President Obama To Make PTSD Claims More Just

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Vietnam Veterans of America
Press Release July 19, 2010
Contact
Mokie Porter
301-585-4000, Ext. 146

Vietnam Veterans of America Praises President, Salutes Secretary Shinseki For Move to Make PTSD Claims More Just
(I'm on their email list).

Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) thanks President Obama and salutes Secretary of Veterans Affairs Shinseki for the regulatory move to make the claims process less onerous for certain veterans who have legitimate claims for service connection for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but who have difficulty obtaining documentary evidence.

"This will make it possible for some veterans who have been unjustly denied, because they could not document the details of the stressors that caused them to have chronic acute PTSD, to finally succeed in getting justice and their claim approved," said John Rowan, VVA national president. "This regulatory amendment will make it easier for veterans to prevail regarding their claim for PTSD where their claimed stressor is related to legitimate fear of hostile military forces or terrorist activity and is consistent with their military service." A psychiatric wound is every bit as real as a gunshot wound, and this President and his team are now taking steps to
recognize this fact.

"While VVA is strongly supportive of these new regulations, we urge Secretary Shinseki to reconsider the decision that only a VA or VA-contracted psychologist or psychiatrist can make the diagnosis of PTSD," Rowan said. "At the same time that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is moving to accept medical evidence from non-VA clinicians for disability claims for physical injuries, there should be no separate set of rules for diagnosing mental wounds like PTSD."

"We strongly believe that all psychologists and psychiatrists, VA or non-VA, who conduct PTSD examinations, should be required to use the best medical science known," Rowan said. "This diagnosis can be both objective and accurate, but only if the protocols recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies of Science (NAS) are rigorously followed. Both VA and the Department of Defense should be ensuring that our active-duty war fighters, and our veterans of every generation, have the best care that medical science can provide, beginning with getting the diagnosis right."

"The previous Administration refused to implement the best medical science in assessing PTSD, because they said it was 'too expensive,' " Rowan said. "With the VA having recently hired almost 4,000 additional clinicians to provide mental health care to veterans suffering from their wartime experiences, the VA has no excuse why the best practices, recommended in their own VA commissioned study by the IOM, can't be followed. They need to get it right the first time."

VA Simplifies Access to Health Care and Benefits for Veterans with PTSD

The IOM Recommendations Regarding The Best Medical Science

V.A. Easing Rules for Users of Medical Marijuana

VA Office locator

Connect With VA

If You're A Vet Who Needs Help Contact The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV)
333 ½ Pennsylvania Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20003-1148
E-mail: Emailnchv2@nchv.org
Toll Free 800-VET-HELP
Fax 202-546-2063
Toll Free Fax 888-233-8582
Mission: The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) will end homelessness among veterans by shaping public policy, promoting collaboration, and building the capacity of service providers.

Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Veterans Press 1

Get Help We All Love You

With Help Comes Hope-FAQs

*******

Please Send A Dollar Or A Donation To
*USO* United Service Organizations
PO Box 1831
Merrifield, Virginia 22116
HELP SERVE THOSE WHO SERVE US
The USO currently operates centers around the world, including numerous mobile canteens, located in the continental United States and overseas. The USO provides a variety of programs and services, including orientation programs, family events, travel assistance, free Internet and e-mail access, and recreation services.
Find Your Local USO

What We Do

*******

Please Send A Dollar To
If You're A Vet Who Needs Help Contact Vietnam Veterans Of America
8605 Cameron Street, Suite 400
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
Phone: 301-585-4000
Fax: 301-585-0519
Toll Free: 1-800-882-1316
Wikipedia VVA

*******
Please, Somebody Out There Nominate The Bob Marley Family For The Nobel Prize For Peace, through Music!

Invisible Children

*******
Weekly Address: The End of Combat Operations in Iraq The White House

*******
Vietnam Veterans of America Applauds Final Rules on Agent Orange New Presumptive Diseases
http://wisdom-sa.blogspot.com/2010/09/im-on-their-email-mailing-list-and-this.html


Love, Peace and Justice
ga"