Showing posts with label veterans advocates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label veterans advocates. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Some vets returning home not receiving proper care in PA

Some vets returning home not receiving proper care in PA
BY BORYS KRAWCZENIUK
TIMES SHAMROCK WRITER

05/20/2008
PITTSTON TOWNSHIP — Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder are turning elsewhere for help because the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Plains doesn’t have the staff to handle all of them, a local psychiatrist told a veterans roundtable Monday.

Dr. Matthew Berger, a psychiatrist who treats soldiers with the disorder, said they started coming to him because they can’t get treatment through Veterans Affairs quickly enough. Dr. Berger suggested allowing veterans to obtain care from private providers and paying for it with their veterans benefits.

“I don’t understand why there isn’t freedom of choice for veterans. Why can’t a vet say, ‘I’ve been to the VA, I wasn’t happy with the services and I’m going to go down the road and have the VA pay for it or have the veterans system pay for it?” Dr. Berger told the roundtable hosted by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.

Jack Cleary, a veteran who advocates for veterans and whose son Michael was killed in Iraq, agreed the VA doesn’t have enough staff to handle PTSD sufferers.

“We have veterans that may have PTSD that are being redeployed,” said Richard S. Wren, director of veterans affairs for Luzerne County.
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Thursday, April 3, 2008

Veterans Voice Rally Unplugged

Veteran Rally Goes On – Without The Mic
By TONY MARRERO

Hernando Today

Published: April 2, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - Just past noon on Wednesday, John Russell walked to his Honda Accord parked in front of the old courthouse and started unloading public address equipment as Brooksville Police Chief George Turner and seven other officers from the department watched.

The day before, Russell vowed that his Veterans Voice rally would go on as planned despite warnings from Turner that it was against city code to use the PA system at the event. That policy, Russell contends, pulls the plug on his free speech rights.

For a few moments, it seemed Russell was ready to test the code – and Turner's mood – by using the PA system anyway.

Russell toted one speaker to the top courthouse step, then the other. Out came the amplifier and microphone.

Then he grabbed a can of black spray paint and a couple of old signs, turned them over and wrote "Veterans Unpluged." Even without the necessary second "g," the point was clear: the PA system had been reduced to a prop this day.

He set up a video camera and gave the handful of veterans who showed up the chance to speak.
"I was never going to violate the law," Russell told a reporter. "The veterans are free to fight and die for our country, forever altering their lives and the lives of their families, and they are free to speak as along as they say accepted things."

Russell, a Democrat who has twice run unsuccessfully for U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite's 5th Congressional seat, says he organized the rally to bring attention to problems veterans are encountering as they seek benefits and services from the Veterans Administration.

He maintains that the county had given him the OK to have the event with the PA system. But Turner, still a little new to the city, checked with the city attorney, who pointed out a chapter of the city code that disallows amplification systems for "the producing or reproducing of sound which is cast upon the public streets for the purpose of commercial advertising or attracting the attention of the public to any building or structure." There are exemptions for parades, charity events and events organized by the government.
go here for the rest
http://www2.hernandotoday.com/content/2008/apr/02/veteran-rally-goes-without-mic/

Saturday, March 22, 2008

VA cannot ignore the spouse advocte when it comes to PTSD


A friend of my husband is back in the VA hospital again. His wife called last night to tell us where he was and what happened. While talking to her I was reminded of what I went through when my husband was needing help, seeing a psychologist and psychiatrist but not being totally honest when them. He tried to minimize what was going on inside his head and how drastically his life changed.

With all the research I had been doing, it was obvious that the spouse had to get actively involved in the treatment of the veteran. The family is expected to notice the signs and then be a support system for the veteran but what happens all too often is the VA shuts the family out of the treatment because of "privacy concerns" instead of the patients best interest. This is what our friend's wife is going through right now. She is trying to find out what is going on with her husband and trying to be able to let the doctors know what effects of PTSD are doing to him, their marriage and above all, jeopardizing his life.

Part of PTSD is the lack of being able to make rational decisions and the VA knows this. The thought process is altered with paranoia getting out of control. The spouse needs to be able to communicate what is real and what is simply being twisted in the veterans brain. Mood swings, often being misdiagnosed as just bipolar comes with extreme highs and deep depression while they make very irrational life choices. Some will end up undertaking legal choices that are risky. They enter into agreements that are unwise jeopardizing their finances but it is not just their finances, it is the families finances as a whole.

Some veterans will go on buying splurges with a huge windfall from a claim being approved and pro-rated back to the filing of the claim. This brings sudden wealth with thousands of dollars in many cases. Often they will go out and buy expensive "toys" like tougher trucks, motorcycles, speed boats or faster cars as rational choices go out the window.

Yet with what these veterans are being diagnosed with and treated for being ignored when it comes to their quality of life, the VA then turns on the spouse often hiding behind HIPAA and "privacy concerns" for the patient. How much time is wasted because the VA will not talk to the spouse?

I got lucky. I had been with my husband for most of his appointments. His doctors knew me. My husband had also given them permission to speak to me but this was before HIPAA. I often wonder if his doctors would have been as honest as they were with me had this rule been in place. I'm hearing from too many wives in the same position as our friend's wife. While I was lucky with the doctors, I was not so lucky when it came to the VA. I had to go through the DAV to find out what was going on. Simple questions were not being answered by the VA because I was not the veteran.

In our friend's case, his wife has power of attorney and medical power of attorney because her husband is not able to make rational decisions. They refuse to talk to her. He refuses to see her and the VA is ignoring the legal authority she holds.

This is what HIPAA says about privacy.


The Privacy Rule permits a covered entity to use and disclose PHI, with certain limits and protections, for TPO activities [45 CFR § 164.506]. Certain other permitted uses and disclosures for which authorization is not required follow. Additional requirements and conditions apply to these disclosures. The Privacy Rule text and OCR guidance should be consulted for a full understanding of the following:

Required by law. Disclosures of PHI are permitted when required by other laws, whether federal, tribal, state, or local.
Public health. PHI can be disclosed to public health authorities and their authorized agents for public health purposes including but not limited to public health surveillance, investigations, and interventions.
Health research. A covered entity can use or disclose PHI for research without authorization under certain conditions, including

1) if it obtains documentation of a waiver from an institutional review board (IRB) or a privacy board, according to a series of considerations;
2) for activities preparatory to research; and
3) for research on a decedent's information.


Abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. PHI may be disclosed to report abuse, neglect, or domestic violence under specified circumstances.
Law enforcement. Covered entities may, under specified conditions, disclose PHI to law enforcement officials pursuant to a court order, subpoena, or other legal order, to help identify and locate a suspect, fugitive, or missing person; to provide information related to a victim of a crime or a death that may have resulted from a crime, or to report a crime.
Judicial and administrative proceedings. A covered entity may disclose PHI in the course of a judicial or administrative proceeding under specified circumstances.
Cadaveric organ, eye, or tissue donation purposes. Organ-procurement agencies may use PHI for the purposes of facilitating transplant.
Oversight. Covered entities may usually disclose PHI to a health oversight agency for oversight activities authorized by law.
Worker's compensation. The Privacy Rule permits disclosure of work-related health information as authorized by, and to the extent necessary to comply with, workers' compensation programs.
Other Authorized Disclosures

A valid authorization is required for any use or disclosure of PHI that is not required or otherwise permitted without authorization by the Privacy Rule. In general, these authorizations must specifically identify the PHI to be used or disclosed; provide the names of persons or organizations, or classes of persons or organizations, who will receive, use, or disclose the PHI;

state the purpose for each request;
notify individuals of their right to refuse to sign the authorization without negative consequences to treatment, payment, or health plan enrollment or benefit eligibility, except under specific circumstances;be signed and dated by the individual or the individual's personal representative;
be written in plain language;
include an expiration date or event;
notify the individual of the right to revoke authorization at any time in writing, and how to exercise that right, and any applicable exceptions to that right under the Privacy Rule;
and explain the potential for the information to be subject to redisclosure by recipient and no longer protected by the Privacy Rule.


The Privacy Rule and Public Health
The Privacy Rule recognizes 1) the legitimate need for public health authorities and others responsible for ensuring the public's health and safety to have access to PHI to conduct their missions; and 2) the importance of public health reporting by covered entities to identify threats to the public and individuals. Accordingly, the rule

1) permits PHI disclosures without a written patient authorization for specified public health purposes to public health authorities legally authorized to collect and receive the information for such purposes, and
2) permits disclosures that are required by state and local public health or other laws. However, because the Privacy Rule affects the traditional ways PHI is used and exchanged among covered entities (e.g., doctors, hospitals, and health insurers), it can affect public health practice and research in multiple ways. To prevent misconceptions, understanding the Privacy Rule is important for public health practice. Some illustrative examples are presented in this report (Box 4).
Also provided are sample letters that might prove useful in clarifying relationships involving public health and the Privacy Rule (Appendix B).



http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/m2e411a1.htm




The following report should provide the sign of a clear need there is to have the spouse totally involved in the veteran's care. They are on the front line of getting the veteran as well as the GI to the help they need to heal as soon as possible. Unless the VA takes their involvement seriously, there is vital time wasted.


MENTAL HEALTH CARE
Va. Braces for Veterans' Needs
Some Returning Troops Rely on Local Services, Not Military

By Chris L. Jenkins
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, March 1, 2008; Page B10

Virginia officials are preparing for a sharp increase in requests for community mental health services from troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and they are concerned that the system will be overwhelmed.

Mental health experts and officials said they are seeing a growing number of recently returned military personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other ailments seeking services from behavioral health clinics.

But with a waiting list of about 5,700 for community mental health services, many officials are concerned that the state will not be able to adequately serve the veterans and family members going to these clinics, operated by what are known as community services boards.

State officials said they are preparing for a 15 percent increase over the next decade in people seeking services from the state's mental health network, especially in emergency situations. That does not include family members who might need counseling. The issue is of particular concern in Virginia because the state has the third highest number of military service members in the country, behind California and Texas.

"This is a population that we're going to have to think about for some time," said James Reinhard, commissioner of the state Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services. "We're concerned and believe that [the population] is going to clearly have an impact on our services."

Paul, a reservist with the 890th Transportation Company, said the flashbacks and nightmares started a month after he returned from Iraq's Sunni Triangle. Violent images woke him at night and sometimes jolted him during the day. He knew he needed help.

There was a veterans hospital outside of Roanoke, 100 miles from his Shenandoah Valley home, but he had heard stories of long waits and lots of paperwork. He was given the number of a mental health clinic a short drive from his home, so he showed up one afternoon.

"The only thing I could think about was getting to someone close and fast because I was in such pain," said the 39-year old reservist, who asked that his last name not be used to spare his family media attention. He receives weekly treatment at a Charlottesville clinic that serves veterans. He said he has continued to go to the clinic because, during a long stretch last year, he had difficulty accessing his military insurance coverage.

"I didn't think about anything else" but getting help, he said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/
article/2008/02/29/AR2008022904190.html


As more and more veterans will enter into the overloaded system, the need will grow to streamline the process. The testimony of the spouse to the psychologist and psychiatrist are key in providing the shortest distant from evaluation to healing.


Testimony
Before the Committee on Veterans’
Affairs, U.S. Senate
VA DISABILITY BENEFITS
AND HEALTH CARE
Providing Certain Services
to the Seriously Injured
Poses Challenges
Statement of Cynthia A. Bascetta
Director, Health Care—Veterans’
Health and Benefits Issues
For Release on Delivery
Expected at 10:00 a.m. EST
Thursday, March 17, 2005

VHA manages one of the largest health care systems in the United States
and provides PTSD services in its medical facilities, community settings,
and Vet Centers.4 VA is a world leader in PTSD treatment and offers PTSD
services to veterans. PTSD can result from having experienced an
extremely stressful event such as the threat of death or serious injury, as
happens in military combat, and is the most prevalent mental disorder
resulting from combat.



In regard to psychological injuries, our September 2004 report noted that
mental health experts have recognized the importance of early
identification and treatment of PTSD. VA and DOD jointly developed a
clinical practice guideline for identifying and treating individuals with
PTSD. The guideline includes a four-question screening tool to identify
servicemembers and veterans who may be at risk for PTSD. VA uses these
questions to screen all veterans who visit VA for health care, including
those previously deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. The screening
questions are:
Have you ever had any experience that was so frightening, horrible, or
upsetting that, in the past month, you
• have had any nightmares about it or thought about it when you did not
want to?
• tried hard not to think about it or went out of your way to avoid situations
that remind you of it?
• were constantly on guard, watchful, or easily startled?
• felt numb or detached from others, activities, or your surroundings?
In dealing with psychological injuries such as PTSD, VA also faces
challenges in providing services. Specifically, the inherent uncertainty of
the onset of PTSD symptoms poses a challenge because symptoms may be
delayed for years after the stressful event. Symptoms include insomnia,
intense anxiety, nightmares about the event, and difficulties coping with
work, family, and social relationships. Although there is no cure for PTSD,
experts believe that early identification and treatment of PTSD symptoms
may lessen the severity of the condition and improve the overall quality of
life for servicemembers and veterans. If left untreated it can lead to
substance abuse, severe depression, and suicide.

Another challenge VA faces in dealing with veterans with PTSD is the lack
of accurate data on its workload for PTSD. Inaccurate data limit VA’s
ability to estimate its capacity for treating additional veterans and to plan
for an increased demand for these services. For example, we noted in our
September 2004 report that VA publishes two reports that include
information on veterans receiving PTSD services at its medical facilities.
However, neither report includes all the veterans receiving PTSD services.
We found that veterans may be double counted in these two reports,
counted in only one report, or omitted from both reports. Moreover, the
VA Office of Inspector General found that the data in VA’s annual capacity
report, which includes information on veterans receiving PTSD services,
are not accurate. Thus, VA does not have an accurate count of the number
of veterans being treated for PTSD.




http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05444t.pdf


This is why there are different figures presented as to the number of veterans being treated for PTSD. What experts predict is that we are looking at 800,000.

By 1978 there were 500,000 Vietnam veterans diagnosed with PTSD according to the DAV study done. By 1986 there were already 117,000 suicides connected to Vietnam. This came from the IFOC training. Also in the training came these percentages.
40% of people with physical trauma
60% of sexual assault victims will get PTSD
60% of incest victims will get PTSD and most will attempt suicide
90% of people who witness torture will get PTSD
100% of torture victims will get PTSD

While the veteran may be honest with the depth of the wound, all too often they want to minimize it. They hardly ever address the relationships changes between them and their spouse, avoiding topics they feel will make them less "normal" denying sexual problems, emotional problems and other character changes. The spouse can provide the truth they do not want to share with the doctor.

All too often families will say "they suddenly changed" not knowing fully what caused the change. Most of the time they will notice the change long after the service of the veteran has ended and will not make the connection between PTSD and the change. Some veteran will come back with mild PTSD, believing they can just "deal with it" and then recover from it.

Often they are able to hide what is going on, acting as if nothing is wrong, until they experience the secondary stressor. This could come from a number of events. The loss of a family member, health problems with someone they are close to, the death of a friend, accidents, loss of employment, natural disasters, as well as other stressful situations most of us also experience from divorce, financial problems, drastic changes like buying a house or loosing a house, a sudden empty nest or any extreme changes including their own health.

Many veterans reach out for help following these secondary stressors and it is even more urgent they get help because PTSD surfacing after a secondary stressor is like PTSD ravages on steroids.

Again, the VA has to pay attention to the law and what is right for the sake of the veteran at the same time. In the case of the spouse having the power of attorney, especially the medical power of attorney, the law is on the side of the spouse. They are given this power for a reason. The VA must honor it. They also need to take the role of the spouse as seriously as they truly are connected to the veteran and the recovery of the veteran.

When it comes to mental health care the patient needs someone watching over them and making sure the veteran is being served as well as providing support. If they continue to shut the family out of the treatment, they will continue to see more and more veteran falling through the cracks, families falling apart and veterans with risky behaviors as well as thinking more and more about suicide.

One of the hardest things to do is to decide to stand by the side of the veteran with PTSD trying to take control over their lives. It is a lot easier to end the marriage than it is to stay. When the decision is made to stay with the veteran, the spouse needs all the support and involvement they can get. They are part of the treatment the veteran receives in order to heal. It is about time they were included as vital to this goal as the talk therapy provided by the psychologist and the medications provided by the psychiatrist. When PTSD strikes, the spouse switches from bystander to advocate. This needs to be honored because of the sacrifices they are willing to make for the sake of someone they love.

Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Orlando hires VA Bill Vagianos for homeless prevention

City taps VA official to fight homelessness
March 6, 2008
ORLANDO - Orlando has hired a new administrator whose job is to reduce the number of homeless people in the city.

The City Council this week approved a two-year, $77,000-a-year employment contract with Bill Vagianos, who spent seven years coordinating homeless programs at the Veterans Affairs medical center in Orlando.

Vagianos, 58, will be the city's homeless-prevention coordinator, responsible for coordinating services from government agencies, nonprofit groups and community organizations, as well as developing programs and seeking grant funds.
click post title for the rest

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Stunning Statement From VA Sec. Peake At Walla Walla

Secretary of VA Visits Walla Walla
By Chelsea Kopta


Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James Peake speaks before a crowd at the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center. It was Peake's first formal visit to any VA hospital in the region.


Published: Feb 19, 2008 at 7:40 PM PST



WALLA WALLA -- The man responsible for the nation's veterans is now promising to help our local vets.



The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Dr. James Peake toured the Walla Walla medical center Tuesday.

It was Peake's first official visit to any VA hospitals since he was sworn in exactly two months ago to the day.

At his confirmation hearing in Washington D.C., Senator Patty Murray invited Peake to visit the local VA center in Walla Walla.


"We need to make sure that we keep learning about it because I'm not sure that that fresh PTSD is exactly the same as dealing with people from my generation," he said.


"The veterans coming back from Iraq and the Middle East situation are over-burdened with the number of tours that they've encountered," local veteran Toby Armijo said. "Yes, they are definitely going to need benefits."

go here for the rest
http://www.keprtv.com/news/15786492.html


Nothing against Peake because given what we got from Nicholson, he's a breath of fresh air. The problem is, he's the head of the VA and doesn't seem to know enough about PTSD. He's a Vietnam veteran. You'd think he would know all about PTSD but with the statement he made, it caused an alarm bell in my brain to go off.

Redeployments increase the risk of developing PTSD by 50% according to an Army report. This is the only difference between Vietnam and Iraq/Afghanistan. PTSD strikes 1 out of 3 exposed to the same event. With combat there are events almost everyday. The difference is not in PTSD itself but in the number of people re-exposed to traumatic events.

While Vietnam was more jungle warfare for the most part, Iraq is more urban with condescend populations. There are more people involved in these attacks between citizens and soldiers. They are witnessing a lot more horrific events on a larger scale. I truly believe this is why we are seeing so many already with deep wound PTSD. It also involves more awareness of what PTSD is.

Who can say how many Vietnam veterans could have been saved the ravages of PTSD claiming their lives from suicide had the PC been in use back then? Who can say how many would have sought treatment if the ability to develop educational videos for them existed? The media has been helping out a great deal in brining this dark secret into the awareness of the public, not just in America, but across the world. Today we are seeing hopeful signs the stigma of PTSD is eroding, the investment in research increasing and people filling the need to have support groups but there is so much more work to be done.

25 years ago, I wouldn't have thought that I would be doing this work or to the point where I can't keep up with all the news even though it's a 12 hour a day/7 days a week vocation. In all the hope I want to offer that it is possible for marriages to be saved, the numbers of homeless veterans can be decreased and veterans can heal to the point where they begin to live productive lives once more, I am compelled to caution all that unless we get caught up really fast on the demand for help, we will go from overwhelmed to beyond control. We are fast approaching that point.

The Congress can provide funds to build all the hospitals and clinics they want but that does not take care of the need today. We need veteran's centers in every city of this nation. We especially need them in rural areas of the nation where help is just too far away. We need more suicide hotlines that are not telling suicidal veterans to call back because it's the weekend. We need more support groups for them and their families. We need advocates to be put to use with the expertise to provide their knowledge to the general public on a grand scale. The DOD and the VA, as well as service organizations avoid using citizen experts instead of relying on their research.

I know people in the DAV and other service organizations who ignore me and my work, as well as the thousands of others just like me around the country, instead of using us today. Is it because they view us as competition? Is it because they doubt our work? They would be wrong on both counts. Our work has been based on decades of research from experts, as well as the fact most of us live with it on a daily basis. As for the competition thought, they do not understand our role is not to take their place but to enable more to use their services.

Our job is to provide the education and awareness of what PTSD is and then rely on the DAV and other service organizations to provide the assistance with their claims. If nothing else, our work could increase the demand for their services and increase their memberships because they would be providing a service in great need. The veterans want to know all their needs are taken with the same kind of interest as their membership is. Most members of these organizations in leadership positions are not aware of what PTSD is and they cannot provide the knowledge we have already in hand. They can no longer ignore us if they are going to be able to live up to claim they are there for the veterans.

Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Gloucester has not disserved its veterans

Gloucester: Mayor says city didn't fail its veterans

By Richard Gaines
Staff writer


"Gloucester has not disserved its veterans," Mayor Carolyn Kirk said yesterday in releasing her analysis of the state report that charged the city wasn't doing enough to provide services and financial aid to veterans.

Gloucester's failure was to its budget, not its veterans, she said. "The failure here is a failure to submit reimbursements to the state in a timely manner, which has caused Gloucester to lose funding," she wrote.

Kirk released the state report to the City Council yesterday, along with her analysis of the audit, based on research conducted by James Duggan, her administrative assistant.

The state also noted that the city lost $18,000 in reimbursements last year because of late submission of paperwork to justify the claims.

click post title for the rest

Is it a poor choice of words? Shouldn't it have been "Gloucester has not deserved it's veterans" instead? When you think about it, they did not take the veterans needs seriously enough to have the right kind of help or enough help to get the job done right for the sake of the veterans. By the way it's pronounced "Gloster" not "Glochester" or "Glockester" but if you're from New England it's "Glosta" because we never like to pronounce the "r" in anything.

This was reported about one city in this country. How many more are doing the same shoddy job? It would be fantastic if they were all geared up to address the needs of our veterans. People tend to think it's just the federal government failing our veterans but all across the country, it's the same story being repeated. Either they have help not trained well enough or they don't have enough help. This is not just about money, but the lives of the men and women who served this country being in need of assistance instead of being at our assistance. Every single city and town in this country had better step up and move mountains for the sake of those who serve this nation because they are suffering.

The state agency concluded "outreach is lacking."


This is another problem. What will it take to get this right and do the right thing?
Arley Pett, whose office was described in the state report as a cluttered mess with a desk "awash" in unorganized paperwork. But she said she still has confidence in Pett.

Unorganized people can get the job done if they know what they are doing. Was Pett trained and qualified for the job? I don't know but they need to make sure anyone working in such an important job has all the knowledge and skils up to the challenge. After all, the veterans were trained and up to the every challenge we gave them. They deserve the same in return.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Senator Tester hears of retribution against veterans from the VA


Tester: More must be done for veterans
By PERRY BACKUS of the Missoulian



HAMILTON - U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., told veterans Friday that while some good work has been accomplished, much improvement is still needed in the way this country treats those who've served.

“It's going to take resolve and hope,” he said. “I still have hope that we can fix the problems.”

A standing-room-only crowd of veterans had plenty of frustrations to air at the listening session with Tester, who is a member of the Senate's Veterans' Affair Committee.


With a backlog of 450,000-plus claims facing the VA, they said, it can take years for a veteran's case to be processed. They said the VA's rating system for post-traumatic stress disorder isn't being applied uniformly and Montana's veterans are falling through the cracks. And, the veterans said, they fear losing benefits if they stand up and complain.

“If anyone disagrees with the VA, they take a chance of having their benefits cut,” said a veteran named Ron, who refused to give his last name in fear of retaliation. “Anytime we step out of line, we get nailed. That's the attitude the VA has toward veterans.

“What are you going to do to change that attitude toward us?” he asked Tester.

Tester replied that veterans deserve to get the benefits they were promised when they agreed to serve their country.

He asked Ron for names.

“I will do my level best to get those bastards out of the system,” Tester said.

Following the meeting, Tester said he's heard both good and bad about Montana's VA offices. He'll follow up on reports of retribution and listen to both sides before making up his mind.

“There's no room for retribution in government, period,” he said. “After hearing both sides, we'll try to make the best decision possible for our veterans.”

go here for the rest
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/01/19/news/local/news04.txt


“It was the largest increase in the history of the VA,” Skinner said. “It's still about $12 billion short of what we need.”

Ron Skinner, a Vietnam veteran, was instrumental in making it happen. He believes there are other veterans across the state who would do the same thing if given a chance.


$12 billion short of what they need? Then why didn't they fund it fully? What is wrong with these people?

What is worse is that you have PTSD veterans being threatened with retribution. How is this possible?

At least Senator Tester and Ron Skinner are watching out for the veterans. If you have been threatened with retribution from anyone with the VA let him know.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Suicide in military getting attention from Congress today

Paul Rieckhoff: Testifying Before Congress on the Issue of ...
By Paul Rieckhoff(webmaster@huffingtonpost.com) We are very excited to hear about the nomination of General Peake to be the new secretary of the Veterans Administration. General Peake is a combat veteran who holds dear the Army's "Warrior Ethos."

Testimony of Todd Bowers
Director of Government Affairs
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs

December 12, 2007

Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, thank you for hearing me speak today. On behalf of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and our thousands of members nationwide, I would like to thank you all for your unwavering commitment to our nation's veterans. The Committee originally invited our Executive Director, Paul Rieckhoff, to testify today. Unfortunately, Mr. Rieckhoff had a prior engagement that he could not reschedule and so he asked me to be here today on his behalf. I will do my best to fill his boots this morning.

I would like to begin by thanking the Committee for the outstanding leadership you provided to ensure that legislation combating suicide among veterans made its way into law. Specifically, I would like to thank you for your efforts to pass the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act. IAVA wholeheartedly endorsed this ground-breaking legislation and we are excited about the positive impact it will have on all veterans.

We are very excited to hear about the nomination of General Peake to be the new secretary of the Veterans Administration. General Peake is a combat veteran who holds dear the Army's "Warrior Ethos." The Warrior Ethos states that "I will always place the mission first, I will never accept defeat, I will never quit, I will never leave a fallen comrade." We believe we can apply the lessons of combat, and the Warrior ethos, to improving suicide prevention at the VA.

On my second combat tour in Fallujah, Iraq, I was on a patrol with my team of six Marines. As we moved through the city we made our way to Jolan Park, located in the Northwestern portion of the city, to link up with our battalion's Executive Officer. Once we arrived at the park we found ourselves alone. There were no other Marines in sight. As we surveyed the area, I noticed a group of Marines four blocks away waving their arms and jumping up and down. By the time I was able to figure out that they were telling us we were in danger, it was too late. I turned to inform my Captain and, just as I opened my mouth, the building next to us exploded. The blast was so strong that it threw me backwards. Once the dust settled and the ringing in our ears subsided, the Marines who were waving at us from down the street made their way over to our vehicle. "What the hell is wrong with you guys!?" a Major screamed at us. Apparently they were utilizing a controlled blast to destroy a massive weapons cache used by the insurgents and had called in the grid coordinates over the radio to warn all Marines to stay clear of the area. We did not get the communication. Our radio had lost its encryption.

The failure to communicate that day in Fallujah nearly killed me and six of my fellow Marines. On the battlefield, communication is key.

I believe communication is also the key to success in suicide prevention.

The Army's Field Manual 6-22.5, "A Leader's Guide to Combat and Operational Stress," states that ensuring "communication lines are open" is one of the most "potent countermeasures to confront combat stress and to reduce psychological breakdown...."

Recently, the VA had made great strides to improve communications lines by creating a nation-wide Suicide Prevention hotline. This hotline is available to veterans and their families 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This new program has had amazing results. The VA has highlighted many stories of veterans who have used the hotline to get the help they need. But after talking to many IAVA's members, including many in the National Guard and Reserves, we have found that they do not know that this service is available. Better outreach is the only way to ensure that these new programs are available to all who need them.

But outreach is a difficult task if you do not know where your targets are. And right now, the VA has no idea who is at risk. They don't even know where veteran are. A national registry of veterans would solve this gap in communication.

The Gulf War Registry was established to inform veterans of changes in policy regarding issues specific to the war in the Gulf such as exposure to burning oil wells and Gulf War syndrome. Although this registry is newly available to Iraq veterans, its potential is still limited. Right now, the registry is not open to Afghanistan veterans, and is only made available to those who are in the VA system. Only about one-third of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans eligible for VA care have sought care, so the vast majority of veterans are not eligible for inclusion.

We at IAVA believe that all veterans should be included in a registry upon discharge from the military. Currently the tracking system for veterans is almost non-existent. Registering veterans, along with their deployments to specific conflicts, would help the VA reach out to veterans and family members who will benefit from their outstanding initiatives and programs, including the suicide hotline.

Much of the work of suicide prevention, however, must occur much earlier in the process. IAVA has strongly endorsed the mandatory pre- and post- deployment mental health screening of our service members by mental health professionals. This will produce a more accurate assessment of the impact that combat has on a service member's mental health. Making screening mandatory will reduce the stigma related to seeking mental health treatment. I would compare this to the mandatory drug testing that the Department of Defense conducts for all service members. If all are required to take part, then it becomes a part of daily routine and no longer singles individuals out.
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I had a talk with the Pastor at the church I work for today. I had a confession to make. I've been feeling really left out of all of this. Considering it's what I've worked for the last 25 years for, I should be happy everything I prayed for and worked so hard for is finally happening. The media has reported more in the last few years than they did in the 30 years prior to this. Organizations across the country are popping up and stepping up to help our wounded veterans to heal. People are making speeches and giving testimony of the ravages of war. My confession is that I'm not part of any of this. At least that's what I thought.

I'm so far under the radar I'm amazed anyone finds my blogs or my videos. 25 years of my life has been devoted to this and for the last decade, most of it has been online. The last few years has been a gradual increase from 6 to 8 to 10 to 12 hour days, seven days a week. It hadn't even dawned on me it became 12 hours until my husband had a fit one day and pointed it out. I've tried to back off a little bit in the last couple of weeks but mostly because working for a church, this is one of the busiest times we have.

So as I read about the people going to Washington to testify, I was feeling really jealous wondering why, after all these years, I have no part in any of this. The Pastor reminded me of something I told her about a problem I have. I'm terrified of pubic speaking so much so that when I was in high school I wrote a first prize speech for a national competition. A week before the contest, I had to hand the speech over to a friend to deliver because I knew if I delivered it, it would loose. My trembling hands and stuttering from fear wouldn't have done the speech justice. She delivered it perfectly and it took first place. I've tried to overcome this but I haven't been able to yet. Every once in a while the church makes me get up and deliver a sermon or I have to public speaking as part of my job, but I still try to get out of it. I keep telling people I write so that I don't have to talk.

That's really the point to all of this. It is not my role to be the one in the spotlight. I can't keep up with the work I do now and this is the place I need to be in for whatever it is I'm intended to do. There are thousands of others across the country and the rest of the world out of the spotlight but with the courage to take on this kind of work. It is not self-serving that we think we will be rewarded or patted on the back but that we will inspire changed. That is the goal we all have. For all the others like me out there, take heart in that. What's our job been? It's been to end the silence of PTSD, remove the stigma and provide support and compassion for the people living with it the way we are. We've never been close to achieving it than we are today.
I'm sure you think the same way I do about never seeing it this bad, but we have to take a look at how far we've come. None of this would be possible without us being willing to stand up and fight these battles. Just as the Vietnam veterans made it possible for what advances have been made in treating combat PTSD, it wouldn't have happened without them being willing to fight for it.


No play can go on without stage hands to set things up. No speech can be heard without someone writing it. Nothing changes without people willing to fight for it. We all need to think of it this way and then support those who are in the spotlight because they will deliver what we have all fought for so very long.

Jesus had 12 disciples who became famous but there were also 70 more he sent out that no one remembers. Think of what would have happened to Christianity had they not been there to spread the messages of Christ. Think of what would have happened if the people who heard his words went back to their homes and instead of sharing it, kept it to themselves. Rejoice and be glad that the silence is being shattered. Take comfort that the words of those being heard in Washington will one day end the stigma we've all been living with. We've never been this close to achieving what we've worked so long and so hard for, but there is more, much more, for all of us to do. We have thousands more coming and our job will not end until they are all taken care of and no one else takes their own life because of this wound. Families are still falling apart and the suffering goes on. Keep up the good fight for them and when someone gets the media to pay attention, pray they find the right words to make the changes needed and that the ears of the people with the power are softened to hear them.



Kathie Costos

Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Namguardianangel.blogspot.com
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington

Saturday, November 17, 2007

9,125 days of a war that came to me

Lately there have been more Vietnam veterans emailing. It's one of the reasons I did the new video Nam Nights Of PTSD Still. I think it's also why I'm feeling nostalgic. On December 6th, 1982 the Vietnam war came to me and changed my life forever. I was 23! Wow was I young back then. Now when I look in the mirror wondering where all these gray hairs came from I realize how much life we've been through together since the night I first looked into my husband's eyes.

9,125 days and nights of living with Vietnam. While not all of those days have been spent consumed by researching and reaching out, most of them were.

I met a woman at the VA clinic in Orlando. We were talking about what I do and she asked me if I was a psychologist. While I said politely "no" in my own head I was thinking "Hell no, I have experience!" While I give all the credit in the world to psychologist and psychiatrists, it is very hard for them to fully understand what this all is unless they live with everyday. It's one thing to hear stories of the lives of people and yet another to live the life. But they decided to do it for living. For the spouses of veterans with PTSD, it came to find them.

Jack had a hard time understanding why I do this in the beginning. Often now he still has a problem with it. I just have to keep reminding him that while we have everything he needs to stay stable and alive, well cared for as a matter of fact, there were years of fighting the government to make sure he got it. I learned too much about what veterans and their families have to go through to ever decide to become one the "I got mine screw you club" and go off on my merry way.

There are thousands of people all across this country just like me and they have been there for 30 years. They do it because this is all personal to them. The veterans are part of their own families. I do it for my husband, for love, knowing that every veteran who comes to me needing help, could have been him if we never met. I also know that had I not met him, I wouldn't have a clue what's going on.

9,125 days ago God put us together. Jack's one of the most gentlest men I even met in my life. There isn't anything he wouldn't do for someone else, but there is very little he would do for himself.

Wives and husbands of veterans take on a world they didn't ask for. Some can't find what they need within them to stay in the world of a veteran who has been wounded in their soul. I find no fault in them. We all do what we can do, what we are equipped to do. I was born with an extremely curious nature. I wanted to learn and understand all of this. Most of us do because we fell in love. Love does not end because someone becomes ill. The love maybe tested and tried but when knowledge provides the coping tools to get trough it all, it grows stronger.

I've been reading about the new generation of veterans coming back along with what is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have to keep up with it all because this generation comes to this older woman. I cannot forget about the wives and husbands living with all of this right by their side or the parents, for a lot of them, veterans as well. I wonder what is the key to get all of them to fully understand what PTSD is? There are still Vietnam veterans not knowing what it is.

I think the best thing that can be done is for every family with the knowledge and experience in hand to reach out to all others they can find. Listen to people talking in the grocery store or at church. Listen to people talking at work. If you hear anything that rings a bell, quietly ask them and let them know you're there. Offer the tools that helped you. Direct them to sites on line, support groups, veterans groups or any of the hundreds of videos on line. We all know the psychologist and psychiatrists have their hands full. They can use all the help they can get and so can the veterans and their families. Remember how lost you felt in all of this and then think of what would have helped you. You can make a huge difference in the lives of someone else. If you don't want to do it for a stranger than do it for the one you love. After all, they had you!

Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Namguardianangel.blogspot.com
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington

Monday, November 12, 2007

War Law: You Break Them You Owe Them

Wherever you send them and whenever you send them, you better make damn sure you are ready to take care of them when they come home. All this nonsense about them fighting to have their wounds taken care of and their ability to support their families is not worthy of debate unless you want to debate their worthiness! Next time Congress authorizes any funds for war or for the VA they should include a new War Law stating that if they are wounded, have their futures challenged in any way, shape or form, this nation owes them! If they are to risk their lives for the sake of the nation, this nation owes them. kc


“I didn't really deal with it all,” he said. “I just thought it was part of the aftermath. I just thought it was normal.”



Getting the word out about county's veterans services

By JASON HARRIS
Burlington County Times

Like a lot of Vietnam veterans, Frank Schuyler, 59, used to cringe every time a helicopter flew overhead.

He was drafted into the Army in 1968 and saw combat as an infantryman near Saigon with the 82nd Airborne Division. He left the service in 1970, but never really left the jungle behind.

Schuyler, now the Water Department supervisor for Burlington Township, had night terrors for years. He had to quit his job as a water-plant operator at Fort Dix because he couldn't stand being on a military base. He broke down once after watching soldiers get ambushed during a training exercise.

Seven months ago, at the urging of his father-in-law, a World War II veteran, and his brother-in-law, who also served in Vietnam, he went to the Burlington County Military and Veterans Services office in Westampton.

He knows now that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. At the time, he thought the emotional fallout from his time as a soldier was just a part of going to war.

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http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/25-11122007-1439502.html

Friday, October 26, 2007

Pro-bono lawyers battle for wounded veterans with PTSD

Advocates for Vets


New York Lawyer
October 26, 2007

By Thomas Adcock
New York Law Journal

The City Bar Justice Center, the pro bono affiliate of the New York City Bar Association, launched the Veterans Legal Clinic this week in concert with attorneys from 10 Manhattan firms.

The new program will provide free counsel to low-income men and women returned home to the metropolitan area from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - some of whom are homeless, and many suffering from severe physical and mental health problems.

One of a handful of such clinics around the country, the New York initiative was established in response to the anticipated needs of returnees from the "most sustained combat operations since the Vietnam era," as conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan were characterized in a joint statement by two New York state Assembly committees that held fact-finding public hearings in May.

The committees on mental health and veterans affairs said further in their statement that today's military personnel have especially high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder due to "lengthy and multiple tours of duty, decreased mortality rates and traumatic brain injuries."

Left untreated, post-traumatic stress disorder could lead to "devastating ramifications, including unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness or involvement with the criminal justice system," according to the statement.

On Wednesday afternoon, nearly 100 private firm volunteer lawyers gathered at city bar headquarters on West 44th Street for a three-hour training session in the fundamentals of Veterans Benefits Administration law and practical tips on filing for disability benefits.
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http://www.nylawyer.com/display.php/file=/probono/news/07/102607a