VA to review stress cases to ensure pay was justified

[malachi]

Support the troops. Yeah, right.

WASHINGTON - The government is going to take a new look at the claims of about a third of the military veterans who now get disability payments for post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Veterans Affairs Department will begin a yearlong review next month of 72,000 cases after an internal study found inconsistencies in the way the claims were decided, including many cases approved though they lacked required medical evidence.

Millions of dollars a year could be involved.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/12362716.htm

[tk2kewl]

1. They won't, however, be reviewing cases that were denied

:grr:

[leetrisck]

2. This is all part of the so-called commission

review of "everything" - this is all Steve Buyer - can't have them pesky veterans getting something based on fraud - just one problem - those vets returning now are having lots and lots of PTSD problems. Are they going to be denied?

[tk2kewl]

3. I wouldn't want to be the one to tell a guy with PTSD ...

that his benes were being pulled.

[KT2000]

4. watch out!

reusing to accept any illness caused by chemical exposures, PTSD was used for some of those cases. This will likely sweep out those who are disabled from toxic injury (no ICD codes to cover that problem).

Corporate america is in full participation of you medical diagnoses, treatment and compensation. No such thing as the 70,000 chemicals put into use since WWII causing any problems whatsoever! Brain damage from nerve gas in the battlefield? No problem - get over it.

[teryang]

5. Required medical evidence?

How does a VA claim for disability get approved without expert medical evidence? Bogus PTSD claims were those without evidence of exposure to the combat stressor. That required documentation of combat through assignment records, unit records and personal citations and badges or direct clinical evidence of combat wounds. It is the lack of support of documentation in personnel records for diagnoses made after mental status examinations by examiners that would block claims.

[leetrisck]

6. This has been dragged out for years to even

get the compensation for PTSD and now they want to take it away.

[teryang]

9. Exactly! n/t

[Megahurtz]

7. This just infuriates me to no end!

:grr: They're taking everything away from everybody!:mad:

So that's the thanks they get for fighting a war and serving their country?
Fuck them and their stupid wars!:argh:

[loudsue]

18. Taking everything away....but NOT from HALLIBURTON!

Why don't they try reviewing THOSE funds? It'd be a good place to start!

:kick::kick::kick:

[Megahurtz]

8. Now you will see Homeless Vets Wandering the Streets.

What a fucking wonderful country we live in.

:sarcasm:

[BikeWriter]

25. There were and are many of us homeless...

I was lucky to have a supportive family when I came back. It was only years later the cumulative effect of it got me down.

[ElectroPrincess]

10. Instead of expanding and enriching counseling and support networks ...

for even the average, non-traumatized returning combat vet, the government is going to nickel and dime out the ones who are genuinely in need of quality mental health care.

This reminds me of those heartless souls who will not seriously investigate military-industrial fleecing of our government in Rummy's Iraqi Campaign.

Here's a suggestion, how about you INSTEAD make a serious effort to find the 9 BILLION dollars missing from the Iraqi-tagged coffers while Bremmer held the keys to the occupation? Such an investigation would be instrumental in revealing true psychopathic personalities who would benefit (along with American Society, in general) from long jail sentences.

Not even well adjusted combat veterans are "the same" after returning to society. It's a sadness and loss of innocence that the rest of us (blessed to not have seen such HORRORS of war) can not ever relate with.

If anything we should be mobilizing to assist OUR Combat Vets!

I just gave to Paralyzed American Veterans. http://www.pva.org/ There are several noble charities that, because of our present national leadership's (gutless wonder Democrats too!) selfish corporate interests, are vital to assist our returning troops.

Damn the national news media who give the sheeple the impression that liberals do NOT care about our returning sons and daughters serving in Iraq. It's the kool-aide drinking chicken-hawks and their bloated corporate sponsors who are COWARDS and LIARS.

Let's show the American people our compassion? For all their money and power the rabid right wing can NOT take away our charitable (proud to be bleeding heart!) souls.

[BikeWriter]

11. My application is in. I should be getting an answer soon.

Two VA shrinks have confirmed I have PTSD. The kicker is whether it is service related. I also applied for loss of my hearing. The VA Doctor confirmed I have severe hearing loss in both ears. waiting is a bitch.

[ElectroPrincess]

12. Best wishes for success ...

I've enjoyed several of your posts BikeWriter. Don't mean to sound too corny but I will pray that the VA does right for you.

I've worked with combat Veterans who have self-medicated with alcohol and drugs. That only serves to make one's depression deepen.

That's why I fear that if these traumatized combat vets are not served fairly by our society, we'll see scores of homeless on our streets.

As a society we should be ashamed. But those who are powerful and arrogant often lack such humanity.

BTW a returning (just back in country two months ago) Marine friend of ours has "profound hearing loss." He's also going through the medical waltz and waiting required to get this acknowledged as a service related disability.

It is, to quote a military term, UN-SAT to delay and deny our soldiers who have sacrificed so much for this ill begotten WAR administration.

We've just suffered the MOST casualties in August 2005 as we have at any time during this "campaign." And guess what? The month's NOT even half over!?! All the while our lazy and self-absorbed president is cruising along as he enters the second of his five week VA-CA-TION. If we are truly "at war" then Mr. Bush should be in the White House, not shagging his butt around his Crawford ranch toting (and dropping) his only livestock, Barney the Scottish Terrier. :P

Sorry, I digress ... but I'm so peeved! :blush:

[BikeWriter]

13. Thank you, Ma'am, for your support.

Yes'm, I talk with fellow veterans every week. We have a PTSD group therapy session at our local VA. Wednesday's meeting was the most emotional meeting we've had to this point. I told my Pard's some of the feelings of anguish this damned Iraq war have dredged up in me and to a man they agreed.
* vacation is but another instance of his deserting his post. Had he been doing what he was (s)elected for the August before 911 this would be a different world.
We will overcome this; we have to. Thanks again for your support.

[ElectroPrincess]

14. You're most welcome. We're doing well even without Natl Media :-) /eom

[ninkasi]

17. I hope you get your case approved soon

Personally, I don't see how anybody could have come out of that hell without PTSD. You deserve to be compensated for the torment you must be going through. I am so tired of this country getting meaner and meaner, and abandoning all efforts to help those members of society who truly need it.

You put your life on the line, and now they are jerking you around. I really, really hope you get a positive answer right away.

[BikeWriter]

19. Thank you for the kind words of support. Please remember...

Many of the returning Iraqi vets will go through the same mental phases we did.

[ninkasi]

22. I know...

That's why I hope that you, and the others who will need help, are able to find it. It must be sheer torment, trying to get help when you are already suffering from the PTSD. The ones returning from Iraq, I would imagine, are going to have huge problems.

The administration that lied to cause this war, will have no qualms about denying benefits to the vets once they have served their purpose. To all of the chicken hawks who claim that we progressives don't support the troops, my answer is that we are the ONLY ones supporting the troops.

Sending men and women to face death or serious injuries, both physical and mental, then turning your back on them when they return is not supporting troops, it's supporting a corrupt president. I see pictures of some of our soldiers, and so many are so very young...they simply don't have enough experience in life to cope with the after effects of what they are being sent to do.

So, to any lurking freepers, I say this; show your support of our troops by insisting that Smirky and his cronies make sure they are given quality, timely care when they need it. Stop making them jump through hoops, begging for help. You wanted this war, now take care of the ones who are fighting it.

[BikeWriter]

23. You're right, getting help for PTSD is like catch-22 or something...

You feel so frustrated nothing is going well in your life, and guilty you are not doing things correctly. My Brother and Brother-in-Law, both veterans, had encouraged me to apply with the VA before.
I told them I couldn't write out the checks to pay my bills each month, much less do all that paperwork. They drove me to Houston and signed me up with the Texas Veterans Commission. They're a veteran's advocacy group that helps us apply.

[LeighAnn]

15. Went to a party of PTSD vets a couple of weeks ago

It was very emotional. They were saying goodbye to Dr. Hemant Thakur, their beloved psychiatrist, who was deployed to Iraq. There were probably 50 or 60 vets there (plus spouses, etc.) and a lot of them took to the stage to tell how much the good Dr. had helped them battle the demons they faced since they came back from war (all the wars since Korea). It was a great honor to be there.

Remembering those people and the stories they told, it's hard for me to imagine that 1/3 of them will now be facing scrutiny over their "claims" ... and who will be able to speak for them, with their doctor thousands of miles away in the war zone?

[liberaliraqvet26]

16. Lets use the 9 Billion stolen in Iraq...

by the crooked contracters to pay PTSD damages

[TroubleMan]

20. In related news: The bush administration has just downgraded war to "Heck"

Hell officials could not be reached for comment.

[TroubleMan]

21. This is so they won't have to support the guys fighting right now.

That's what this is all about.

Just like a fucking repug.....they send the troops to die, but don't won't to support them.

There will be thousands of claims of PTSD just from this war, and rightfully so. They want to save the money for Halliburton, GE, and Lockheed Martin.

Being a veteran, when people tell me that repugs are good for defense...I tell them bullshit!! They are good for defense contractors, but are horrible for troops.

[TroubleMan]

24. kick.....this is can potentially cause a new wave of homelessness

Then the repugs will abuse them for that, too.

This is what they do:

1. They use you for cannon fodder for their corporate wars.

2. Then they won't take care of you, and all the problems in your head and body caused by going through a year or more of hell.

3. When you lose your job because you haven't received the proper psychological treatment and counseling, you become homeless.

4. They send you to prison, or make the new "homeless" laws, so they don't have to deal with you.

This is really a big deal and should be on page 1. We're gonna have thousands of veterans with PTSD from this war....and God forbid if we go into Iran or Venezuela. These assholes love their cannon fodder, and don't wanna pay for them after they're done using them. They just want to toss them away like an old snot towel.