VA struggles with disability claim surge

[rodeodance]

Source: Ap



VA struggles with disability claim surge

By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 2 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Outgoing VA Secretary Jim Nicholson acknowledged Tuesday that he's struggling to reduce surging disability claims from injured Iraq war veterans.


Addressing Congress for a final time before stepping down Oct. 1, Nicholson suggested to a House committee that the VA has yet to find a clear solution for long waits.

Nicholson also said, though, he's proud of many accomplishments during his 2 1/2 years as head of the Veterans Affairs Department, pushing forward initiatives such as requiring screenings for brain-related injury, adding storefront walk-in clinics and boosting mental health counselors.

But citing in part growing demands from a prolonged Iraq war, Nicholson also said the VA faces difficulties in meeting challenges and expressed sympathy to injured veterans who might have unfairly suffered as a result of unnecessary red tape.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/veterans_nicholson;_ylt=Ak00Y1bFd0SusYfcQ1g74HOs0NUE

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very few are talking about the years of tx that will be needed.

cost to our treasury for this war-------(human cost is visible if people take a look).

[BOSSHOG]

1. Thank god we have conservative values to solve yet another problem

[w8liftinglady]

2. and in a related story-Shelters take many vets of Iraq, Afghan wars

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/08/07/shelters_take_many_vets_of_iraq_afghan_wars/

the ptsd/tbi corelation is just now being researched...this will be a growing trend

[w8liftinglady]

3. and isn't it convenient-the VA/DoD have chosen not to report the actual number of TBI cases...

Just like cancer cases.

[phantom power]

4. It will always blow my mind that America learned so little from Vietnam.

The generation of soldiers who got physically and mentally maimed in Vietnam are still with us. And here we are, creating a whole new generation of walking wounded. What a goddamned waste. Senseless waste.

[LosinIt]

8. And many Vietnam Veterans are also waiting for disability benefits

My husband waited for two and a half years to finally get approved for a 100% disability rating.

[flamin lib]

5. The Depleted Uranium hasn't kicked in yet either. As part of the Bush

balanced budget beginning in 2009 his projected budget shows a cut of 2% in actual spending on the VA for the foreseeable future. Not that any reasonable human being will keep to his projections, but those are the games he's playing to make his deficit spending look less bad.

[FREEWILL56]

6. That also shows how bush supports the troops he sends into harms way.

Total hypocrisy. I have a brother-in-law who served in nam and he recently was preliminarilly diagnosed with neuropathy. Now I'm no expert on it as I'm not even sure I spelled it right, but from what I've gathered is that it is incurable and can be slowed in its progress with some new drugs. This would make it a 'time is of the essence' thing. They scheduled the tests to be sure of the prediagnosis made in june for confirmation in march of next year.(he's on social security as he was approved quickly on a prediagnosis) They are also testing for other things too, but oh so slowly and I recommended he go to a normal hospital with more normal delays of a few months rather than 3/4 of a year. My point is when something is needed now, it waits because of many reasons, none of which are good reasons and there are many more having to go through this so called support system for our veterans with a war on. Support our troops, you better start mr. president. Worst part is my bil voted for bush. He's really paying for it now.

[Orsino]

7. Don't worry. It'll be a cakewalk.

These injuries might last six days, or six weeks. I doubt six months.

[Bigmack]

9. Who'd a thought??

130,000 troops in a very hostile environment for years....freakin' IED's big enough to shatter a tank... half the indiginous population hates the US...jillions of AK's floating around.....

Who'da thought anybody'd get fucked up? (Deep, bloody :sarcasm:)

Don't the people in the admin of the VA watch TV, fer Crissakes? Can't they read all the shit in the papers.... even the MSM has been talking about this for years.

[FREEWILL56]

10. They read, but can't do anything.

It is the likes of bush (who doesn't read btw) and the rest of his cronies that have made a mockery of the VA and thus our soldiers and they are planning cutbacks for them in the wake of this war. We have more dems now in congress now and we can only hope they wake up as they seem to be going off somewhere over the rainbow once there. Yes, Pelosi is a big example.

[happyslug]

11. And how many new cases involving Vietnam Vets?? PTSS may take years to kick in

A few years ago, I read that the VA had a problem with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSS) cases, but NOT from Iraq but from Vietnam Veterans. What seems to happen is that seeing what is happening in Iraq triggers PTSS in Vietnam Vets and they seek treatment from the VA. That is a 20 year delay. I suspect that is still happening, it happened during the (regarding WWII vets, through the VA was then much mire aggressive about ruling them NOT disabled)>

Thus the problem may not be just Iraqi vets but Vietnam vets.