Hotline to address wounded soldiers, families - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Hotline to address wounded soldiers, families

Wounded soldiers and their families who have problems related to medical care will be able to report them through a new hotline. Called the Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline, the service was scheduled to go live March 19.

Army leaders established the call center at Human Resources Command, Alexandria, Va., to help wounded troops and family members resolve medical issues and to ensure direct reporting of those issues to senior Army leadership.

HRC officials said the international hotline, a response to the scandal at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., is intended not to circumvent the chain of command but to ensure senior leadership is aware of issues that affect wounded soldiers and their families.

“We have designed this call center to be able to collectively hear what the soldiers say about their health care issues, so as issues are raised, we can identify systemic faults or problematic areas and senior leaders can better allocate resources,” Maj. Gen. Sean J. Byrne, HRC commanding general, said in a statement.

Lt. Col. Kevin Arata, HRC spokesman, said 70 soldiers and civilians will staff the call center in shifts, manning 20 phones. The center will operate 12 hours a day, five days a week, but will extend hours if necessary, he said. Call center workers will evaluate the needs of those who phone in and work to find quick resolution to their problems, Arata said, noting that the initiative has been coordinated with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Army posts and other service providers.

The needs of soldiers of all components wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the emphasis of the effort, Arata said, but “we will not say no” to callers who served in other eras.

The Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline will operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. eastern time, Mondays through Fridays at (800) 984-8523.