanders will also have the ability to transfer a Reserve Component Soldier to a CBWTU from a WTU after the medical condition has been stabilized and the Soldier meets CBWTU eligibility.
One side benefit of the new policy is to encourage Reserve Component soldiers returning from deployment to remain on active duty under an Army medical retention program, so that any medical issues can be addressed quickly.
In the past, some Soldiers opted to demobilize to expedite their return home, only to discover health issues that required them to request a return to active duty for treatment—a process that puts the onus on the Soldier to initiate.
Now commanders have 30 days to transfer eligible Reserve Component Soldiers to a CBWTU or to a suitable WTU near their home. This enables Soldiers to transition quickly back home to their families while receiving the focused care management provided by the CBWTU.
“We’ve found that the family component is critical in the successful healing and transition of Soldiers,” said Brig. Gen. Gary Cheek, the WTC Commander. “This is another refinement of the program that better incorporates that critical aspect.”
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