American war veterans still are not able to get the mental health care they need and a U.S. Senate committee has taken the Department of Veterans Affairs to task a second time to find out why.

The VA has gone to great lengths to encourage veterans to seek mental health care to treat post traumatic stress disorder and other combat-related conditions. Since there are thousands of service men and women coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan over then next year, the VA is likely to see an even steeper hike in the number of veterans seeking mental health care.

The Senate’s Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held two hearings last year to investigate why veterans often have to wait far longer than the agency’s maximum of two weeks to be seen by a mental health care professional.

An executive with the Wounded Warrior Project testified that the VA is so understaffed and unprepared for the veterans who need mental health care, it is like watching someone treat an amputation with a band-aid.

In a November committee hearing, Senators heard from professionals within the VA as well as veterans’ advocacy groups who testified that the wait times have not shortened since the issue was brought to the committee in July.

Committee members explored many of the issues that hurt the VA’s ability to deliver appropriate mental health care to veterans. Mental health care carries a stigma among many in the military. It has historically been difficult to get veterans to seek this type of care, so the issue of wait times can compound the difficulty. The committee also explored issues with the number of health care professionals available to treat the veterans at each center and the hours that those doctors can keep in order to be available at the times that the veterans need the care.

Officials from within the VA testified that the agency has the right policies in place, but there is an implementation problem. Sen. John D. Rockefeller, D-W. Va., said he felt like the Office of Management and Budget was restricting what the VA witnesses could say in their testimony. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., said he thinks the VA’s focus on process instead of outcome restricts the agency’s ability to serve veterans.

The Committee’s chairwoman Patty Murray said mental health care is an area where the VA cannot afford to fail.

“Especially at a time when we are seeing record suicides among our veterans – we need to meet the veteran’s desire for care with the immediate assurance that it will be provided – and provided quickly,” she told the committee.

A qualified attorney can help veterans make sure they get the proper mental health care from the VA.

James G. Fausone is a Veterans disability lawyer and Veterans attorney with Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC. Learn more at http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com.

By Jim Fausone
Veterans Disability Lawyer

After hearing from thousands of veterans, I know that the stress of military life and war impact every veteran. 

Over the next decade, I can only imagine the disability claims that will be submitted by drone operators.  It is probably predictable that the VA will deny these claims because the service members were not in combat.  However, the DOD’s own research acknowledges the stress placed on the men and women who operate drones. About one in three airmen who operate cameras on high-altitude, remotely controlled spy planes and 30% of those who fly attack drones used to kill terrorists have emotional exhaustion. An Air Force psychologist conducted a six-month study of drone operators from 2010 to 2011. Researchers found clinical distress and mental illnesses such as anxiety or depression. Sixty-five percent to 70% of those with mental illness signs are not seeking treatment for it, researchers found.  Nearly 900 Air Force personnel were surveyed. Seventeen percent are women and 60% married. When they were first asked broadly about burnout, nearly half admitted it.

Let’s hope VA does not forget the impact the war has on these men and women.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2011-12-18/study-drone-operators-exhaustion/52053016/1

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

By Jim Fausone
Veterans Disability Lawyer

When the Wounded Warrior Project speaks, people listen – even Congress. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) should take immediate action to solve systemic gaps in mental health care for veterans according to WWP.  During Congressional testimony, WWP discussed its findings of a survey of over 935 respondents and emphasized the major changes the VA must implement swiftly in order to enact improvements to its responsiveness and effectiveness.

The WWP survey found that 62 percent of respondents requested mental health care through the VA.  As reported, 40 percent had difficulty in receiving the mental health care necessary or did not receive treatment needed. The survey found some common and recurring issues:

Lack of available mental health providers;

Not seeing the same therapist twice;

Difficulty in obtaining appointments with flexible scheduling surrounding work/personal commitments;

Distance to available VA clinics or hospitals.

VA and this Country can and must do better.  Read more about WWP and this survey at:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wounded-warrior-projecttm-testifies-before-us-senate-urges-immediate-va-action-to-improve-access-and-effectiveness-of-mental-health-care-for-veterans-2011-11-30

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

by Jim Fausone
Veteran Disability Lawyer

VA seems to try all kinds of quack medicine to “fix” veterans with PTSD.  Another situation has arisen that an anti-psychotic drug used to treat PTSD has no more effect than a sugar pill.  VA spent $717 million for this ineffective drug over the last decade. 

Risperidone is the generic name for Risperdal, a drug developed by the Janssen Pharmaceuticals division of Johnson & Johnson to treat severe mental conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. VA researchers published Aug. 2 in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded, “treatment with risperidone compared with placebo did not reduce PTSD symptoms.” 

If you or a veteran you care for was given this drug, you should evaluate if your disability rating is correct.  If VA reduced your rating because you were being effectively treated – that turns out not to be true.  You may want to read the article below and contact a lawyer.

http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110822_6423.php?oref=topstory

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

by Kristina Derro
Veterans Disability Lawyer

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit unleashed its fury on the VA last week in a decision where the judges ruled that the “unchecked incompetence” by the VA had led to poor mental health care and slow processing of disability claims for veterans. Two nonprofit organizations, Veterans United for Truth and Veterans for Common Sense, filed a lawsuit seeking to force VA to make changes to the way it treats veterans with mental health disabilities and handles compensation claims.

The Ninth Circuit agreed with the plaintiffs’ case that the VA must put mental health initiatives into effect throughout the entire system and change the way it adjudicates disability compensation claims in its various regional offices. The Court cited to statistics that it often takes weeks for a suicidal veteran to get a first appointment at a VA and that it often takes VA an average of four years to fully provide the mental health benefits owed to veterans.

During the trial, emails between high-ranking VA officials were entered into evidence, revealing that VA was aware of the high suicide rates among veterans and that it harbored a desire to keep quiet the number of veterans under its care who attempt suicide. The Ninth Circuit opinion stated that “[n]o more veterans should be compelled to agonize or perish while the government fails to perform its obligation”. The Court found that there were no suicide prevention officers at any of the VA’s 800 community-based outpatient clinics, the screening for suicide by the VA was not rigorous, and that 70% of VA medical centers did not have systems to track potentially suicidal veterans.

The Ninth Circuit also wrote a scathing opinion regarding the way VA handled disability compensation claims. The opinion noted that the processing of an initial claim usually took longer than the 120-day goal set by the VA itself, and that regional offices take more than a year to certify appealed claims which the Court found was “a merely ministerial act”. The Court found that no official with VA “was able to provide the court with a sufficient justification for the delays”.

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

by Jim Fausone
Veteran Disability Attorney

Once again showing the differences between men and women in combat, VA recently reported that women appear more susceptible to depression than PTSD. The study looked at 246,976 veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and 246,080 who served elsewhere.

Among those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, about 12 percent of active female veterans and about 16 percent of reserve unit female veterans were diagnosed with PTSD, compared to about 17 percent of active and reserve male veterans. About 23 percent of active female veterans and 19 percent of reserve unit female veterans were diagnosed with depression, compared to 14 percent of active men and 12 percent of reserve unit men.

Women were denied PTSD claims more often than men, while men were denied claims for other mental health conditions more often than women. Veteran advocates need to keep these kind of differences in mind when advancing disability claims.

To read more: 

http://www.dailypress.com/health/dp-nws-va-women-20110109,0,7486960.story

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

by Jim Fausone
Veterans Lawyer

A new study may be of help to veterans when making their PTSD claim. Female veterans who become pregnant may be at more risk for mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, a study finds. VA commissioned a 5 year study. Among the study participants, 32% of women who were pregnant had a mental health diagnosis, while 21% of women who were not pregnant received a mental health diagnosis. The study was published recently in the Journal of Women’s Health. As a female veteran, you should consider if the trigger for mental health disorders is related to pregnancy.

http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-pregnant-vets-20101222,0,3495383.story

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability lawyer, Veterans disability attorney, Veterans lawyer, or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit Legalhelpforveterans.com

by Jim Fausone, Veteran  Attorney 

The first large scale study of female veterans found that female veterans — age 18 to 34 — are three times as likely as their civilian peers to die by suicide.  Veterans make up 20% of the people who commit suicide in the country.  However veterans only make up 12 % of the population. Female veterans are particularly vulnerable and everyone needs to be aware of this crisis and respond accordingly. How will VA, VSOs and health care providers respond?

Read more at:  

http://www.npr.org/2010/12/04/131797071/study-female-vets-especially-vulnerable-to-suicide

by Jim Fausone

The VA often funds research that is helpful in understanding complex medical conditions.  VA and Stanford University completed a large study that shows that among younger veterans enrolled in VA health care, those with a mental health condition—especially posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—tend to have more physical ailments.  The results, published online Sept. 18 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, explain the link between emotional stress and physical illness. 

The researchers examined the records of more than 90,000 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans who used VA outpatient care in fiscal year 2006–2007. The majority had received a diagnosis of at least one mental health condition. About 35 percent of men and 27 percent of women had PTSD. The link between PTSD and medical (non-mental) illness was stronger among women than among men. Women with PTSD had a median of 7 medical conditions, versus 4.5 for women with no mental health diagnosis. The most common physical ailments for women were lower-back problems, headaches and lower-extremity joint disorders. Men with PTSD had a median of 5 medical conditions, versus 4 for men with no mental health diagnosis. The most common complaints for men were similar to those of women—for example, back and knee problems—but also included hearing loss.

As you advance your disability claim and secondary or related claims, this research may be helpful. Read more at  http://www.research.va.gov/currents/oct10/oct10-3.cfm

by Jim Fausone

The rash of suicides this year that involve members of the military has been getting plenty of attention.  Veterans face the same suicide problem brought on by the stress of war.  Military veterans with psychiatric illnesses are at increased risk for suicide, says a new study by the University of Michigan in conjunction with US Department of Veteran Affairs.

The researchers examined the psychiatric records of more than three million veterans who received any type of care at a VA facility in 1999. Over the next seven years, 7,684 of the veterans committed suicide. Slightly half of them had at least one psychiatric diagnosis. All of the psychiatric conditions included in the study — depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, substance abuse disorders, post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and other anxiety disorders — were associated with increased risk of suicide.

 To read more about the study:

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/645083.html