Obama Demands VA Investigation Into PTSD Diagnoses
By Daniel W. Reilly
May 16, 2008
(The Politico) Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is demanding an investigation into reports that a supervisor at a Texas Veterans' Affairs facility told staff members to refrain from diagnosing returning war veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder in order to reduce costs.
On Friday, Obama sent a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake expressing his "serious concerns" over the reports and demanding an investigation.
The Washington Post broke the story on Friday, which included emails from Dr. Norma Perez suggesting to her staff members that they "refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out," because of the increasing costs of treating the disorder.
"Simply put, Ms. Perez's email is outrageous," Obama wrote in the letter. "As you well know, PTSD is the most prevalent mental disorder afflicting our returning...veterans."
"In order to receive their deserved benefits, these brave men and women must endure a long and arduous process. To hear that a VA official is promoting misdiagnoses of soldiers to save money is unacceptable and is tantamount to fraud. "
Peake issued a statement on the matter, saying that Perez's email was "inappropriate" and did not reflect VA policy.
"Too many veterans see the VA as a bureaucracy with the singular goal of denying services and benefits to veterans," said Obama. "This recent incident merely serves to promote that impression."
The Democratic presidential hopeful gave Peake a deadline of May 23 to inform him if the department will open an investigation.
Obama, who is a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, also wrote a letter to committee chairman Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) asking him to look into the matter.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/16/politics/
politico/thecrypt/main4103492.shtml
If the Washington Post broke the story on Friday, then how did I post it Thursday and Army Times was where I got it from?
Thursday, May 15, 2008
PTSD in troops dismissed to save money! Was it worth it?
I am posting this is very large type so that no one misses a single word of this.
Four who committed suicide so that the government could save money! Many more each week did the same thing. Over 12,000 a year tried to.
VA Secretary James Peake acknowledged in a statement that the e-mail did come from a VA facility, but said it’s not official policy.
“A single staff member, out of VA’s 230,000 employees, in a single medical facility sent a single e-mail with suggestions that are inappropriate and have been repudiated at the highest level of our health-care organization,” he said. “The employee has been counseled and is extremely apologetic.”
VoteVets.org and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a Freedom of Information Act request May 14 asking VA for all documents relating to PTSD, said Naomi Seligman Steiner, spokeswoman for the latter group.
“We’re not head-hunting,” Friedman said. “There are a lot of great people who work at VA who have helped me and my friends. We had to file the FOIA to get to the bottom of this. Is it from the head of the VA? The presidential administration? Or individual hospitals? I would like to know where this directive is coming from.”
Peake said his staff “works hard” to make sure mental health issues are accurately diagnosed.
“VA’s leadership will strongly remind all medical staff that trust, accuracy and transparency is paramount to maintaining our relationships with our veteran patients,” he said. “We are committed to absolute accuracy in a diagnosis and unwavering in providing any and all earned benefits. PTSD and the mental health arena is no exception.” http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/military_va_adjustmentdisorder_051508w/
