Veteran Care Under Review- More Than 22,000 Are Discharged With 'Pre-Existing' Personality Disorder

[babylonsister]

This is infuriating and so unfair to these men and women.

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/WoodruffReports/story?id=3368726&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

Questionable Treatment for Some Iraq Heroes
Veteran Care Under Review as More Than 22,000 Are Discharged With 'Pre-Existing' Personality Disorder, Which Some Say Developed During War

By BOB WOODRUFF, JAMES HILL, JAIME HENNESSEY and JOSHUA KORS
July 12, 2007


Army Spc. Jonathan Town is back home in Ohio now, but still very much at war.

"When you see bits and pieces of actual people or people bleeding to death or anything, it's very unsettling. It's something you'll never be able to forget. Period," Town told ABC News' Bob Woodruff.

Since his discharge in 2006, Town has not only dealt with the emotional scars of war, but he has also found himself at the center of a national debate on mental health care for veterans as a crowd as diverse as singer Dave Matthews and members of Congress has questioned how 22,000 veterans were diagnosed and discharged since 2001.

In Town's case, the discharge came two years after he was injured in an attack. In the fall of 2004, a 107 mm rocket ripped through his unit's headquarters in Ramadi, exploding two feet above Town's head and knocking him unconscious.

The rocket blast left Town with hearing loss, headaches, memory problems, anxiety and insomnia. For his wounds, he was awarded the Purple Heart.

But when he returned to the states seeking treatment for those very wounds, the Army quickly discharged him, asserting his problems had been caused not by the war but by a personality disorder that predated his military career. :grr: :grr:

more...

[Divernan]

1. I didn't know "misplaced patriotism" was labeled a personality disorder.

Deliberately placing oneself in danger believing you're protecting your country - now that's a pre-existing suicidal ideation. And foolishly believing all those lies the recruiter tells you - "Naw, I promise you won't get sent into combat, kid" - yet another personality disorder - Trusting Government Authority.

The Army is as skilled as Big Insurance at claiming pre-existing conditions to deny coverage!

[Double T]

2. The government is TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE; if the Democrats.........

let this SHT stand, I'm looking for another party. DO SOMETHING, DAMN IT!!

[babylonsister]

3. Sounds like you feel like me; helpless. What can we do for them? nt

[Double T]

7. FRUSTRATION isn't the word!!

'WE' ask these men and women to give up their lives and then when they're physically and emotionally maimed, 'WE' just kick them to the curb?? I realize 'WE' have monsters running the WH and the pentagon but what about congress; have THEY ALL lost their souls TOO!! Our government is in a SHAMBLES and has become a TOTAL FAILURE; the entire system needs to be replaced. Time to get the phone lines to d.c. smoking!!

[babylonsister]

9. And, irony of ironies, yesterday the Senate passed the "Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act"

Seems to be a communication breakdown somewhere. Maybe this will help.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-12-2007/0004624866&EDATE=

-- "Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act" Contains Multiple
Provisions Proposed by WWP --

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- By a unanimous vote, the
Senate voted today to add the Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act
to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.

The legislation, written in consultation with Wounded Warrior Project,
addresses many of the problems identified by WWP alumni, current patients
and family members.

"By passing this legislation, the Senate is telling our nation's
wounded warriors that they have heard their concerns and are ready to take
appropriate actions to ensure that these brave men and women are taken care
of," said WWP Executive Director, John Melia. "We are very pleased with the
overall legislation and look forward to working with members of the
conference committee to have this bill enacted into law."

The "Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act was strongly supported
by Senators Levin (D-MI), McCain (R-AZ), Akaka (D- HA), Craig (R-ID),
Warner (R- VA), Clinton (D-NY) and others. The bill's most significant
initiative would create an overlap of DOD and VA benefits to allow wounded
warriors to benefit from the strengths of both systems without having to
choose access to one over the other. Additional provisions included in the
legislation would require the Department of Defense (DOD) to adopt a
Pre-Deployment Cognitive Assessment tool to help diagnose Traumatic Brain
Injury or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in returning servicemembers.
Additionally, it would require DOD to work with the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) on developing a caregiver training program for family members
of brain injured servicemembers and reform the disability evaluation and
ratings system that military personnel must navigate prior to retirement
from service.

The amendment also includes important provisions written by members of
the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee intended to improve the quality of
care provided by the VA for traumatic brain injury patients as well as
easing the path to care provided in the private sector.

About Wounded Warrior Project
Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is a non-profit organization aimed at
assisting those men and women of the United States armed forces who have
been severely injured during the war on terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan and
other hot spots around the world. Beginning at the bedside of the severely
wounded, WWP provides programs and services designated to ease the burdens
of these heroes and their families, aid in the recovery process and smooth
the transition back to civilian life. For more information, please call
(904) 296- 7350 or visit http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org

[Double T]

10. "severely injured" does NOT address psychological problems or........

personality disorders. Looks like the 'Wounded Warrior Project' needs to be expanded, then make certain congress ACTUALLY follows through with the funding.

[Perky]

4. I saw this on ABC last night and my jaw dropped

Guy nearly gets blown up by a mortar round... substantial loss of hearing and some brain damafge. US army claims it preexisting condition and discharges him...Then they way they want part on his enlistment bonus back.



I think this is foing to be as big an issue as Walter Reed.

[babylonsister]

6. It should be as big as Walter Reed; it's disgusting that our gov't is

trying to get away with this so as not to have to pay for these disabilities incurred by patriotic duty.

[UTUSN]

5. K&R #1 for DISGRACE!!1 The recruiters didn't care about "pre-existing" conditions when they were

BETTING on their getting killed off!!1

[uppityperson]

8. k&r, "pre-existing personality disorder" was signing up with military?

So because he did this, this is just wrong. Fine, there are some (Steven Green for example) that DO have personality disorders, but this is just wrong, wrongly used to deny them help.

[doodadem]

11. This doesn't even make sense

If they already had such serious pre-existing conditions, why were they allowed to sign up for the military in the first place?

[babylonsister]

12. Excellent question-no answer. nt

[Javaman]

13. "didn't your mommy and daddy give you enough love when you were growing up????"

And there it is, the "full metal jacket" excuse.

But then again, private pyle dusted his TI right after those words.

I see a future of many many guys going postal.

[babylonsister]

14. .

[Hissyspit]

15. .

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

16. I remember years ago during the Vietnam era, when there was a draft, one of the

ways to get out was to show that you had been in psychological therapy. The military didn't want to take anyone who had a chance of having psych problems because they would then be obligated to pay them for disability for life when discharged. I had a neighbor who went to Vietnam early and was discharged and living on the disability pay.

My brother had been seeing a therapist, and when he went down to White Hall St. (draft center in NYC), he had to see the psychiatrist. The psychiatrist said, your doctor has down here that you're a paranoid schizophrenic. Do you know what that means? My brother looked at the military shrink and said, it means you don't like me.

Needless to say, he wasn't drafted.

[Swamp Rat]

17. 5th rec.

;)

[Miss Chybil]

18. If they don't kill the troops supporting them IN Iraq, they'll support them to death

when they get home. What bullshit.

[Decruiter]

19. Is this supporting our troops? Good God Almighty, we as citizens of this

country have a duty and a responsibility to take care of our soldiers and we have to stop this war.

Please spread to anyone and everyone you know "War is a Racket", General Smedley Butler.

This government, the VA, they are screwing our veterans more severely than ever in the history of this country. They should not be in this place, they should not be in this position. Nor should any of the millions of Iraqis that are unemployed, homeless, with lives upside down for ever more.

We have to stop this!