Quicklinks
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Medical
complaints from reservists
Wrong box
Correction
RA eligibility concerns
Cartoon draws criticism
Keep the standard
Disappointed at lack of recognition
WRITE
TO US
Medical
complaints from reservists
I WOULD
like to add to Sgt Foreman's letter (June 2), in which he conveys his
experiences when seeking medical treatment while on duty as a reservist.
His letter appeared in the week that I commenced writing a Ministerial
in regards to my own treatment while injured on duty as a reservist.
In 1998 while participating in Cdo training, I suffered three fractures
to my right leg and was taken to 1HSB for treatment late one evening.
The following day, on it being noted that I was a reservist, I was denied
treatment and taken by ambulance to Liverpool Public Hospital, where
I was left in the emergency ward on a gurney. I remained unattended
for several hours, partially medicated and with no idea what was happening.
This was after I was verbally informed by an Army medic that I was to
seek treatment myself from my GP.
I remained in the public hospital untreated for three days while my
spouse made formal complaints, supported by an Army doctor, who knew
at 1HSB, and my CO, to have me returned for treatment to 1HSB. Eventually,
this occurred about 110hrs post injury.
I was later operated upon and remained at 1HSB for two weeks. I later
found out the delay in treatment and internal bleeding had caused a
significant portion of the cartilage in my knee to virtually dissolve,
causing further injury in the years following.
At the time of the injury I was a serving police officer. After a while,
it became obvious that my civilian employment was no longer tenable
as I was unable to continue my pre-injury duties, and I lost my former
pre-injury police rank, so I resigned and started my own small business.
MCRS (now within the Department of Veterans Affairs) accepted the injury
and I submitted ongoing claims for loss of income during periods of
convalescence and also ongoing surgery over the following four years.
During the last five years I have had to almost beg Veterans Affairs
to complete ongoing claims for reimbursement of lost income in a timely
manner less than four-six months at a time.
Currently, I am still awaiting reimbursement of lost income for a week
of lost civilian work in February, due to ongoing injury to my leg,
after participating in a parachuting activity on reserves training weekend.
My experiences in this incident have cost me conservatively over 100,000
in lost income over the past six years as well as medical expenses.
However, if I were an ARA member, I would have been treated promptly,
and also paid my Army salary while undergoing ongoing treatment and
convalescence.
My dealings with my injury management has been at a significant price
and at times left me wondering why I bother to remain in the reserves.
Fortunately, I have good peers and superiors who have supported me and
my service, limited by my injury and reduced fitness.
The current need for reservists to undertake periods of CFTS and other
periods of additional service is a concern. The MCRS policy was scripted
at a time when reserve service was a few weekends a year, no overseas
deployments and little integrated training with the ARA.
There remains no real safeguard for reserve service when a member may
be injured in any capacity.
My inquiries have also identified reservists often take employee sick
leave from their civilian employers after becoming ill or suffering
minor injuries during reserve training as they are reluctant to complete
exhaustive accident and injury paperwork.
One Army, two standards.
Capt Peter Male
HQ 1 Cdo Regt
Sydney
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Wrong
box
I
WOULD like to warn Sgt Foreman (Letters, June 2) that misunderstanding
in the medical treatment of reservists doesn't only apply to lack of clarity
in interpretation of the DIs.
In February 2001, I presented to 2HSB covered in blood and rather a mess
after a very bad fall during Army PT. At the desk, the clerk asked what
type of service I was on and I correctly answered "continuous". However,
I was not aware that the clerk was civilian agency staff, unfamiliar with
Army terminology. She ticked the box which said full-time and, in the
state I was in, I did not think to double-check that she had filled in
the paperwork correctly.
Believing that, since the injury occurred during military service, the
military system would fix it, I followed all subsequent directions concerning
my medical treatment, unaware that the advice I was being given was based
on that error.
It took three months for an appointment with an orthopaedic specialist
to happen, during which time I existed on anti-inflammatories. Five minutes
before I was due to be wheeled into the operating theatre for an arthroscopy
on my knee, the procedure was cancelled and I was roundly abused for trying
to rort the Army health system.
Only then did the clerical error come to light and the full consequences
of that error were revealed. I was subsequently steered into the compensation
system and finally saw a civilian specialist in October, eight miserable
months after the initial injury.
I wrote a letter of complaint to 2HSB, but did not receive a response
and it would appear from Sgt Foreman's letter that little has changed
as far as the treatment of reservists is concerned.
One has to wonder about the concept of "one Army" when it comes to dealing
with medical treatment.
Reservists need to be aware that, even if they are unconscious, with one
foot in the grave, they'd better doublecheck that paperwork.
Capt S.H. Crane
TTC-SQ
Gallipoli Barracks
RAdm Graeme Shirtley, Surgeon General of the ADF, replies:
While they are responsible for their own routine medical care, reservists
injured on duty are covered medically and are entitled to have any injuries
treated. In addition, reservists should also be covered for treatment
of disease acquired during periods of service, for example for a tropical
disease diagnosed after return from service in a tropical area.
The current policy on reservists' entitlements for treatment and subsequent
rehabilitation is laid out in DI(G) 16-1, Health Care of ADF personnel.
Paragraph 9a of this document states: "Reservists will receive health
care for injury or illness resulting from their Defence service until
transfer of the member into the military compensation system, administered
by the DVA is completed."
The procedure for making complaints concerning health matters may be found
in Health Directive 914, Management of Health Care Related Complaints
in the ADF. Responsibility for subsequent rehabilitation after leaving
the ADF remains with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
TOP
Correction
AN
editing error occurred in the third paragraph of the letter "We need armoured
engineer vehicles" from Maj J.N. Carey, of the School of Armour, in the
last edition of Army.
It should have read: "Recent images of mines denying routes on Highway
8 near Baghdad Airport and disrupting key infrastructure in Afghanistan
continues to highlight the importance of specialist armoured engineer
vehicles."
TOP
RA
eligibility concerns
I WOULD
like to direct your attention to the article in the June 16 edition
of Army about the new LIA changes and members' eligibility to occupy
the LIA.
I have a concern that members who have not served five years are not
entitled to full RA.
Under the new policy does this mean that a member who lives in from
choice (as opposed to requirement), and is requested or forced to leave
the LIA due to the unit requirements, is not entitled to full RA?
Although in some areas this is a non-issue as quantity exceeds demand,
in other areas this would not be the case and would cause great concerns
to some members.
Why is it that MWD members are supplied with subsidised housing regardless
of how long they have served (including full RA) and yet we do not offer
the same benefit to MWOD members who live out in RA accommodation?
Some members would consider this discriminatory, especially in light
of the new policy changes that are due to come into effect on September
5.
Cpl Tracy Stewart
7 Sig Regt
Borneo Barracks
Adrian Wellspring, Director Housing and Removals Policy, replies:
If a member occupies a LIA room by choice, and is later required to
vacate that room to make way for a member who is required to live-in,
then the member who is vacating is eligible for the full rate of Rent
Allowance (RA), regardless of the length of his or her service.
This assumes that no other LIA on the base is available to the member
who has to vacate the room.
The Defence People Committee (DPC) has an ongoing interest in RA issues.
The impact of the new living-in policy will be monitored and advice
provided to the DPC on any significant problems with its implementation.
TOP
Cartoon
draws criticism
I FELT
the advertisement for 2/05 Commando Training Course, which appeared
on page 22 of the June 23 edition, warranted comment.
Clearly the cartoonlike characters in the ad are Americans.
Why do we have to portray US Army types in an ad for an Australian Special
Forces course? Surely we can be more original than that. Surely the
feats of our own Special Forces would be more appropriate. Or perhaps
the gimmicky cartoon look is thought to hold better appeal to potential
applicants.
I believe the source of this ad is a US Army-published booklet that
was provided to GIs during the Vietnam War on maintenance of the M16
rifle.
Let's get some originality into these sorts of things.
Maj Derek Smith (ret'd)
Cranbrook Queensland
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Keep
the standard
I HAVE
noticed there seems to an increase in members travelling on normal domestic
flights in DPCU.
I thought it was appropriate that the policy be reiterated to ensure
all members are aware of the current writing on this.
From the look of the personnel I have seen I doubt that there were any
pressing reasons for this uniform to be worn.
We have standards and they should be maintained.
WO2 David O'Reilly
HQ JLC
Victoria Barracks
WO1 J. Hansen, RSM Ceremonial - Army, replies:
Army Standing Orders for Dress (ASOD), Volume 1, Chapter 3, paragraph
3.23 Travel on public or domestic transport within Australia states:
"For domestic travel, general duty dress or civilian clothing is to
be worn. DPCU is not to be worn on public or commercial transport except
in exceptional circumstances as may be authorised by the CO/OC."
Those in authority should be strictly enforcing this, and all other
Standing Orders. If you see an officer or soldier who is incorrectly
dressed while using public or domestic transport and the individual
cannot prove that they are authorised by their CO/OC, disciplinary action
should be taken.
Don't let apathy take over. Have the moral courage to do the right thing
and you will see a change for the better.
TOP
Disappointed
at lack of recognition
I HAVE
just received a copy of the RAAOC journal, and as I have been promoted
recently I immediately turned to the promotions page to see my name
in print (after all, who doesn't like a little recognition?).
However, I was shocked and dismayed to see "Information concerning Promotions
Cpl to WO2 and Discharges Pte to WO1 was not available from SCMA at
the time of publication."
How could this be? Did I misunderstand the role of SCMA, one of its
many functions being (supposedly) the management of promotion? Curiously
enough, it took less then three minutes for me to retrieve a complete
list of the recent promotions using one of SCMA's very own databases.
I did notice, however, that the complete list of Corps Fund Subscriptions
was included in the journal. I guess the question I am asking, then,
is upon promotion to sergeant should I attach a check for $6 to my promotion
POR to ensure recognition?
Cpl K. Jorna
2/14LHR (QMI)
Gallipoli Barracks
Col D.M. Gallasch, CO SCMA, replies:
Promotion within Army is earned on merit and is an important event that
should not go without appropriate recognition. This is why CA has issued
DI(A) PERS 10-2, Promotion, Separation and Discharge Ceremonies.
When I contacted the writer's unit I found that he was suitably recognised
by Comd 7 Bde on the annual parade in December 2004 for his promotion.
As such, recognition in the RAAOC journal is considered important but
not as important as complying with CA's direction on promotion.
As Cpl Jorna quite correctly points out, the information required for
the RAAOC journal is readily available from SCMA's internal database,
which is why it is quite surprising that the information was not provided
to the editor of the journal at the time of publication.
Despite my best attempts to ascertain why the information was not provided,
I have been unable to obtain an acceptable answer.
I can only offer my sincere apologies to all in RAAOC who did not get
to see their names in print and endeavour to get it correct for the
next journal. I would also invite the editor of the RAAOC journal to
call me personally if this information is not provided when required.
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