VA Not Spending PTSD Funds Properly

From the Marine Corps Times:

House lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are upset because the Department of Veterans Affairs has not spent the entire $300 million it vowed to devote to post-traumatic stress syndrome among combat troops. ... The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, says in a report issued today that the VA spent less than half of a promised $100 million in 2005 on PTSD and $158 million of a promised $200 million in 2006.

True spending on PTSD programs might be even less, the report says, because money released to VA medical facilities has not necessarily been spent, and even if spent may have gone to other purposes. GAO officials expect to issue a full report later this year with more details on what happened to the money.

“The administration is far short of fulfilling its commitments,” said Rep. Michael Michaud of Maine, ranking Democrat on the house Veterans’ Affairs health subcommittee. “Clearly, our oversight of the VA’s implementation and delivery of mental health services will have to be more vigorous.”

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Weekend Warriors More at Risk for PTSD

From USA Today:

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan appear to be taking a greater toll on the mental health of the so-called weekend warriors than on that of active-duty troops, the Army's leading expert on combat stress said during a congressional hearing Thursday.

Army Col. Charles Hoge testified that 41% of National Guardsmen and reservists raised concerns about their mental health in answers to a survey taken three to six months after they returned from combat. That compares with 32% of active-duty troops who responded to the survey, says Hoge, a psychiatrist with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and an expert in post-traumatic stress disorder.

In addition, a third of the citizen soldiers complained of problems serious enough that they were referred for mental health counseling; only 13% of active-duty soldiers were referred. The findings come as the Army, under enormous strain from fighting on two war fronts at once, considers greater use of its part-time soldiers in combat.

The Chattanoogan: Former Sen. Bob Dole on PTSD

An op-ed from yesterday's Chattanoogan:

"My own experience as a WWII veteran and involvement with other veterans over the years have made it crystal clear that returning stateside is not the end of the mission. A sizable percentage of the 1.2 million men and women who have rotated through Iraq and Afghanistan will experience significant readjustment challenges as they integrate back into their hometowns.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Hoge, Auchterlonie & Milliken, 2006) found that 20 percent of Iraq veterans will suffer some sort of mental health problem upon return. These problems can include relationship and work difficulties, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, substance abuse, or depression. Many will appear fine, showing no visible scars of war. And many who do need help will not seek it primarily because of their military training and mindset. The authors of this study also found that approximately 50 percent of Iraq veterans given a mental health referral based on a questionnaire completed upon return did not seek help during the year that followed." ...

For returning veterans, focusing on your readjustment now that you are home is a worthy, yet difficult mission because it often goes against your ideas of strength and courage. Actually, it takes guts to face problems and get help. I encourage you to make use of the many valuable services and resources available today. Both you and your loved ones deserve it.

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Tenfold Increase in OEF/OIF Reporting Stress, Mental Disorders

From the Associated Press:

"More than one-third of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking medical treatment from the Veterans Health Administration report symptoms of stress or other mental disorders -- a tenfold increase in the last 18 months, according to an agency study.

The dramatic jump in cases -- coming as more troops face multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan -- has triggered concern among some veterans groups that the agency may not be able to meet the demand. They say veterans have had to deal with long waits for doctor appointments, staffing shortages and lack of equipment at medical centers run by the Veterans Affairs Department." ...

"If the VA is going to see 30 percent of the 1.5 million U.S. service members who have deployed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the VA may expect a total of 450,000 veteran patients from these two wars," said Paul Sullivan, director of programs for the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. "This is a very ominous trend, indicating a tidal wave of new patients coming in, and the numbers could go up."

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