FORT DRUM — Rep. John M. McHugh, R-Pierrepont Manor, said Thursday the Army has made progress in the care of wounded soldiers, but more work needs to be done to improve the system.

Mr. McHugh met Thursday with 14 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 85th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Warriors in Transition Unit, on post to hear their opinions about the unit. It was recently reactivated as a battalion for injured or ill soldiers who need more time to recover or will be medically discharged from the Army.

"You folks are kind of like the canary in the mine shaft, in that you're experiencing it early in the process," said Mr. McHugh, the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel.

Overall, the soldiers, whose names could not be used owing to the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, said the Warrior in Transition Unit has been beneficial to them as they balance their duties in the Army with medical treatment.

"I think it's a wonderful program," a specialist said. "The cadre are very exceptional."

Soldiers also said they received special consideration around the installation, including not having to wait in long lines for routine procedures, such as obtaining a new identification card.

However, the soldiers said they were having difficulties with the medical system.

One soldier said he had to wait a month for an appointment with his psychiatrist and he found it much easier to see doctors off Fort Drum.

"I've been having a hard time on post," he said.

Another soldier said he had trouble working through the Army's disability system.

"I felt like I had to fight to be taken care of," he said.

The soldier said he did not agree with his original disability rating and traveled to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., to take part in the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs Disability Evaluation System pilot program. The program, started in November, aims to consolidate the Army and VA's disability rating system. The soldier said he felt he got a better response from the joint program than from the Army alone.

"It was a great experience this time around," he said.

Mr. McHugh said he supports this new rating system and hopes that if soldiers do find it beneficial, it will become a nationwide program.

However, he said, if it does not improve care, he plans to work to find a system that does.

"If I'm not hearing that it's working better — I mean not perfect, but better — then we have to redesign the whole darn thing," Mr. McHugh said.