Airman Medical Transition Unit FAQs

No. Lodging in Tranquility Hall is provided at no cost to Wounded Warriors and their family members/non-medical attendants (NMA) as long as the patient is in an outpatient status/physically staying in the room.

If the patient is here alone (no family/NMA, etc.) they will have their own room, with a shared common area (living room w/TV and kitchen). Each person will have their own individual restroom.

Food options for each site are listed in the AMTU reporting instructions.

If staying on NSA-Bethesda/Walter Reed, the only location offering government-rate meals is the dining facility within the hospital which can be a bit of a commute if walking from Tranquility Hall. However, there is a café (Warrior Café) located in Tranquility Hall.

If staying on Joint Base Andrews (JBA), the only location offering government-rate meals is the Freedom Hall dining facility on base which can be a bit of a commute if walking from Presidential Inn (lodging).

However, Domino’s Pizza delivers to Lodging and the installation has a BX, Commissary and Shoppette, but those facilities can be a bit of a commute if you do not have a vehicle.

Leave/PTDY: You will need to fill out the AMTU leave checklist (provided by the Liaisons) and have your specialty providers (to include Mental Health) sign it first. The AMTU staff can then route it to your PCM, Nurse Case Manager and PEBLO for signatures. In addition to this checklist, there is also a travel risk assessment you will complete to screen for the risk of COVID-19.

Once all documents are complete, you will submit your leave request via LeaveWeb to your supervisor/backup approver. If TDY to the AMTU, your leave request will still process through your home unit. If it’s PTDY, be sure to upload any supporting documents (reporting instructions, e-mail sent, etc.) and select the appropriate rule.

Con Leave: Same process as above minus the leave checklist. Please just add your supporting document (doctor’s notes, etc. EXCLUDING ANY PHI) to your leave request and be sure to select convalescent leave as the type.

If assigned to the AMTU, the Liaisons will assist with having your AMTU PCM sign an AF 988 (hard copy leave form) with the appropriate con leave time period. If you received a doctor’s note/discharge summary that states how much con leave is being recommended, the Liaison will need that to send to your AMTU PCM.

If authorized, your unit will fund the rental vehicle. However, rental vehicles are typically not authorized for medical TDYs.

If on NMA orders, you can apply for a rental vehicle utilizing the Yellow Ribbon Fund program. Please get with your assigned Air Force Wounded Warrior (AFW2) Recovery Care Coordinator (RCC) for details  on applying. Please note, if on Exceptional Family Member Travel (EFMT) orders, there is a separate process. Your RCC can provide all applicable  information.

The AMTU Liaisons will work with your home unit Patient Travel Office to have your TDY orders extended as needed.

Yes. Please refer to the AMTU Reporting Instructions for contact information. Be sure to request a driver with base access.

No. If you will be in lodging on JBA, please contact the AMTU staff prior to your arrival to arrange for transportation to lodging.

No. Unfortunately, this is not an option.

The AMTU Liaison will get you set up with inprocessing through the AMTU A-Team Finance POC. Having your BAH initiated/adjusted will be covered in this process.

Please refer any MEB questions to your assigned AMTU PEBLO. Contact information is located in the AMTU reporting instructions. Please let the AMTU Liaisons know if you are having any issues getting in contact with the PEBLO.

Patients enrolled in AFW2 are assigned an RCC. RCCs are designated as a resource for a seriously wounded, ill, or injured Airman. RCCs work closely with patient liaison officers, medical CMs, and on/off base agencies to obtain an appropriate level of support for a recovering Airman and eligible family members. RCCs assist in resources such as assistive technology, educations, job/internship, employment, and housing.

The AMTU/CC should coordinate with line and non-line units to employ AMTU members to a work center which can be safely accomplished without interfering with treatment. Possible work center examples include: Medical Group; Communications Squadron; Family Support Squadron; or Chaplaincy. Typically, the best employment solution is to employ AMTU Airman within their primary AFSC. AMTU can contact the AFSC functional to identify if there are employment opportunities in the Airman’s primary career field. If there are no opportunities within the Airman’s AFSC, consultation with the AMTU/MTF First Sergeant will be a key facilitator to work center employment. Another possibility for employment of the Airman is to utilize an internship program through Operation Warfighter with the assistance of the RCC, when it will not interfere with care and IDES processing.

AMTU staff must maintain accountability and tracking of patients assigned or attached to AMTUs. The frequency of roll calls may be determined by the AMTU/CC or AMTU staff and can be influenced based on patient’s condition. High interest mental health patients should be tracked and accounted for by the local MTF Mental Health staff in accordance with their procedures for high risk patients. Typically, mental health staff make weekly contact with high risk patients receiving mental health treatment. These weekly mental health contacts should not preclude the AMTU staff from making contact.

The same process outlined for assigned patients will be followed for attached patients.  However, the home unit’s mental health staff will also track and account for the patient in accordance with their respective procedures. The responsibility to maintain accountability of an Airman attached to an AMTU is primarily the responsibility of the Home Unit, with assistance from the AMTU as needed. This may vary based on the Airman’s medical status (inpatient versus outpatient) but in general this is the expectation. Home MTF tracking during care must include Airman whereabouts and Initial Review In-Lieu Of (I-RILO) suspenses. During a PCS transition, the Losing Unit retains ADCON until Airman is gained at the AMTU.

Commanders have the same responsibilities for AMTU patients assigned to their command as other members of their command, to include supporting career progression and milestones. Military customs and courtesies must also be rendered as appropriate for their treatment. For attached patients, the Home Unit maintains ADCON. Communication with the home station commander is essential to ensure that the Airman’s critical career milestones are not missed. Examples include, but are not limited to: fitness testing, promotion testing, enlisted performance reports, officer performance reports, letter of evaluations end of tour medals, and PME nominations.

Transportation to attend appointments will be discussed during the Airman’s in-processing to the MTF. When a Home Unit sends an Airman TDY to an AMTU, the Home Unit should exercise every effort to provide the AMTU attached Airman a rental car authorization. If the Airman is unable to drive or have a rental vehicle, it is essential that the Airman communicate and coordinate with the AMTU to ensure dedicated transportation prior to any appointments. For an AMTU-assigned Airman, dedicated AMTU vehicles will be used if available. If not, AMTU staff members should check with the LRS Transportation Flight to coordinate vehicle usage. MTFs who frequently use vehicles for transport of AMTU patients should explore options to fund a dedicated vehicle (in this case tracking mileage will be essential to justify the acquisition of a vehicle). MTF personnel may also be able to share vehicles with other base units.

The Airman’s Home Unit is the primary point-of-contact for an Airman’s overall well-being. AMTU personnel frequently provide updates to their counterparts at the Airman’s Home MTF and contact an Airman’s command team, no less frequently than weekly during a TDY. These updates must meet all Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Privacy Act requirements. Check with the local HIPAA/Privacy officer to ensure AMTU staff follow all disclosure rules and disclosures are properly tracked and accounted for when necessary.

Non-clinical information such as arrival, changes in itinerary, delayed return to Home Station, adverse behavior, and/or discharge with a pending return to home station should be communicated via the Airman to First Sergeant or AMTU staff member to Airman’s Home Unit command.

For clinical updates, the Treating CM or another informed AMTU staff member should inform the Home Unit SGH and/or Treating PCM of significant changes in duration, conditions, diagnosis, or changes to the Airman’s category. The Treating SGH can also convey updates to the Home Unit SGH and/or Treating PCM, who will inform the Airman’s Home Unit commander as necessary. Conference calls to discuss treatment plans are helpful for increasing transparency and timeliness of communication.
 

The Airman should be briefed on AMTU expectations as both a patient and an Airman assigned to an AMTU. Expectations should include making the patient aware of the requirement to attend all medical appointments, roll calls, and flight or squadron engagements (unless excused); maintain transparent and consistent communication with the AMTU staff; remain accessible during duty hours and on weekends (unless on leave); and fulfill all job-specific expectations. An example of the welcome letter and leave policy is available on the AFMOA Health Benefits Knowledge Exchange AMTU website.

Establishing open communication and contact rosters are helpful in the treatment and recovery of AMTU patients. AMTUs should provide 24/7 contact information to the Airman. The following list of contacts should be considered: AMTU/CC, AMTU NCOIC, Squadron First Sergeant, Squadron Superintendent, OIC and NCOIC. The AMTU staff should explain communication standards and expectation to patients; i.e. ensuring accountability and enabling better support for their medical needs. Patients assigned to an AMTU should be listed on a unit recall roster or other contact methods for additional support.

While multiple priorities (sometimes competing) determine the new AMTU location, the best overall decision will always be sought out. The most essential requirement is that necessary medical treatment must be available at the proposed AMTU.  Family support considerations may come into play if the following occur:

Single Airman incapacitated for short-term

Airman incapacitated and unlikely to return-to-duty (i.e., recurrent or treatment resistant psychiatric issues, severe stroke, etc.)

Airman’s projected retirement/separation location may be a factor if the Airman is highly likely to be medically retired/separated. The reason for this consideration is to allow Airman to establish medical care in the projected retirement/separation location to avoid the stress of multiple PCS moves. However, when the desired retirement/separation location is more than 50-100 miles from the proposed AMTU location, the Airman will likely remain in-place to complete the fitness determination or IDES process.

An AMTU assignment changes the Airman’s AFSC to "patient" – 93P0 for officer, 9P000 for enlisted – and cancels any future assignment follow-ons. Education PCS moves are automatically canceled. The Airman’s AFSC may be a factor if the Airman is highly likely to return-to-duty after the RILO. If this is the case, AFPC/DP2NP looks for Air Force bases with openings for that Airman’s AFSC and usually networks with an Assignment Officer. This avoids the need for a second PCS after treatment is complete to move onto the next job assignment.

Each of these above potential considerations will be addressed on the AMTU Worksheet, which is why full completion of the document is so important for AFPC/DP2NP to help an Airman and medical staff weigh all the relevant variables.
 

AFPC/DP2NP needs a starting point based on the large quantity of requests and the limited time to make this decision (1-5 days). The preliminary inquiry and communications streamline the workflow, while also providing first-hand knowledge of the Airman’s condition. Furthermore, close coordination between the Losing and Gaining staffs enables a better handoff of the Airman with clinician-to-clinician contact.

NMAs are authorized in AFI 41-210, and appointed by a medical authority. In most circumstances, one attendant can be provided when an Airman is incapable of traveling alone and requires an attendant or for those who are very seriously wounded, ill, or injured. The Airman can make a recommendation regarding the NMA to the provider. It is recommended that this NMA can assist with the transportation and care of the Airman when unable to do so without assistance. NMAs who are not active duty must be on invitational travel orders or on the same travel order issued for the patient. Active duty NMAs will be on TDY travel orders as an NMA. NMA travel is covered under the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) Chapter 3, Part D: Medical Travel.

MTFs should have internal processes to validate an NMA who has been authorized in writing by the provider and/or the SGH. Additionally, MTFs should communicate this information to the authority that issues the travel orders. For questions on Patient Travel, reference the patient travel matrix on the Health Benefits KX Page.