MEDEVAC IV – The Process

Friday, 3 August
1845

It’s been an interesting week, and I am making progress toward my treatment. I told my XO a few days ago that “the process is the process”, and everybody goes through the process. So here I am, enmeshed in the process.

Monday morning I went through inprocessing at the WTU (or WTB, depending on which sign you read). That involved filling out more paperwork, giving them copies of my records, etc. This process always disgusts me, because you fill out exactly the same information everywhere you go. I get so sick of writing the same information on pieces of paper at each new unit, when it’s all in computers and could be easily accessed if people would just pull their heads out of their fourth points of contact and develop the systems properly.

The WTU is set up like a regular unit, with companies and a battalion HQ. It actually resembles a training unit more than anything. There is a cadre of permanent staff, and the patients are the bulk of the unit. Since patients are constantly coming and going, it’s the cadre that holds things together.

There is a daily routine of morning PT formation, then an accountability formation after breakfast, with a final accountability formation at the end of the day (1630). In between it is up to us to know where we need to go and to keep our various appointments.

Unlike the transition unit at Landstuhl, there are people here who have been here for an extended period of time. Some of them were pulled out of the mobilization process before being sent overseas (Medical Hold), and some are MEDEVACs like me. Many of the routine duties are actually performed by patients (such as driving everyone around to appointments, etc). Everyone who is here for a period of time gets some kind of work assigned. So far they have not approached me about doing anything, although I know other FGOs are working in offices around the post. It’s just as well, since I am doing work for my regular duty position in Kuwait, trying to stay usefully engaged there. If they ask me to do any work here I plan to tell them that I am already employed doing that.

After inprocessing at the WTU on Monday I went through a “Reverse SRP” which was a streamlined version of what I went through when I was here being mobilized (it was even in the same building, along with groups of soldiers being mobilized). They checked all my records to see that I was up to date on immunizations, and checked me to make sure I didn’t contract anything overseas.

After that I went over to Case Management. I was assigned a case manager who is my main point of contact throughout my treatment. I think she is an LPN, and she is supposed to do all the coordinating for appointments as well as doing the QC on my care. So I filled out more paperwork so she could have *her* file on me, and then went up to meet my “Primary Care Provider”. This person is an RN, and is responsible for providing all my non-specialty care. She examined me, ensured I had enough medication, wrote up my physical profile (to anyone going through this, make sure it says “No Unit PT” – those are the magic words that will let you continue your own fitness regimen instead of standing in formation and doing PT with the unit). After seeing her, I was done for the day.

Tuesday morning I went to see the surgeon. He did what I expected – examined me and referred me to a local clinic. He is a general surgeon and has done this type of surgery before, but does not do so anymore as a rule. He said that it was a choice between going to Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon, GA, or to a local clinic. He recommended the local clinic as being less travel and more convenient, so I took the recommendation.

That afternoon I had an appointment with Case Management to follow up on the referral. She looked into my online record and said “yep, there is a referral there”. But she had to wait for it to be “reviewed” and “validated” before she could actually make the appointment. More waiting. She said it was supposed to take less than 72 hours, but that she would do her best.

On Wednesday morning I got a call from her – good news and bad news. Good news – I had an appointment. Bad news – it was for 30 August. I couldn’t believe that was the first available appointment, but a call to the clinic confirmed that there was nothing available sooner. I just couldn’t see cooling my heels around here for a month with nothing to do, so I called the surgeon back and asked him what other options he might recommend. He picked up the phone and called a colleague at Eisenhower, and got me an appointment there for next week.

I then spent the next 24 hours trying to tell Case Management about my new appointment, but could not get through. Finally I was able to tell them, and they needed to do some research to figure out how to handle the situation. Doctors calling doctors to make direct appointments for patients is apparently not part of their process.

Meanwhile I spent part of Thursday filing my travel claim at the Finance Office. This was more complicated than I had expected (why am I ever surprised at this?). The reason was that they didn’t want me to file just the claim for travel from Kuwait to Fort Benning. They also wanted me to file my travel voucher from when I was first mobilized, up to and including the travel to here. This actually works out better for me, because I needed to do it anyway (major procrastination) and it means more money. I was afraid it would be impossible because all my receipts were in Kuwait. It turned out I didn’t need them because no single expense was greater than $75. And I did have my daily expense record from mobilization in my pocket notebook. We had to get a “statement of nonavailability of government rations” from Fort McPherson and also figure out how to handle the hotel stay at Dulles. But they figured it out for me, helped me fill out the form, and sent it back with me to get it signed by someone at the WTU. There is a per-diem allowance authorized for while you are in theater, and I will now have collected it for all the time up to now. They are set up to do this here because many (most?) of the people who are MEDEVACed here do not go back overseas. But all it means for me is that I get the money earlier than I would have, and when I return from theater after my tour is done I will file another claim that starts on 31 July 2007. Win-win situation!

This morning (Friday) I got a call from my case manager asking me to come in and get some paperwork so the unit can cut me orders to go to Fort Gordon (Eisenhower AMC). So I went over and got that, then dropped off my travel claim at finance, and then dropped off the memorandum from Case Management (well, actually from “Referral Management”, but who’s checking?) at the WTU so they can cut the travel orders over there. As far as I know, I am finished for the week, and I am back in my quarters working.

My days are settling into a routine of sorts. During the day I follow-up on my medical care and the attendant administrative processes. When I am done with that I work on FMO stuff for my unit in Kuwait. I do this in my quarters unless I need an internet connection, in which case I go over to the coffee shop where they have one. After evening formation I change into civilian clothes and take care of personal business. If I don’t need to go to the PX for something, I have been going over to the coffee shop and getting online for the evening. They are only open until 2100, so the most I can get is about four hours of connect time.

I have spent a fair amount of time playing WoW with Anna, which is fun. Last night I apparently committed a grave faux-pas when we were raiding a castle as part of a group. I was having a hard time keeping up and really didn’t know where we were or what to do, so I just tried not to get lost and to contribute by helping to kill the bad guys when I could. There is a system for “group looting”, so I also picked up loot from the dead bad guys. But I did it wrong, and took something that somebody else wanted. Anna told me it was “majorly uncool”. I didn’t even realize what I had done, but it was too late because you can’t give it back once you take it. I guess it’s live and learn. I probably won’t get invited to that group anymore. L

After the café closes I’ve been making phone calls while walking back to my quarters, sometimes with a stop at the PX on the way. I picked up a cup and some tea at the commissary yesterday so I have something to drink while I’m working and in the evenings. I had picked up some beer when I first got here, but I find that I am only able to drink one before it really dulls my senses. I am just not used to it anymore, which is probably a good thing. J

So now I am in kind of a holding pattern until my appointment next week. With luck I may come back to Fort Benning all treated and fixed – we’ll see.

This weekend I plan to visit the National Infantry Museum here on Fort Benning (“Home of the Infantry”). I will definitely take some photos there and post them if they seem like they might be interesting. It’s cool to be back here – yesterday I watched the airborne school conducting parachute drops off the towers, but I didn’t have my camera with me.

The upshot is that I am fine, making progress through the health care bureaucracy, and may actually receive medical treatment for this condition sometime next week. More later….

Music: Beethoven – Symphony No. 2 (Herbert von Karajan)
Mood: Good