Beau Biden at Walter Reed for added security

Beau Biden was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center instead of another facility because the military hospital was able to provide a level of security that allows "regular" visits by his parents, Vice President Joe Biden and wife Jill.

Walter Reed spokeswoman Sandy Dean said the hospital "often admits individuals as a matter of security precaution. The vice president and Dr. Biden's regular visits to see their son necessitate his treatment in a facility that is more secure than a traditional hospital."

Despite the wording of her statement, Dean would not confirm that Beau Biden was admitted or if he remains at Walter Reed, saying that doing so would be "violating his privacy." Biden's admittance and treatment was confirmed Tuesday by the vice president's office. It is not known why Biden was admitted, and Dean said the hospital doesn't comment on the condition or treatment of any patients.

It remains unclear when Biden was admitted, and under what specific policy his admission was permitted.

Biden is a major in the Delaware Army National Guard. According to Defense Department guidance that governs admission to military hospitals, first priority for admission goes to active-duty service members.

Beau Biden, who while serving as Delaware's attorney general was deployed to Iraq as a military lawyer for 12 months from 2008 to 2009, was not in an active-duty status at any time during the past two weeks, according to Lt. Col. Len Gratteri, spokesman for the state Guard.

Reserve component service members can also be admitted for "bona fide emergencies," for conditions incurred in the line of duty, by special designation of a service secretary, and in "unexpected or extraordinary cases ... in which the military treatment facility commander determines ... that a special exception is in the best interest" of the Defense Department.

Dean said she wasn't sure which specific aspect of policy applied, but was checking.

The vice president's office and a spokesman for Beau Biden have not responded since Tuesday to questions about the former attorney general's condition, or whether he is still seeking treatment at the military medical center.

Beau Biden's health has been a matter of concern for some time. In May 2010, he was treated for what doctors described as a mild stroke and missed several weeks of work.

In August 2013, doctors at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center removed a small lesion from his brain after Biden became weak and disoriented during a family vacation in Indiana.

Biden served two terms as attorney general, and told supporters last year that he would forgo a third term to seek the Delaware governor's office in 2016.

Since his 2013 procedure in Houston, Biden has avoided interviews with the media and the public eye altogether, skipping events and issuing few public comments during his last year as Delaware's top law enforcement official.

Contact William H. McMichael at (302) 324-2812 or bmcmichael@delawareonline.com. On Twitter: @billmcmichael. Contact Jonathan Starkey at (302) 983-6756, on Twitter @jwstarkey or at jstarkey@delawareonline.com.