Senate Bill Would Create DOD Ombuds Office

A bill currently being debated on the Senate floor would create a Department of Defense-wide Ombudsman Office within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act (S.1606) was attached to the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act and responds to shortcomings identified recently in the treatment of wounded service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and other locations. If implemented, the DOD Ombudsman Office would provide guidance to and oversight of ombudsman offices in all military departments. (S. 1283 History and Text; Duluth (GA) Weekly.)