The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness announced today the names of 14 people who will serve on the Department of Defense Task Force for Care, Management, and Transition of Recovering Wounded, Ill, and Injured Members of the Armed Forces.
The four year mission of the congressionally directed task force is to provide independent advice and recommendations to the department, ensuring comprehensive services are provided to wounded members of the armed forces and their families.
The task force will look at areas including medical and non-medical case management; staffing of wounded warrior units; performance and accountability systems; services for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as the effectiveness of the centers of excellence. Individual service members, their families, and the public will have the opportunity to provide input to the task force as it develops its recommendations on DoD's wounded warrior programs.
"Caring for our wounded, ill and injured is job one. Our goal is to lead the way in integrated service, including case management, information resources, family member support, and transitioning our wounded warriors to civilian life," said Clifford L. Stanley, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. "The collective expertise and knowledge of the task force members will play a critical role in guiding our efforts to provide the best possible quality of life for service members and families."
Membership consists of seven DoD members and seven non-DoD members with expertise in areas such as medical care and coordination; medical and non-medical case management; vocational training; the disability evaluation process; veterans' benefits; experience in wounded warrior care; and treatment of TBI and PTSD.
The 14 appointees are:
DoD Co-Chair Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles B. Green, Air Force, M.D.
Navy Cmdr. Timothy Coakley, Navy, M.D.
Justin Constantine
Ronald Drach
Marine Corps Col. Timothy E. Frank
Dr. Karen S. Guice
Army National Guard Master Sgt. Brett Hightower
Army Maj. Gen. Karl R. Horst
Suzanne Crockett-Jones
Air Force Master Sgt. Christian S. MacKenzie
Dr. Steven J. Phillips
Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Richard A. Stone, M.D.
David Rehbein
Russell A. Turner, Ph.D.
The non-DoD co-chair will be named at the group's first official meeting.
The task force will operate within the Federal Advisory Committee Act guidelines and will be responsible to the secretary of defense, through the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness. The task force will present it's independent findings and recommendations to the secretary of defense within twelve months. Following review by the secretary, the task force's report and recommendations will be sent to Congress.
