Military Pay: Processes for Retaining Injured Army National Guard and Reserve Soldiers on Active Duty Have Been Improved, but Some Challenges Remain
GAO-07-608
Published: May 29, 2007. Publicly Released: May 29, 2007.
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Highlights
In February 2005, GAO reported that weaknesses in the Army's Active Duty Medical Extension (ADME) process caused injured and ill Army National Guard and Reserve (reserve component) soldiers to experience gaps in pay and benefits. During the course of GAO's previous work, the Army implemented the Medical Retention Processing (MRP) program in May 2004 and Community-Based Health Care Initiative (CBHCI) in March 2004. CBHCI allows reserve component soldiers on MRP orders to return home and receive medical care through a civilian health care provider. As directed by congressional mandate, GAO determined whether (1) MRP has resolved the pay issues previously identified with ADME and (2) the Army has the metrics it needs to determine whether it is effectively managing CBHCI program risks. GAO's scope did not include the medical, facilities, or disability ratings issues recently reported by the media at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Assistant Secretary of Manpower and Reserve Affairs, in coordination with the Army's Office of the Surgeon General, the Installation Management Command, and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, to develop and apply consistent Army-wide standards for installation level training of new medical retention processing unit staff, including the use of desk procedures, to help ensure that they are adequately trained before they assume their new job responsibilities. |
Closed – Implemented
To address our concerns, the Army established Soldier Family Assistance Centers (SFACs) to provide centralized support and assistance to ill and injured reserve soldiers transitioning to their families. On June 2, 2007, the Army established comprehensive and standardized training for staff at the SFACs to ensure the staff are properly trained to effectively support these reserve soldiers on medical extensions. With the implementation of the new training program, the Army should be able to more consistently and effectively support the soldiers who receive injuries or become ill while serving in the Army National Guard and Reserves on active duty.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Assistant Secretary of Manpower and Reserve Affairs, in coordination with the Army's Office of the Surgeon General, the Installation Management Command, and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, to develop and apply consistent standards for training of reserve component soldiers in the MRP program to ensure that they understand the requirements, benefits, and processes associated with the program. |
Closed – Implemented
In response to our recommendation, beginning in July 2007, the Army made available at the Soldier Family Assistance Centers an in depth handbook for injured and ill reserve soldiers on resources and other information concerning the medical extension program. Further, the Army updated the MyArmyBenefits website to include current and other important information on available medical retention benefits to all soldiers. With the development and implementation of the handbook and website, the Army can better ensure that injured and ill Army National Guard and Reserve Soldiers understand the requirements, benefits, and processes associated with the active duty medical extension program.
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| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Assistant Secretary of Manpower and Reserve Affairs, in coordination with the Army's Office of the Surgeon General, the Installation Management Command, and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, to develop and disseminate points of contact, including the names, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses, for the Army officials responsible for assisting injured or ill reserve component soldiers with resolving discrepancies in pay or benefits. Also include in this information the name, telephone number, and e-mail address of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service ombudsman responsible for assisting injured or ill reserve component soldiers with pay-related issues. |
Closed – Implemented
In response to our recommendation, beginning in July 2007, the Army made available at the Soldier Family Assistance Centers an in depth handbook for injured and ill reserve soldiers on resources and other information concerning the medical extension program. Further, the Army updated the MyArmyBenefits website to include current and other important information on available medical retention benefits to all soldiers. With the development and implementation of the handbook and website, the Army can better ensure that injured and ill Army National Guard and Reserve Soldiers understand the requirements, benefits, and processes associated with the active duty medical extension program.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Assistant Secretary of Manpower and Reserve Affairs, in coordination with the Army's Office of the Surgeon General, the Installation Management Command, and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, to require that the local finance offices at Army installations reconcile all discrepancies between the stop pay date recorded in the Army's payroll system and the separation date recorded in the Army's personnel system and adjust the Army's payroll and personnel systems accordingly. |
Closed – Implemented
While the Army concurred with our recommendation and reported in 2008 that improved implementation of existing controls have improved the accuracy rate of pay and personnel data to 96% and that the accuracy rate has been sustained for over a year.
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| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Assistant Secretary of Manpower and Reserve Affairs, in coordination with the Army's Office of the Surgeon General, the Installation Management Command, and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, to evaluate the efficacy of allowing reserve component soldiers to take unused leave before they are released from active duty. |
Closed – Implemented
The Army concurred with this recommendation and stated it will be evaluating allowing Reserve component solders to take leave prior to demobilization on an individual-by-individual basis.
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| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should direct the Assistant Secretary of Manpower and Reserve Affairs, in coordination with the Army's Office of the Surgeon General, the Installation Management Command, and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, to develop metrics that will allow comparison between the length of stay for soldiers treated through CBHCI and those treated at MTFs to determine whether the Army is effectively managing the additional risk associated with CBHCI. |
Closed – Implemented
In response to our recommendation, beginning in June 2007 the Army implemented a metric to measure the average length of stay of soldiers assigned to the CBHCIs and those assigned to military treatment facilities. The Army determined that the average length of stay was longer in the CBHCIs than the military treatment facilities. With the implementation of this metric, the Army should be better able to understand and manage the risk of reserve soldiers being retained on active duty longer than medically necessary associated with CBHCIs.
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