{"id":26790,"date":"2018-04-23T19:10:03","date_gmt":"2018-04-23T19:10:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/23\/editorial-military-kids-should-not-be-penalized-for-seeking-behavioral-health-help\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:26:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:26:58","slug":"editorial-military-kids-should-not-be-penalized-for-seeking-behavioral-health-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/opinion\/editorials\/2018\/04\/23\/editorial-military-kids-should-not-be-penalized-for-seeking-behavioral-health-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Editorial: Military kids should not be penalized for seeking behavioral health help"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The promise of good, reliable health care for service members and their \u00adfamilies is one of the most important things the nation promises to provide to the small fraction of Americans who volunteer to serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why it was so disturbing to read the recent Military Times investigation<\/a> from reporter Karen Jowers, which revealed how the Army and the Air Force have been handling \u2014 or mishandling \u2014 the health records of military children<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years, the Army and the Air Force have been quietly merging the \u00adchildhood medical records<\/a> of former military \u00addependents with the medical records of new military recruits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This looks like a deep violation of trust between the Defense Department and military families. Arguably, it\u2019s a violation of federal health care privacy laws \u2014 or, at least, an ethical violation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To illustrate the problem that likely \u00adaffects hundreds, if not thousands, of \u00adformer military children, the story focused on one Army family, the De La Rosas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years ago, as their daughters struggled with the routine angst of adolescence as well as the stress of their father\u2019s repeated deployments to Afghanistan and their frequent moves, the parents encouraged their daughters to seek counseling for better coping skills, which they did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2016, when daughter Juliet De La Rosa was in basic training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, she was called in for a medical review. Air Force health providers saw mental health notations in her dependent medical record, and they promptly forced her out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNever once were we or Juliet told that she was being diagnosed with disorders. Never once was Juliet medicated,\u201d her father, Army Maj. Rudy De La Rosa said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And despite multiple clean bills of health from DoD and civilian mental health providers, both girls have been denied waivers to join the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\t