When politicians pretend to care, people pay the price

When politicians pretend to care, people pay the price
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
January 15, 2014

The controversy surrounding New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has left many in the media focusing on the scandal while avoiding the most important aspect of all. Christie showed compassion after Hurricane Sandy. He also showed that politics meant nothing to him when as a Republican, he showed appreciation for President Obama and put the people first.

That meant a lot to people across the country because frankly, most Americans are fed up with everything being political. Most of us are not focused on politics. Our political differences are in the proper perspective. In other words, they are not at the top of our to do list. Taking care of the country and the people of this nation matter a hell of a lot more than taking political sides.

The Christie scandals go much deeper because all of the accusations along with the outcomes robbed us of the thought someone in office said what most of us believe. We are stronger when we work together.

When we hear a politician say that unemployment insurance coverage doesn't need to be extended for the long term unemployed, that says they don't care if we can pay our bills and take care of our families or not. We also remember during the election we heard the same folks in congress scream about the lack of jobs even though it was there job to come up with bills to put us back to work.

We also heard that they do not even think about the veterans discharged from the military without jobs to support their families afterwards or the fact that many of them are unemployed.

Figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the jobless rate for Iraq and Afghanistan vets was 10 percent in October, down slightly from the 10.1 percent rate in September, but the same as the 10 percent recorded on Veterans Day 2012.

The VA says now the rate of unemployed veterans is 7.3%.

Did members of congress think of them? No. Even though the military is downsizing the ranks leaving thousands of out on their own and will increase over the next few years.

Did members of congress think of the troops when they cut food stamps? No they didn't. It is a safe bet to assume they didn't have a clue how bad it was for them but food banks and charities did. Imagine being in Afghanistan risking your life while your family back home has to live off food stamps and charities to eat.

A Fort Hood area charity just changed its name to reflect their mission. Operation Once in a Lifetime changed their name to Operation Phantom Support.

On average, about 600 people a week come through the pantry, impacting about 1,500 people through the food provided.

That is just from one Fort Hood area charity.

When members of congress said they wanted to kill the Affordable Care Act instead of fix it, they told us it didn't matter to them if we were able to go to the doctor without going into bankruptcy. We notice they had plenty of time to fix what was wrong instead of just trying to kill the bill. Now they complain it is bad but never once apologized to us for not fixing what we needed.

They also didn't bother with a tiny detail that while there are over 21 million veterans in this country (21,978,000) 8.76 million are enrolled and only 3.74 million veterans receive disability compensation.

Where do members of congress think these veterans get healthcare from when even they admit most veterans entitled to VA benefits won't go to the VA?

As bad as it has been for average Americans just trying to make ends meet, think of how hard it has been for military families and veterans. None of this has been good but people in Washington decided they just didn't have to care anymore. Much like Christie ended up showing the people of New Jersey that they really didn't matter as much as he pretended they did.

The media fails to see all they have been missing but the public has been shutting off their broadcasts and canceling subscriptions because they don't pay attention to what matters to us either.

Data shows VA fiscally sound despite mismanagement

Data shows VA fiscally sound despite mismanagement
By Scott MacFarlane
WSBTV.com
May 29, 2013

WASHINGTON — Despite the scandal over a series of deaths at the Atlanta VA Medical Center, a review by Channel 2 Action News shows the hospital isn't short on cash.

The federal government is being strangled by a budget crisis, except the VA and its medical centers nationwide, including the VA medical center in DeKalb County.

Data provided to Channel 2 Action News sources show the Atlanta region's VA offices got a $100 million funding increase for 2013.

There were similar boosts nationwide, perhaps a necessity with so many new veterans needing treatment, after a decade fighting two wars.

How are they using the money? At least some is being earmarked to reduce the crushing backlog of veterans' claims.

The VA told Channel 2's Scott MacFarlane it's setting aside money for overtime pay and extra claims officers to reduce the waits.

A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs told Channel 2, “Under the leadership of Secretary Eric K. Shinseki, the Department of Veterans Affairs has increased Veterans’ access to earned care and benefits, reduced the number of homeless Veterans by 17 percent, and implemented an aggressive plan that eliminates the decades old compensation claims backlog in 2015.”
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Lowell baby allegedly shaken by father dies

There has been an increase in "other than honorable discharges" from the military. So much for "resilience" training. It also happened the same year suicides tied to military service broke records. The same year veterans seeking help after military sexual abuse went up to 85,000 going to the VA. Attempted suicides went up as well as veterans going to the VA for help to stay alive after combat. So how is it that something like this keeps happening?

Lowell baby allegedly shaken by father dies
Boston Globe
By Haven Orecchio-Egresitz
GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
MAY 18, 2013

A baby who was allegedly assaulted by his father in ­Lowell last week has died of his injuries, the ­Middlesex district attorney said Friday.

The 2-month-old child, ­William Berry, was pronounced dead Friday at Tufts Floating Hospital for Children after suffering injuries consistent with nonaccidental trauma, said Stephanie Chelf Guyotte, a spokeswoman for Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. ­Ryan.

The boy’s father, Christopher Berry, 22, of Lowell, pleaded not guilty Monday in Lowell District Court to charges of ­assault and battery on a child causing substantial bodily injury, Guyotte said.

Prosecutors said at the time that they would pursue more serious charges against Berry if the child died.
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85,000 veterans were treated last year by VA tied to military sexual abuse

AP IMPACT: Thousands of military sex abuse victims seek VA health care, disability benefits
By Associated Press
May 20, 3:41 AM

WASHINGTON — More than 85,000 veterans were treated last year for injuries or illness stemming from sexual abuse in the military, and 4,000 sought disability benefits, underscoring the staggering long-term impact of a crisis that has roiled the Pentagon and been condemned by President Barack Obama as “’’shameful and disgraceful.”

A Department of Veterans Affairs accounting released in response to inquiries from The Associated Press shows a heavy financial and emotional cost involving vets from Iraq, Afghanistan and even back to Vietnam, and lasting long after a victim leaves the service.

Sexual assault or repeated sexual harassment can trigger a variety of health problems, primarily post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. While women are more likely to be victims, men made up nearly 40 percent of the patients the VA treated last year for conditions connected to what it calls “military sexual trauma.”

It took years for Ruth Moore of Milbridge, Maine, to begin getting treatment from a VA counseling center in 2003 — 16 years after she was raped twice while she was stationed in Europe with the Navy. She continues to get counseling at least monthly for PTSD linked to the attacks and is also considered fully disabled.

“We can’t cure me, but we can work on stability in my life and work on issues as they arrive,” Moore said.
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VA to offer free training for clergy in rural areas

St. Cloud VA to offer free training for clergy in rural areas
Written by
SC Times staff report
May 19, 2013

LITTLE FALLS — The Department of Veterans Affairs National Chaplain Center, along with the St. Cloud VA Health Care System, is offering a workshop for clergy in rural areas.

The one-day workshop hopes to educate those who participate about how they can partner with veteran’s affairs organizations to support rural veterans.
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The need is great.

Agency Delays $765 Million in Spending for U.S. Veterans’ Care?

Agency Delays $765 Million in Spending for U.S. Veterans’ Care
Bloomberg Business Week
By Kathleen Miller
May 13, 2013

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs postponed purchases of cardiac monitors, radiological equipment and pain-medication pumps for patients last year. It didn’t replace old surgical tools, oxygen-delivery systems or deteriorating operating-room stretchers.

In all, the agency delayed more than $765 million it was authorized to spend, affecting veterans’ medical care in some cases, according to VA documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act.

The department, criticized by veterans for claims backlogs and bottlenecks in mental-health care, transferred the money into a holding account. It was the biggest amount deferred in at least 10 years and more than eight times the amount shifted to the fund two years earlier, the records show.
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Veterans' Affairs staff sign performance agreements

VA Employees signed performance agreements and it is a great idea. The only thing is, it happened in Namibia not here!

Veterans' Affairs staff sign performance agreements
Global Post
April 12, 2013

Over 130 employees of the Ministry of Veteran Affairs on Thursday signed the performance agreements in order to improve their service delivery.

The Public Service of Namibia has introduced the Performance Management System (PMS) which requires all staff members to sign performance Agreements for the planned activities which are derived from the strategic plan each financial year.

Deputy Minister of Veteran Affairs Hilma Nicanor said the signing of agreements signifies acceptance of ownership thereof and that everyone is committed to the terms of the agreement.

“You must show the nation and in particular the Veterans that you can deliver to their expectation, that you can lead by example in the provision of quality service to our people as you are signing these performance agreements today. The aim is to strengthen our civil service and enforcing accountability, thereby ensuring more efficient and effective service delivery. Thus our slogan from today onwards should be 'Zero tolerance on a None Performance culture',” said the Deputy Minister.

Veterans Health Data being covered up by the VA?

Oh no! Why would they do this? No big shocker but glad someone finally came out and said it.

Researcher says officials covered up vets' health data
Kelly Kennedy
USA TODAY
March 13, 2013

WASHINGTON — Department of Veterans Affairs officials purposely manipulate or hide data that would support the claims of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan to prevent paying costly benefits, a former VA researcher told a House subcommittee Wednesday afternoon.

"If the studies produce results that do not support the office of public health's unwritten policy, they do not release them," said Steven Coughlin, a former epidemiologist in the VA's public health department.

"This applies to data regarding adverse health consequences of environmental exposures, such as burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, and toxic exposures in the Gulf War," Coughlin said. "On the rare occasions when embarrassing study results are released, data are manipulated to make them unintelligible."
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Senator Bernie Sanders talks about veterans

Every week Senator Bernie Sanders is on with Thom Hartmann. Senator Sanders is the new Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. No matter what side you are on, we all need to pay attention because it is the job of Congress to do for or to the veterans. This is from the program that just ended.

Watch live streaming video from thomhartmann at livestream.com

Guns and mental health still as wrong as in 2007

Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act was signed into law by President Bush because the Congress had to act as if they understood the issues veterans were dealing with. I was just as wrong. In 2007 I was thinking Coburn was wrong "Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention bill blocked by Coburn" simply because the number one means of committing suicides was at the wrong end of a gun.
My husband's nephew used heroin.

I did a check to see what percentage of suicides are committed by guns and other means. There were 3,850,000 results to "top ten ways people commit suicide" search.

Google also provided this

Searches related to top ten ways people commit suicide
suicide garage
easy ways to kill self
suicide methods
quick ways to kill yourself
painless suicide methods
how to hang yourself painlessly
how to kill yourself quickly
what is the most effective way to kill yourself

This was the top answer from Harvard when I used "mental health" in the search.

Suicide, Guns, and Public Health
Most efforts to prevent suicide focus on why people take their lives. But as we understand more about who attempts suicide and when and where and why, it becomes increasingly clear that how a person attempts–the means they use–plays a key role in whether they live or die.

“Means reduction” (reducing a suicidal person’s access to highly lethal means) is an important part of a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention. It is based on the following understandings

Many suicide attempts occur with little planning during a short-term crisis.
Intent isn’t all that determines whether an attempter lives or dies; means also matter.
90% of attempters who survive do NOT go on to die by suicide later.
Access to firearms is a risk factor for suicide.
Firearms used in youth suicide usually belong to a parent.
Reducing access to lethal means saves lives.

After talking to a lot of veterans after 2007, it was pointed out to me that my thoughts were way too limited. The bill ended up putting fear into veterans that if they sought help from the VA, they would have to surrender their guns. It kept them from going to the VA. The bill to supposedly save lives was in fact preventing them from going for help.

We now have a better idea of how many veterans are committing suicide. At least 22 a day are ending their own lives. Most do use guns. Medal of Honor hero Dakota Meyer tried to commit suicide with his handgun but it didn't fire. It is not as if they suddenly decide they don't want to be here anymore. The hope of better days takes time to be eroded.

Still when you look at the numbers, the whole view of them, you'll understand that the good intentions of this bill ended badly.

Military Suicides went up.
Veterans Suicides went up.

This is from the GAO

Number of Veterans Receiving Care, Barriers Faced, and Efforts to Increase Access from 2011.
In fiscal year 2010, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provided health care to about 5.2 million veterans. Recent legislation has increased many Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans' priority for accessing VA's health care, and concerns have been raised about the extent to which VA is providing mental health care to eligible veterans of all eras. There also are concerns that barriers may hinder some veterans from accessing needed mental health care. GAO was asked to provide information on veterans who receive mental health care from VA.

In this report, GAO provides information on

(1) how many veterans received mental health care from VA from fiscal years 2006 through 2010,
(2) key barriers that may hinder veterans from accessing mental health care from VA, and
(3) VA efforts to increase veterans' access to VA mental health care. GAO obtained data from VA's Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC) on the number of veterans who received mental health care from VA.

The number of veterans represents a unique count of veterans; veterans were counted only once, even if they received care multiple times during a fiscal year or across the 5-year period. GAO also reviewed literature published from 2006 to 2011, reviewed VA documents, and interviewed officials from VA and veterans service organizations (VSO).

Over the 5-year period from fiscal years 2006 through 2010, about 2.1 million unique veterans received mental health care from VA. Each year the number of veterans receiving mental health care increased, from about 900,000 in fiscal year 2006 to about 1.2 million in fiscal year 2010. OEF/OIF veterans accounted for an increasing proportion of veterans receiving care during this period. The key barriers identified from the literature that may hinder veterans from accessing mental health care from VA, which were corroborated through interviews, are stigma, lack of understanding or awareness of mental health care, logistical challenges to accessing mental health care, and concerns about VA's care, such as concerns that VA's services are primarily for older veterans. Many of these barriers are not necessarily unique to veterans accessing mental health care from VA, but may affect anyone accessing mental health care from any provider. Veterans may be affected by barriers differently based on demographic factors, such as age and gender. For example, younger OEF/OIF veterans and female veterans may perceive that VA's services are primarily for someone else, such as older veterans or male veterans. VA has implemented several efforts to increase veterans' access to mental health care, including integrating mental health care into primary care. VA also has implemented efforts to educate veterans, their families, health care providers, and other community stakeholders about mental health conditions and VA's mental health care. According to VA officials, these efforts help get veterans into care by reducing, and in some cases eliminating, the barriers that may hinder them from accessing care. GAO provided a draft of this report to VA for comment. In its response, VA provided technical comments, which were incorporated as appropriate.

The GAO should have added in fear of losing gun permit.

When you look at those numbers understand what you're seeing. That many veterans went to the VA and we have at least 22 of them taking their own lives everyday. While that is sickening beyond reason to many, the vast majority of them are not a threat to themselves and even less are a threat to anyone else.

This morning I was reading irresponsible reports saying that the gun and mental health issues are new. That is what caused this post. The search for responsible answers on guns has focused on mental health but the reality is, much different than they expected it would be back in 2007 when congress wanted show they were doing something so they were willing to just do anything.

Suicide Prevention bills have not worked because Congress didn't understand it.

The means by which they commit suicide is important but not as important as why they do it.

Many young vets don't use free medical

Many young vets don't use free medical
UT San Diego
By Jeanette Steele
FEB. 18, 2013

Only 45 percent of San Diegans who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are using the free health care that combat veterans are entitled to receive from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical system.

The majority are missing a great lifetime deal. Think no annual premiums and $15 copays for basic office visits, even if the illness isn’t connected to military service.

Health coverage for new veterans became a topic of national water cooler discussion in recent days after Esquire published a watchdog group’s story about the Navy SEAL who shot terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. The SEAL claimed that he lost all medical coverage when he left the military after 16 years of service — four years short of a pension and retiree health benefits.

Other media outlets quickly revealed that the story was inaccurate on this point, and Esquire and the Bay Area-based Center for Investigative Reporting later corrected their reports.

But the celebrity of the Navy SEAL-bin Laden connection put a spotlight on the usually unglamorous issue of health care for young vets.

In Coronado, the two-star admiral who commands all Navy SEALs issued a statement this week saying that the Bin Laden shooter — who wasn’t named in Esquire — got advice about his options before he left.

“Months ahead of his separation, he was counseled on status and benefits and provided with options to continue his career until retirement eligible,” said Rear Adm. Sean Pybus, Naval Special Warfare commander.

Pybus also pointed out that SEALs are among the best and brightest, which begs the question: If this elite fighter didn’t understand his medical benefits as a veteran, who does?

At least one other former Navy SEAL who served in Iraq — San Diego marketing entrepreneur and reality TV star Brent Gleeson — said he was unaware of the VA health care option, which provides five years of free health care to post-Sept. 11 combat veterans for problems even remotely related to their military service, plus low-cost overall coverage.
read more here

VA doctor: I was punished for speaking out on PTSD care

VA doctor: I was punished for speaking out
By Elaine Quijano
CBS News
February 14, 2013

(CBS News) Veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder will be getting much-needed help. This week, the Department of Veterans Affairs said it has hired more than a thousand new specialists on orders from President Obama. It might not have happened if a VA doctor had not sounded an alarm. But now that psychologist says she's being punished.

"It did weigh on me pretty heavily," said psychologist Michelle Washington. "I felt like as a therapist I'm not doing what I was trained to do."

Washington said that in 2011, the Wilmington, Del., veterans hospital was overwhelmed by the number of troops returning from war with PTSD.

"There was a massive delay in the treatment," she said. "Often what happens is they start medicating with drugs or alcohol, and they don't come back. And they end up getting lost in the system and lost out there in the world without the help."

At the VA hospital where she works, Washington said her concerns were ignored by supervisors. So she accepted an invitation to appear before the Senate Veterans Affairs committee. But after she requested time off to testify, she received the first and only unsatisfactory performance rating of her five-year career at the VA.
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VA has added 1,000 mental health professionals to staff

If they are not trauma specialists, it will be more of the same results.

VA has added 1,000 mental health professionals to staff
By KEVIN FREKING The Associated Press

Published: February 11, 2013

WASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department said Monday it has added more than 1,000 mental health professionals and 200 support staff over the past eight months to meet the needs of returning veterans, but still has more to do to meet the requirements of an executive order issued by President Barack Obama.

The VA needs to add about 550 more doctors, nurses and counselors by June 30 to comply with the executive order.

The VA announced new hiring goals in the spring, just days before an inspector general's report found the department had greatly overstated how quickly it provided mental health care to veterans seeking help. Obama expanded on that goal in August as both presidential candidates were reaching out to veterans in the heat of an election campaign. He also directed the VA to increase the capacity of its telephone crisis line by 50 percent and to ensure that a mental health professional contact within 24 hours any veteran who identifies themselves as in crisis.
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One in five West Virginia veterans at risk for suicide

W.Va. veteran health raises flags in survey
By LAWRENCE MESSINA
Associated Press
January 8, 2013

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — One in five West Virginia veterans are at risk for suicide while half show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or both, researchers told lawmakers on Tuesday.

The figures come from a recent survey of more than 1,200 state veterans, which also found higher than normal rates for obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, West Virginia University psychology professor Joseph Scotti said. The study was commissioned by the Legislature.

The findings prompted Scotti and the survey team to recommend a comprehensive plan to provide needed mental health services to veterans. Such a plan should include a public service campaign to alert veterans to available resources, educating health care providers and working more closely with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facilities in the state, Scotti told the House-Senate Select Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

"The VA can't do it alone," Scotti said.

Close to 170,000 West Virginians are veterans, more than one in 10 adults, according to the latest estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau. Just 11 states have a larger segment of veterans among their residents. More than two-thirds of West Virginia's veterans are 55 or older, while around 7 percent have served since the Sept. 11 attacks, according to the estimate.
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Study: Veterans struggle with depression, PTSD
WAJR.com

About half of West Virginia's veterans are facing some type of depression or post traumatic stress disorder, and one in five struggles with suicidal thoughts, according to a study presented to a legislative interim committee Tuesday.

Dr. Joseph Scotti, a West Virginia University professor, on Tuesday presented the results of a survey of 1,200 veterans, to the Select Committee on Veterans Affairs.

The results show widespread mental health issues facing the state's veterans of all ages. About half of younger veterans have post traumatic stress disorder, while a quarter of older veterans have similar obstacles, Scotti said.

"If we look at the information in terms of the number of people who meet the clinical cutoff for depression and or post traumatic stress disorder, we're at 50 percent," Scotti said.

The survey looked at depression symptoms, such as sleeplessness, feelings of guilt, low self worth, lack of appetite, suicidal thoughts and more.
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Vietnam veteran discovers he isn’t eligible for veteran’s benefits

Vietnam veteran discovers he isn’t eligible for veteran’s benefits
“Either keep us home or take care of us.” —Bruce Gray, veteran
By Rachel Johnson
Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Bruce Gray received a Vietnam Service Medal from the U.S. Department of Defense. He has his DD-214. He served his country proudly.

But this year Gray learned he doesn’t qualify for veteran’s benefits.

“I thought I would go ahead and sign up for it for the time when I decide to retire,” Gray said.

Gray, like many Vietnam veterans, thought his service automatically qualified him for benefits.

“If you were in Vietnam you were supposed to be guaranteed,” he said. “We came back to the U.S. and if you wore your uniform in the airport you had tomatoes and sandwiches thrown at you. We were spit on. But whenever the government starts spitting on you…”

That is how Gray feels after being denied benefits. He received his rejection letter the Saturday before Veterans Day.

“I was told the law changed in 2009 and the income cut-off is $42,000. It was passed because there were so many veterans coming back,” he said.

Gray is upset he didn’t qualify and didn’t know, but he is more upset for other veterans.

“This isn’t about me,” he said. “Imagine a family making $48,000 with three kids where a veteran has just come home and can’t qualify because they make $6,000 too much.”
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Florida and Texas, more veterans, less mental healthcare

For too many veterans this is a huge problem. Too many of them do not want to go to the VA for mental healthcare help for PTSD, if they go at all, but when they decide they want help, the VA can't take care of all of them as soon as they want it. They turn to civilian mental health workers. With Texas and Florida having so many veterans, being this low on mental healthcare spending, it increases the stress our veterans face when it comes to taking care of them.

Florida 48th among states in funding for mental health services
By Skyler Swisher
STAFF WRITER
Published: Sunday, December 23, 2012

Backlogs in hospital psychiatric wards, a lack of crisis services, shortages of boots on the ground and long wait times for help are the results of funding cuts to mental health in Florida, local advocates say.

As the nation reels from the shooting rampage in Newtown, Conn., mental health service providers and advocates are urging lawmakers to commit more dollars to behavioral health services, stressing the need for additional counselors, mental health beds and school psychologists.

Far too often, the mentally ill have to endure long waits to get the help they need or might not have access to services at all, said Pattie Hunt, whose 52-year-old son has had schizophrenia since he was 19.

"There is a total race to the bottom as far as mental health funding, and Florida wins all the time," said Hunt, a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness' Volusia, Flagler and St. Johns chapter. "They seem to take pride in cutting funding for mental health because it's not popular, and no one wants to talk about it. Our jails have become our mental health centers."
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Healing begins at new VA clinic in Cape Coral

Healing begins at new VA clinic in Cape Coral
Dec 16, 2012
News Press.com
Written by
Frank Gluck

If Bay Pines VA Healthcare System’s goal was to impress Southwest Florida’s veterans with its new outpatient clinic opening Monday in Cape Coral, well, mission so far accomplished.

Hundreds of veterans, their family members and local officials have offered rave reviews of the new $53.1 million facility during its several open houses this fall. Given that the new health center is three times the size, and much more modernly designed, than the closing clinic in Fort Myers, it’s not hard to see why.

But now the hard work of healing begins for the 200,000-plus Gulf Coast veterans the center will potentially serve — a group that is increasingly younger, more diverse and, for those newly returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, in need of the intensive mental health and medical care.
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More than a quarter of OEF OIF veterans without health insurance

Many younger vets among the ranks of uninsured
More than quarter of all veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan don’t have health insurance and aren’t part of the Department of Veterans Affairs health system, according to an analysis of VA data.
BY CHRIS ADAMS
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
Published: Nov. 19, 2012

More than quarter of all veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan don’t have health insurance and aren’t part of the Department of Veterans Affairs health system, according to an analysis of VA data.

The uninsured rate among these recent veterans is higher than for other war periods and for veterans as a whole, raising concerns that veterans recently back from the wars might not be taking advantage of care to which they are entitled.

Veterans advocates and some lawmakers have pushed to automatically enroll veterans in the VA health care system, which could fill in the gap for some of the veterans not now covered by the VA or the private market.

“It is critically important that we continue to reach out and inform veterans of the health care and benefits they have earned through their service to country,” said VA spokesman Josh Taylor. “We have made progress, but there is more work to do.”
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Veterans may review VA benefit information on foundation website

Veterans may review VA benefit information on foundation website
Sep. 27, 2012
USA Today
By Joan Noricks
Guest Columnist

Believe it or not, Michigan ranks last among the states in its dollar receipt of Veterans Affairs benefits. Yet Michigan is home to more than 704,000 veterans, making it the 11th largest veteran population in the United States.

Clearly, there's a significant gap between the size of our veterans' population and the dollar amount of benefits individual veterans receive. Michigan is below what is called the median Geographic Distribution of VA expenditures (GDX), which is $4,703. Michigan's GDX is $3,409. If Michigan could increase its distribution of benefit dollars to that median level, the state would reap an additional $1.03 billion, which just might be a help to our economy.

The Canton Community Foundation staff and board are still in awe at the unprecedented attendance at our recent third annual Veterans' Summit Sept. 13. Following presentations on specific VA benefits, veterans had plenty of questions and comments.

As we watched veterans pour into the Laurel Manor Banquet & Conference Center for the summit, many armed with their military paperwork, we fully realized that our decision to host the annual forum is on the right track.

Far too many veterans are unaware of their potential benefits and how to obtain them. On the other hand, we heard plenty of frustrated veterans who, in some cases, have spent years trying to get benefits.
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VA Report on Female Veterans Reveals Special Needs

VA Report on Female Veterans Reveals Special Needs
A recent draft report from the Women Veterans Task Force (WVTF) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) outlines the challenges of addressing disability among women veterans.

TAMPA, FL, August 31, 2012 /24-7PressRelease

A recent draft report from the Women Veterans Task Force (WVTF) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) outlines the challenges of addressing disability among women veterans. The need to deal with issues unique to women vets arose because of significant changes in the culture generally and the military specifically.

Woman Vets on the Increase

One obvious change is the number of women in the military. In 1950, only two percent of all military personnel were women. Today, 14 percent of active duty military and 18 percent of National Guard and Reserves are female. Women are no longer relegated to support roles, but take part in active combat. As a result, they suffer injuries that are similar to those experienced by male soldiers.

As a result of growing number of women who choose to enter the military, the number of female veterans has also increased. In fact, women make up the fastest growing group of veterans - eight percent of veterans, or 1.8 million, were women. It is estimated that by 2020, 10.7 percent of vets will be female.

Female Veterans Have Different Needs

The report not only recognizes the growth in the number of woman veterans, but also pinpoints the different needs of this cohort. Overall, female veterans have higher service-connected disabilities than their male counterparts. In 2009, for example, 26 percent of female vets and 19 percent of male vets had disability ratings greater than 50 percent.

In addition to generally having higher disability ratings, disabled female vets also have higher incidences of certain types of disabilities, including Military Sexual Trauma (MST). One in five female vets who use the VA for health care is identified as suffering from MST as a result of rape, harassment or assault. This can lead to additional problems, such as depression, substance abuse and PTSD. Women vets suffering from MST are four times more likely to have PTSD and six times more likely to have multiple mental health conditions.
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