WASHINGTON (AP) - Civilians deployed to war zones often encounter problems
receiving medical treatment and are hesitant to seek help for emotional stress
caused by their deployment, a new congressional report finds.
Federal policies on the treatment of nonmilitary personnel -- particularly
medical screening before and after an individual deploys -- are not clearly
articulated or widely understood, prompting cases in which some civilians have
had trouble receiving benefits or filing claims, the bipartisan report by the
House Armed Services oversight and investigations subcommittee says.
Civilians also seem less likely receive help for post-traumatic stress
syndrome. The Labor Department says only 11 mental health claims have been filed
by federal personnel serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, despite a recent survey of
foreign service officers that found more than 100 officers deployed in hardship
posts may have symptoms of the stress syndrome, according to the report.
The findings shed light on the complexities of an emerging new phenomenon in
federal government: the reliance on its civilian work force to aid a war effort.
In recent months, the Bush administration has pushed hard to expand involvement
by such agencies as the Agriculture Department and Health and Human Services in
rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan.
Deployment of civilians, however, has been difficult. Unlike the military,
in which service members are required to deploy on command, civilian agencies
have relied mostly on volunteers and encountered staffing shortages when not
enough individuals stepped forward.
According to the Congressional Research Service, only 668 out of 729 posts
were filled as of January at the U.S. embassy in Iraq and 294 out of 329 posts
at the embassy in Afghanistan.
A recent cable by the State Department warned diplomats that they may be
forced to serve in Iraq next year, as it started identifying candidates for jobs
at the Baghdad embassy and outlying provinces. A similar call-up notice last
year caused an uproar among foreign service officers, some of whom objected to
compulsory work in a war zone, although in the end the State Department found
enough volunteers to fill the jobs.
The House subcommittee warns in its report that the government must find a
way to encourage civilians to serve in war zones on a voluntary basis. The
report cites a recent survey that found extra pay and benefits was the No. 1
factor in enticing foreign service officers to volunteer, followed by a sense of
patriotism and career development.
"As it is for the military, a motivated and qualified all-volunteer force
must be preferred to one populated by reluctant draftees," the subcommittee
wrote in its report. "Tomorrow's potential civilian volunteers will well-note
how today's deployed members are supported and compensated for these risky
assignments."
In his 2009 budget, President Bush requested $249 million to build a
response corps that would comprise more than 2,000 federal civilian personnel
from all 15 civilian agencies. His plan also would create a separate reserve
corps filled with experts from state and local governments and the private
sector.
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