88th RSC hosts fifth annual medical programs training

Photo By Maj. Alun Thomas | Daniel Von Arx (center), chief of the 88th Regional Support Command Health Services Branch, teaches a class on categories of profiles to Soldiers and civilians attending the 88th RSC’s fifth annual Medical Programs Training, March 3-5, at the command's headquarters, Fort McCoy, Wis. The training gives those attending a working knowledge of medical programs, including incapacitation pay, line of duties, voucher systems and profiles, many of which are necessary when a Soldier becomes medically unable to work.  

FORT MCCOY, WI, UNITED STATES

03.05.2015

Story by Alun Thomas  

88th Readiness Division

FORT MCCOY, Wis. - The 88th Regional Support Command conducted its fifth annual Medical Programs Training, here, March 3-5, to assist commands on understanding administrative and legal aspects of medical processes.

The training gives those attending a working knowledge of medical programs, including incapacitation pay, line of duties (LOD), voucher systems and profiles, many of which are necessary when a Soldier becomes medically unable to work.

“The intent is to train the trainer and give them both direct and hands on training,” said Daniel Von Arx, Chief of the 88th RSC Health Services Branch. “We train the users and managers and give them the material to take back and train their own people.”

This helps eliminate errors on incapacitation claims for example, Von Arx said, because if they aren’t correct it delays payments for the Soldier.

“It also delays benefits and care, which nobody wants, so if it’s right the first time everything goes the right way,” Von Arx said. “This way there’s no IG (inspector general) complaints or congressional inquiries."

This year 110 people attended the training, said Von Arx, with some coming from locations such as Hawaii and Guam.

“A lot of people like our training and come from all over the United States because they don’t get this training in their commands,” Von Arx continued. “We try to be as inclusive as we can and people respond to it.”

“We’re here to serve our customers and our commands are those customers," Von Arx said.

Attending the training for the first time was Sgt. 1st Class Darrin Hanneman, S-1 noncommissioned officer in charge, 3rd Brigade, 75th Training Command, who said the course was valuable for him, having never performed many of the medical processes being taught.

“I’ve never done an LOD before and a number of the people in my unit are more senior members of the Army, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to learn the process,” Hanneman said. “The use of the LOD module and the key facets I learned were excellent.”

Being able to gain hands-on training was also a positive aspect of the training, Hanneman said.

“I considered myself a novice on this training before coming here, but with the hands-on classes and the points of contacts to now refer to, that’s 90 percent of the battle taken care of,” Hanneman said.

• Date Taken: 03.05.2015
• Date Posted: 03.05.2015 16:00
• Story ID: 156091
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WI, US