Bush apologizes for Walter Reed Army Medical Center issues

President Bush on Friday during a visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center apologized for recently reported problems with outpatient living conditions and bureaucratic delays at the facility, the Washington Post reports (Baker, Washington Post, 3/31).

The Post recently published a two-part series that examined the conditions at Walter Reed.

One article profiled the state of Building 18 as riddled with mold, cockroaches and stained carpets, among other issues. The series also examined problems with the system through which injured veterans seek disability compensation (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 3/9). Bush said, "It is not right to have someone volunteer to wear our uniform and not get the best possible care. I apologize for what they went through, and we're going to fix the problem" (Riechmann, AP/Orlando Sentinel, 3/31). However, Bush said, "Americans must understand that problems recently uncovered at Walter Reed were not the problems of medical care. The quality of care at this fantastic facility is great, and it needs to remain that way." Bush added, "The problems at Walter Reed were caused by bureaucratic and administrative failures. ... The system failed you and it failed our troops, and we're going to fix it" (Curl, Washington Times, 3/31).

Reaction
According to the Post, some critics "derided Bush's tour as a political stunt, while others expressed appreciation for the symbolism as long as it will be accompanied by real change at Walter Reed and throughout the system of medical care for veterans" (Washington Post, 3/31). Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said, "Unfortunately, this president has proved better at smiling for photos than at providing for our heroes" (Sisk, New York Daily News, 3/31). Murray added, "I would have liked to have heard the president say we have a crisis in military health care. I would have liked to have heard him give 60 days to fix not just the physical facilities but the bureaucratic delays that leave some returning servicemen and women sitting in those facilities for up to a year and a half for treatment" (Havemann, Los Angeles Times, 3/31). Bobby Muller, president of Veterans for America, said, "Walter Reed is not a photo op. Walter Reed is still broken. The (Department of Defense) health care system is still broken. ... Our troops need their commander in chief to start working harder for them" (Washington Times, 3/31).

Disability Compensation System
In related news, Scripps Howard/Washington Times on Saturday examined how the Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation system "has become a $26 billion behemoth bloated and backlogged in part by overgenerous benefits for minor maladies barely tied to military service, if at all." Under the system, veterans receive disability compensation based on a rating of their conditions between 0% and 100%. Veterans rated at 10% disability receive the lowest level of compensation, $115 monthly. Veterans do not have to provide evidence that their injuries resulted from military service and continue to receive disability compensation for life. According to the most recent estimates, 700,000 of the 2.6 million veterans who receive disability compensation were rated at 10% disability. Some critics of the system maintain that many veterans "are getting monthly checks for ailments that don't hurt their ability to work, often are treatable, are common in the civilian world and frequently are the result of the ordinary aging process," according to the Times. Darryl Kehrer, former staff director for the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, said, "This does a disservice to veterans who are truly disabled, (and) to the men and women coming back from combat" who are forced to wait longer for their claims to be processed. However, David Autry, deputy director of communications for Disabled American Veterans, said, "Whatever it takes, for anyone with a service-connected condition. Period" (Hoffman, Washington Times, 3/31).

Opinion Piece
"Recent news accounts about the shameful conditions" at Walter Reed, a hospital not operated by VA, "might lead you to believe that VA hospitals are a national embarrassment," but "VA hospitals have undergone a remarkable turnaround in the last decade and, on average, earn higher marks for patient safety and quality of care than most other hospitals" in the U.S., Betsy McCaughey, chair of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths, writes in a Los Angeles Times opinion piece. According to McCaughey, a 2003 New England Journal of Medicine study found that patients in VA hospitals received higher-quality medical care in 12 of 13 areas than Medicare beneficiaries received in private facilities. McCaughey writes, "Not all 1,400 hospitals operated" by VA are "models of excellence," but the "news about Walter Reed, which has been exacerbated by attack politicians from both parties, should not obscure the truth about the standard of care for most veterans." McCaughey concludes, "Facility shortcomings aside, the VA delivers better care than most hospitals" (McCaughey, Los Angeles Times, 4/2).

Broadcast Coverage
Several broadcast programs reported on the Bush visit to Walter Reed. Summaries appear below.

• ABC's "World News": The segment includes comments from Bush and Muller (Karl, "World News," ABC, 3/30). Video of the segment is available online.
• NBC's "Nightly News": The segment includes comments from Bush and Steve Robinson, director of veterans' affairs at Veterans for America (Yang, "Nightly News," NBC, 3/30). Video of the segment is available online.
• NPR's "All Things Considered": The segment includes comments from Kevin Kiley, former Army surgeon general; Bush; and an injured veteran who received medical care at Walter Reed (Gonyea, "All Things Considered," NPR, 3/30). Audio of the segment is available online.
• PBS' "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer": The segment includes comments from Bush. In addition, the segment includes a discussion with Peter Gaytan, director of the Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Division of the American Legion, and Robinson (Woodruff, "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," PBS, 3/30). Video, audio and a transcript of the segment are available online.