[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 102 (Friday, July 11, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1452]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2004

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                               speech of

                             HON. RON KIND

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 8, 2003

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2658) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2004 and for other purposes:

  Mr. KIND. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to promote the continued work of 
the Congress and the Department of Defense to make sure our reserve 
troops are medically ready to deploy when called upon.
  In meeting the global challenges of the post-cold-war era, our 
military reserve forces have become more important than ever. In fact 
the role of the Reserve and National Guard in the total force has 
transformed over the past decade from manpower replacements to 
essential operators in the daily missions of our armed forces. This is 
now more apparent than ever as over 200,000 Reservists are serving on 
active duty related to our military action in Iraq, in peacekeeping and 
counter-terrorism operations around the globe, and domestic security 
operations here at home. The increased use of the reserve component 
seems likely only to increase given our current military force 
structure and current and future obligations around the world.
  Given this trend, the ability for reserve units to timely deploy when 
called upon is critical. To be effective, our reserve troops need to be 
medically ready and able to perform their mission. Members not able to 
deploy when called up limit the ability of units to perform, cause 
delay, and demand costly changes in operation plans.
  The medical and dental readiness of the reserve components has 
continually been an issue of concern for the Department of Defense. 
According to the U.S. Army Medical Command, a ``significant number'' of 
Army Reservists could not be deployed during mobilization for Persian 
Gulf War in 1990-91 due to medical reasons. Further, a study by the 
Uniformed Services University found that an estimated 25 percent of 
Army Reservists mobilized in response to the attacks of September 11, 
2001, were not deployable due to dental problems.
  Recently, the government accounting office completed a report on the 
ability of the Army Reserve to meet medical and dental readiness 
requirements, as directed by the National Defense Authorization Act for 
FY02.
  The GAO found that periodic physical and dental exams for early-
deploying reservists are valuable for the Army and that the Army should 
seek to consistently meet the statutory requirements for monitoring the 
medical and dental status of Army Reservists.
  However, the GAO report only reaffirmed what the Army already knew, 
and starting in March 2001, the Army made a fundamental shift to ensure 
the readiness of its reserve forces. By coordinating and contracting 
with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Health and 
Human Services, and the private sector, the Army is able to address 
readiness needs through an innovative, efficient, and cost-effective 
program called the Federal Strategic Health Alliance, or FEDS-HEAL.
  The FEDS-HEAL program won the Hammer Award created by former Vice 
President Gore to recognize outstanding Federal organizations that 
significantly improve how the Government operates. The FEDS-HEAL 
program fixes the logistical problems that hampered the Army's ability 
to get Reservists into the limited number of Army medical treatment 
facilities for required exams and screenings.
  FEDS-HEAL works with VA medical facilities, HHS Federal occupational 
health facilities, and over 2,000 approved private medical and dental 
providers throughout the Nation to get Reservists the attention they 
require nearby and in a timely manner. In addition, the FEDS-HEAL 
program office reviews and maintains records on individual Reservists, 
a factor that the GAO noted as key to success in efficiently fulfilling 
medical readiness requirements.
  The problems in fulfilling readiness requirements are not unique to 
the Army Reserve, and the remedy pursued by the Army is applicable to 
other services. Noting the tested success of the FEDS-HEAL program 
within the Army Reserve, I encourage the other reserve components to 
thoroughly examine their ability to meet reserve readiness requirements 
and look to the FEDS-HEAL program as a model. In coordinating the 
entire reserve component into a reserve medical and dental readiness 
program, we may be able to reduce costs further through increased 
volume while boosting benefits to the DOD in terms of efficiency and to 
the VA and private providers through increased reimbursements.
  The other major factor in attaining compliance with readiness 
requirements is adequate funding. I, and other Members of Congress, 
want to ensure that readiness is a top priority among the reserve 
components, and we will continue to work with the military to assess 
readiness needs.
  Again, I commend the Army Reserve for implementing the FEDS-HEAL 
program and encourage expanded use of the program for other reserve 
forces to meet readiness requirements.

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