Periodic Physical and Dental Examinations Are Valuable for Assessing Health Status and Provide Beneficial Information to the Army

Medical experts recommend physical and dental examinations as an  effective means of assessing health. Because Army early-deploying reservists need to be healthy to  fulfill their professional responsibilities, periodic examinations are useful  for assessing whether they can perform their assigned duties. For instance,  according to a 1998 U.S. Army Medical Command study, a “significant  number” of Army reservists could not be deployed for medical reasons  during mobilization for the Persian Gulf War (1990-1991). The Army Has Not Collected and Maintained All Required Medical and Dental Information on Early-Deploying Reservists

The Army has not consistently carried out the requirements that early- deploying reservists undergo 5- or 2-year physical examinations, and the  required dental examination. At the seven Army early-deploying reserve units  we visited, about 66 percent of the medical records were available for our  review. However, our review of  the available records found that approximately 68 percent of early- deploying reservists over age 40 did not have a record of a current biennial  examination. Army’s Automated Systems Do Not Contain Comprehensive Health Information on Early- Deploying Reservists

The Army’s two automated information systems for monitoring reservists’  health do not maintain important medical and dental information for early- deploying reservists—including information on the early-deploying  reservists’ overall health status, information from the annual medical  certificate form, dental classifications, and the date of dental  examinations. According to Army officials, in 2003 the  Army plans to expand the Medical Occupational Database System to  provide the Army with access to current, accurate, and relevant medical  and dental information at the aggregate and individual levels for all of its  reservists—including early-deploying reservists. Recommendations for Executive Action

To help ensure that early-deploying reservists are healthy to carry out their  duties, we recommend that the Secretary of Defense direct the Secretary  of the Army to comply with existing statutory requirements to ensure that  the 5-year physical examinations for early-deploying reservists under 40  and the biennial physical examinations for early-deploying reservists over  40 are current and complete,    all early-deploying reservists complete their annual medical certificate of  health status and that the appropriate Army personnel review the  certificate, and  the required dental examinations and treatments for all early-deploying  reservists are complete.
Why GAO Did This Study

During the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War, health problems prevented the deployment of a significant number of Army reservists. To help correct this problem the Congress passed legislation that required reservists to undergo periodic physical and dental examinations. The National Defense Authorization Act for 2002 directed GAO to review the value and advisability of providing examinations. GAO also examined whether the Army is collecting and maintaining information on reservist health. GAO obtained expert opinion on the value of periodic examinations and visited seven Army reserve units to obtain information on the number of examinations that have been conducted.

What GAO Found

Medical experts recommend periodic physical and dental examinations as an effective means of assessing health. Periodic physical and dental examinations for early-deploying reservists provide a means for the Army to determine their health status. Army early-deploying reservists need to be healthy to meet the specific demands of their occupations; examinations and other health screenings can be used to identify those who cannot perform their assigned duties. Without adequate examinations, the Army may train, support, and mobilize reservists who are unfit for duty. The Army has not consistently carried out the statutory requirements for monitoring the health and dental status of Army early-deploying reservists. At the early-deploying units GAO visited, approximately 66 percent of the medical records were available for review. For example, we found that about 68 percent of the required 2-year physical examinations for those over age 40 had not been performed and that none of the annual medical certificates required of reservists were completed by reservists and reviewed by the units. The Army's automated health care information system does not contain comprehensive physical and dental information on early-deploying reservists. According to Army officials, in 2003 the Army plans to expand its system to maintain accurate and complete medical and dental information to monitor the health status of early-deploying reservists.