Military.com has posted a story, originally from the Buffalo News, of the plight of an increasing number of veterans who are finding their DD214s, the records of their military service, contain sometimes critical errors and omissions.
The story tells of close to 2,000 veterans whose records have been so poorly documented that they are losing access to veterans' services, compensation, and care.
Some highlights:
Christopher M. Simmance helped keep the peace as an American Soldier in the Middle East, but when he returned home and later suffered a breakdown, he was turned away from the VA hospital because the government didn't acknowledge his overseas duty.Dana Cushing as a Marine served two tours of duty in Iraq and a third in east Africa, but when she returned home, she found herself labeled a "conscientious objector" and also was denied medical care by the government ...
The Army alone has a backlog of 1,890 veterans seeking corrections on their discharge papers, and some have been waiting for three years, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Many other veterans probably have faulty discharge papers but don't know it because they have not sought benefits ...
When [Simmance] returned home to Buffalo Niagara and sought help from the local Veterans Affairs office, he said he was told his discharge papers were not in order and he was ineligible for help. Simmance said he was turned down twice for treatment at the VA's Batavia residential facility for post-traumatic stress disorder ... he continues to wait for a corrected version of his discharge papers -- a wait that started seven months ago and shows no sign of ending soon ...
Errors are occurring more frequently on discharge papers, known as DD214 forms, because the work is often farmed out to civilians, according to Patrick W. Welch, director of Erie County's Department of Veterans Services.
"In the olden days, it was usually military records personnel who were processing you out. They were active duty military people. They had a better feel for what you were entitled to and they would ask questions," said Welch, a Vietnam veteran.
Civilians who never served in the armed forces, he said, are more likely to make mistakes ...
Military officials, contacted by The Buffalo News, said those leaving the armed forces should carefully check their records because they are in the best position to know if the papers are complete and accurate.
"That's not true. This is your very first DD214, so how do you know what to look for? On top of that, you don't know what the code numbers stand for. Unless you work with those codes daily, you don't know what they mean," said Ronal R. Bassham, a veterans advocate for United Auto Workers Region 9.
I'm sorry. I need to have it explained to me again why the private sector always does everything so much better than the public sector, even in specialized areas such as evaluation of military service. I've heard of problems like this from friends who work at Veterans Affairs, complaints not only about clueless civilians, but particularly about the temporary help that's brought in to take care of the overflow. The contractor is there, first and foremost, to make money. When employees don't have to worry about a profit motive they are more likely to take the time necessary to get the information right.
The story continues with accounts of veterans, needful of help for their service-related problems, being turned away or forced to burn through their assets while awaiting correction of their DD214s. Some of these veterans have ended up living in their cars or on the streets.
During World War II, when there were millions in the Armed Forces and millions being processed out at the same time, it seems that most of the records were fairly accurate despite the lack of computers and other modern amenities. There is no excuse in this computer age for months long delays and flagrant inaccuracies in record keeping.
One problem is that there are so many different kinds of medical systems used by the various services. It takes a while to write interfaces to the centralized system so all the services can find records in one place. Its a huge effort and Northrop Grumman is working on it. They do make military hardware, but I am happy that I work in the sector which is trying to help people with medical care.
This system has already saved lives. Doctors can make notes about possible child abuse during visits of kids. One doctor said having these records probably saved the life of one little boy. The system also has the capability to record symtoms like PTSD. We have been asked to create reports on how many of these cases are receving followups and one what type of followup care is being given.
The system isn't perfect but we are moving forward.
Now, as to the other issue, which is the collection of the records to begin with, I think there is vast room for improvement. It seems that a lot of the problems have to do with the people who are collecting the information and then encoding it into the system. Many complaints are related to the failure of these collecting clerks to recognize the significance of the information they are gathering. Moreover, it sounds as if a lot of the people involved - such as contractors and/or temps, don't really understand how to do the job properly.
I saw one suggestion by a veteran that there be worksheets given to military and veterans when it comes time to update their DD214s and have the worksheets become part of the file. The worksheets would serve as verification of the accuracy of the coding. Everything rises and falls on the accuracy and sufficiency of the coding, and the quality of the coding is directly related to the quality of the coder and the information upon which the coder is relying.