The curious case of Specialist Town.

Then there's this one: How Specialist Town lost his benefits.

First up - I have no gripe with Specialist Town. Let's just get that out of the way up front.

Eventually the rocket shrapnel was removed from Town's neck and his ears stopped leaking blood. But his hearing never really recovered, and in many ways, neither has his life. A soldier honored twelve times during his seven years in uniform, Town has spent the last three struggling with deafness, memory failure and depression. By September 2006 he and the Army agreed he was no longer combat-ready.

But instead of sending Town to a medical board and discharging him because of his injuries, doctors at Fort Carson, Colorado, did something strange: They claimed Town's wounds were actually caused by a "personality disorder." Town was then booted from the Army and told that under a personality disorder discharge, he would never receive disability or medical benefits.

Stories like this make me crazy. They're talking about a Chapter 5 discharge for a personality disorder - one most often used during Basic and Advanced Individual Training to weed out people who made it through the initial screens but manifested during the stress of training.

I can see how people might manifest after going through combat, too. Though it strikes me that it's *also* combat-related. But I'm not a psychiatrist, either.

And I can't explain why Docs are doing what they're alleged to be doing... except...

One military official says doctors at his base are doing more than withholding this information from wounded soldiers; they're actually telling them the opposite: that if they go along with a 5-13, they'll get to keep their bonus and receive disability and medical benefits. The official, who demanded anonymity,[emphasis mine] handles discharge papers at a prominent Army facility. He says the soldiers he works with know they don't have a personality disorder. "But the doctors are telling them, this will get you out quicker, and the VA will take care of you. To stay out of Iraq, a soldier will take that in a heartbeat. What they don't realize is, those things are lies. The soldiers, they don't read the fine print," he says. "They don't know to ask for a med board. They're taking the word of the doctors. Then they sit down with me and find out what a 5-13 really means--they're shocked."

Specialist Town says that the civilian (former military) Doc he saw advised him to take the Chapter 5 as it would be faster, and he'd get taken care of by the VA. The Doc sez:

Wexler denies discussing benefits with Town. In a statement, the psychologist writes, "I have never discussed benefits with my patients as that is not my area of expertise. The only thing I said to Spc. Town was that the Chapter 5-13 is an honorable discharge.... I assure you, after over 15 years in my position, both as active duty and now civilian, I don't presume to know all the details about benefits and therefore do not discuss them with my patients."

I can attest that it's not their area of expertise - when I was going through the medical board (actually working to avoid the board and retire with a regular retirement) I got very confused advice from the Docs. They were clearly clueless, but also, well, they're Docs. Many times they feel like they know things. It's only because I caught two of them arguing with each other (a Major, Air Force, and a Captain, Navy, oddly enough) about my case and how to proceed that I figured out they didn't have any real idea - and that I was on my own. Wexler's statement, as reported, strikes me as one of somebody carefully (and perhaps quite accurately) covering himself realizing that he doesn't want any of this stink attaching to him after getting called out of the blue by a journalist.

There may be some justice in Specialist Town's claims - what bothers me about the story is that is assumes conspiracy, where simple ignorance and arrogance can also explain things. The same government which is accused of ineptitude in prosecuting the war, an agency of which toasted itself with the Walter Reed scandal, which even know has an IG report of incompetence or failure of due diligence, regarding Sergeant Pat Tillman's death, is simply out of thin air essentially accused of a successfully hidden agenda to screw the troops that no one has heard about and no one will speak of... except Specialist Town, now that he realizes he's screwed.

But no, it's a conspiracy. It's all about the money, you see. Mind you, following the money usually *is* a good idea...

"It's getting worse and worse every day," says the official who handles discharge papers. "At my office the numbers started out normal. Now it's up to three or four soldiers each day. It's like, suddenly everybody has a personality disorder."

The reason is simple, he says. "They're saving a buck. And they're saving the VA money too. It's all about money."

Ah, the infamous Un-named Official, from the "Prominent Facility" who needs to be protected, because he's... speaking truth to power, don't you see. [Ducks swat from SWWBO who *hates* that term]

It's all about money. Okey-dokey.

Mind you- I've no beef with Town. I'm referring to Joshua Kors, the author of the article, who blithely informs us...

In the Army's separations manual it's called Regulation 635-200, Chapter 5-13: "Separation Because of Personality Disorder." It's an alluring choice for a cash-strapped military because enacting it is quick and cheap. The Department of Veterans Affairs doesn't have to provide medical care to soldiers dismissed with personality disorder. That's because under Chapter 5-13, personality disorder is a pre-existing condition. The VA is only required to treat wounds sustained during service.

Soldiers discharged under 5-13 can't collect disability pay either. To receive those benefits, a soldier must be evaluated by a medical board, which must confirm that he is wounded and that his wounds stem from combat. The process takes several months, in contrast with a 5-13 discharge, which can be wrapped up in a few days.

Yep, let's follow that money, shall we?

The clear implication to me is that Kors sees the VA as a subset of DoD. Nope. Separate budgets. The Army could care less about the VA budget, as could DoD. That's Secretary Nicholson's worry, not Secretary Gate's. Oh, sure, they coordinate on some aspects of health care - but those budgets are separate items. The VA would have an interest in the Army decisions, certainly - but is not in a position to influence them in that way. And would rather the Army discharge the troops qualified for benefits... that would justify a larger budget. If the Army discharges the soldier without retiring him, it all just passes to the VA.

Then we get this gem, where either either Professor Bilmes is just not competent or doesn't understand the system, or Josh Kors doesn't take good notes. Or he conflates his notes for his storyline (hey, if they MSM can induce conspiracy where ineptitude may more aptly apply, so can I):

In a recent study on the cost of veterans' benefits for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Harvard professor Linda Bilmes estimates an average disability payout of $8,890 per year and a future life expectancy of forty years for soldiers returning from service.

Using those figures, by discharging soldiers under Chapter 5-13, the military could be saving upwards of $8 billion in disability pay. Add to that savings the cost of medical care over the soldiers' lifetimes. Bilmes estimates that each year the VA spends an average of $5,000 in medical care per veteran. Applying those numbers, by discharging 22,500 soldiers because of personality disorder, the military saves $4.5 billion in medical care over their lifetimes.

Guess who isn't saving a dime? The military. VA maybe, but not the military. And it's the military making the determinations, not the VA.

Issues like this with the article make me question the premise as spun by Mr. Kors, and wonder about the due diligence he put into his reporting.

I don't question that Specialist Towns and others like him may have been screwed. And I know it's hard (but not impossible) to undo these things. And that soldiers who served honorably deserve better and the Army has some *real* problems with the Institutional Army not truly being on a war footing, while the Operational Army bleeds. Got all that. But I believe I know enough about these processes, having been through them myself, that Mr. Kor's report raises more questions about his understanding of the problem than it sheds light on the problem.

If Mr. Kors' objective is to throw the problem into the public eye, then he's succeeded. But he could have done so much better.

Mr. Unamed Official Who Handles Discharge Papers? If he's done no more than act as Kor's source, then he's just a crapweasel, pure and simple. Unworthy of the soldiery he or she serves. The DA IG would take that complaint. His congressional delegation would take that complaint. And if their representation are Republicans, and Unamed Official believes that their CODEL wouldn't act on it - then any Democrat with an axe to grind for political gain (Representative Murtha or Waxman come to mind) would have been happy to latch on to it - and would probably also latch on to it just for the right reasons, with political gain being a nice side benny.

So, Mr. or Ms. Unamed Official - if this was your first action in this saga - shame on you.

You're a faithless servant. If you did the above and this was your last resort, fine. But if that's the case, somehow you neglected to inform Mr. Kors - or he thought that was unworthy to include in the tale. Which, given how juicy it would be... I doubt it.

That said - any of you readers got any insight?