Throwing out the baby, but not the bathwater

The Army is planning to cut 10 to 15 thousand soldiers annually over the next few years, but it can't seem to get rid of the 19,600 who are backlogged in the disability review process. [Source]

As a platoon leader, this is a rotten situation. While soldiers sit around waiting for the medical board process to run its course, they occupy a slot that could be filled by someone productive. Plus, if they miss an appointment at any time (either by mistake or in a deliberate attempt to prolong things), they have to be escorted by a non-commissioned officer, diverting more resources from productive use.

This might not be such an issue in another battalion, but the one I'm in is constantly busy supporting Fort Hood's logistical needs. While other transportation units support specific brigade combat teams in "BSBs" (brigade support battalions), ours takes care "echelons above brigade" -- we support the entire post.

Even worse,

"The problem, not explicitly spelled out by [Army deputy chief of staff Lt. Gen. Thomas] Bostick in his testimony, is that the Army expects 95 percent of soldiers going through the disability process to be separated, but they continue to count against personnel limits until that happens. As a result, the Army could end up being forced to separate a non-disabled soldier to keep room within personnel caps for someone they expect to lose because of a disability." [Ibid]

I certainly hope that's not the case -- if soldiers figure out they can stay in the Army longer by suffering from "knee problems" or "back pain," you can bet there's going to be an even longer backlog than the one we have now.