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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.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.

COMMENTS

• Having deployed innumerable times since it is an important aspect of my position and having convoyed on every deployment with the exception of the last, I expect to receive medical care while down range. Only those who have never deployed in their current position or, not in Civil Service think otherwise. In addition, when I've convoyed we've been ambushed, incurred IEDs, etc. I've been assigned to FOBs mortared daily by insurgents and within a stone's throw of shrapnel. The problem is medical personnel have no conception how to treat deployed Civil Servants resulting in our being mistreated. I’ve witnessed firsthand medical treatment denied to a co-worker who would have slipped into a coma and incapable of responding to external stimuli, if not for the intervention by co-workers resulting in his being med-evacced due to the deterioration of his condition. Needless to say, if I were injured you can bet your bottom dollar I would expect to receive medical treatment. My being down range is no less important and I should not be begrudged for my being there. However, if you go to some of the medical areas 'unofficial' notices are posted signifying third country nationals, EPWs and contractors receive medical treatment before Civil Servants. In fact, one such facility the chart for medical treatment depicted Civil Servants as number 7 to receive medical treatment out of 7. I have no preconceived notion I should receive medical treatment before military personnel, however, bottom line I should have the expectation of being treated if there were a problem or impaired as a result of injuries sustained in the line of duty. Why? Because of the misguided and convoluted thought processes of medical personnel and their unfamiliarity dealing with deployed Civil Servants. CAE Posted May 7, 2008 1:45 PM
• Deployed (and Dan Ketter, as always) is correct. What right to CS employees serving in a war zone have to expect that they can receive any medical benefits? Everyone knows that military personnel are the only ones that deserve benefits. After all our military places their lives on the line when they serve in war zones, this is something that currently our government would never require of our civilians. However, I am sure that NSPS will fix this deficiency in the future. In the meanwhile, if only more civilians would volunteer to serve just as our dedicated volunteer military does than this would be a non-issue. Joe Basherer Posted May 4, 2008 9:06 PM
• RE: HR Professional - "emphasis on compliance" - more HR double speak. Deployed civilians fall under the UCMJ - as deemed appropriate by a military commander that in all probability never supervised civilians. Deployed civilians are working 12 hour days, 7 days a week with faced with the same overtime restrictions that penalize them now. They see contractors get tax breaks and draw huge salaries that in many cases, these deployed civilians are administering the contracts. Mark Gibson Posted May 1, 2008 7:12 PM