Bill would expand PTSD benefits

[unhappycamper]

Bill would expand PTSD benefits
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Apr 26, 2008 7:29:24 EDT

House lawmakers have reworked a bill that would make it easier for veterans to get benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder by not requiring them to prove their exposure to a stressor.

Lawmakers expanded the meaning of “combat with the enemy” to include “active service in a theater of combat operations during a period of war; or in combat against a hostile force during a period of hostilities.”

That means a cook who witnesses the aftermath of a roadside bomb explosion or a clerk who spends his evenings in bomb shelters in the green zone as rockets hit qualify for medical benefits after being diagnosed with PTSD.

“There are cases of people coming home from Iraq with all the classic symptoms and being denied care,” said John Hall, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs disability assistance subcommittee.

As more cases of suicide, divorce and bankruptcy appear, ensuring veterans receive the care they need becomes more important, Hall said April 24.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/04/SATURDAYmilitary_disability_ptsd_042608w/



uhc comment: This bill doesn't mean shit unless the VA gets off their asses and hires people to do the work.