Paralyzed Veterans of America
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Paralyzed Veterans of America

Login

 spacer
spacer spacer
spacer
spacer
right background image
spacer
spacer
spacer Spinal Cord Injury
spacer Spinal Cord Diseases
spacer Research & Education
spacer Disability Rights
spacer Veterans Benefits
spacer Medical Services
spacer Veterans Issues
spacer Legal Issues
spacer Accessible Design
spacer Sports & Recreation
spacer Support PVA
spacer Email Sign-Up spacer
spacer
donate_today
Our Members,
Our Heroes
Learn about the Lives of Paralyzed Veterans Members.

Babin Read
More »


Caregivers Circle
Caregiver Resources, Stories, Information, News, and More...

tracy_caregiverRead
More »

Dole-Shalala Report Contains Good News and Bad News for America’s Wounded Warriors

Dole, Shalala Commission

There’s good news and bad news in the recommendations of the Dole-Shalala Commission presented to President Bush recently, says Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans).

“Our brave heroes deserve quality and fully funded health care,” says Randy L. Pleva, Sr., Paralyzed Veterans national president. “Some of the recommendations of Dole-Shalala need to be implemented immediately but some, quite frankly, could potentially damage existing programs and benefits.”

Paralyzed Veterans believes that the following recommendations should be implemented immediately:

  • The establishment of a single medical examination with a clear delineation of the responsibilities of the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA);
  • Creation of individual recovery plans and the development of a cadre of recovery coordinators (Paralyzed Veterans opposes the use of the Public Health Service as an overseeing entity—this will only create additional bureaucracy—and also questions if one-on-one coordination is truly feasible due to the far-ranging array of services required and the multiple agencies and locations involved);
  • The assessment of disability compensation as a benefit for more than just economic loss but also a benefit for lost quality of life and opportunities.

Paralyzed Veterans’ areas of concern include:

  • Changes to VA disability payments or benefits not being applied across-the-board; The proposed periodic review of disability status will only further burden an overburdened system that currently allows veterans to request reevaluation for exacerbated or worsened conditions;
  • The recommendation to focus primary responsibility for treating traumatic brain injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with DOD—when the VA has a long history of being the leader in addressing TBI and PTSD for returning service personnel.

Bo Rollins, director of Field Services for Paralyzed Veterans of America who testified before the commission, appeared on NPR's flagship news program "All things Considered" to provide preliminary analysis of the recommendations.

To listen to Bo Rollins on "All Things Considered", click here.

To read the Commission's final report, click here.

Listen to Bo Rollins
on NPR's "All Things Considered"
Paralyzed Veterans of America
801 Eighteenth Street, NW | Washington, DC 20006-3517
Contact Us | 1-800-555-9140 | info@pva.org | Site Map

Use of this website is Subject to PVA's Policy Statement, Disclaimers, and Privacy Policy
Paralyzed Veterans of America is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit organization.

right background image