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Mon 23 Jul, 2007 03:14 pm
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The many medical claims by veterans of U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has completely overwhelmed the American government, leading to "shameful failures" in treatment, a class-action lawsuit filed on Monday alleged.
"Because of those failures, hundreds of thousands of men and women who have suffered grievous injuries fighting in the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are being abandoned," according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for Northern California.
More than 1.5 million U.S. service members have been sent to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001.
Repeated and extended deployments to war zones have driven a rise in post-traumatic stress among troops. But Pentagon and Veterans Affairs Department lack the resources and staff to help service members, according to recent reports.
The filing by two veterans groups sued various officials in the Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and challenged the constitutionality of a 1988 law establishing various VA practices. The two plaintiff organization represent about 12,000 American veterans.
"Unless systemic and drastic measures are instituted immediately, the costs to these veterans, their families, and our nation will be incalculable, including broken families, a new generation of unemployed and homeless veterans, increases in drug abuse and alcoholism, and crushing burdens on the health care delivery system and other social services in our communities," the suit said.
The suit said the Department of Veterans Affairs faced a backlog of 600,000 claims, with some veterans dying while waiting to settle claims. It also claimed the VA was unable to deal with the growing number of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder cases.
Dyslexia - from other sources I understand you saw distinguished service in Vietnam and may still be suffering from some medical difficulties as a consequence. I'd really appreciate your opinion on this article >
Quote:In 1951 two psychiatrists working at the Los Angeles VA Hospital's mental-hygiene clinic published a disturbing report in the American Journal of Psychiatry. For the preceding five years Samuel Futterman and Eugene Pumpian-Mindlin had been treating two hundred veterans who exhibited persistent symptoms of intense anxiety, battle dreams, tension, depression, guilt, and aggressive reactions and who were easily startled by minor noises. The psychiatrists' general impression of their patients was of a "well-adjusted individual who broke down in [the] face of an overwhelming trauma." More disturbing still, Futterman and Pumpian-Mindlin wrote, "even at this late date we still encounter fresh cases that have never sought treatment until the present time."
http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1990/4/1990_4_74.shtml
> and any ideas you may have on what we should do about this age-old problem; obviously people with broken bones and the like get treatment priority, and equally obviously resources are always limited.
Thanks very much, not least for your military service, and best wishes for your health.
Well Helen I would question my "distinguished service in Vietnam" as i was a mere grunt but i can offer the opinion that veterans in general have been offered near to nothing in the way of after service treatment. Mostly along the lines of fuc*k, you don't deserve zilch that has to be paid for by us god fearing taxpayers.
Re: support our troops?
dyslexia wrote:SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The many medical claims by veterans of U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has completely overwhelmed the American government, leading to "shameful failures" in treatment, a class-action lawsuit filed on Monday alleged.
"Because of those failures, hundreds of thousands of men and women who have suffered grievous injuries fighting in the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are being abandoned," according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for Northern California.
More than 1.5 million U.S. service members have been sent to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001.
Repeated and extended deployments to war zones have driven a rise in post-traumatic stress among troops. But Pentagon and Veterans Affairs Department lack the resources and staff to help service members, according to recent reports.
The filing by two veterans groups sued various officials in the Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and challenged the constitutionality of a 1988 law establishing various VA practices. The two plaintiff organization represent about 12,000 American veterans.
"Unless systemic and drastic measures are instituted immediately, the costs to these veterans, their families, and our nation will be incalculable, including broken families, a new generation of unemployed and homeless veterans, increases in drug abuse and alcoholism, and crushing burdens on the health care delivery system and other social services in our communities," the suit said.
The suit said the Department of Veterans Affairs faced a backlog of 600,000 claims, with some veterans dying while waiting to settle claims. It also claimed the VA was unable to deal with the growing number of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder cases.
I am unclear if this is talking about physical and psychological injury, or psychological only?
A "mere grunt" in Vietnam did a lot more than most of the rest of us, Dyslexia! If you get around to reading my link pls let me know your ideas at your convenience. Ref. the othere query here, a more complete version of the original post follows:
Quote:The General Accountability Office reported last year that the Pentagon referred only 22 percent of U.S. troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for mental health evaluations.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?alias=veterans-sue-us-over-sham&chanId=sa003&modsrc=reuters
I have seen other articles on this subject, but have failed to see the "majors" reporting this problem. I see that as a big problem.
Bush's nauseating rhetoric about "support our troops" during his speeches and to the public in the midst of servicemen who applaud him turn my stomach.
Why aren't these soldiers aware that Bush has under funded the VA for them, and have tacked on co-pays for services they should be getting for free? I'm not sure why the active duty soldiers still have not heard of the veterans being turned away from VA hospitals with war related injuries after all these years with some dying without proper care - and they continue to worsen.
High Seas wrote:A "mere grunt" in Vietnam did a lot more than most of the rest of us, Dyslexia! If you get around to reading my link pls let me know your ideas at your convenience. Ref. the othere query here, a more complete version of the original post follows:
Quote:The General Accountability Office reported last year that the Pentagon referred only 22 percent of U.S. troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for mental health evaluations.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?alias=veterans-sue-us-over-sham&chanId=sa003&modsrc=reuters
I did read it helen, I guess i am fortunate in that I don't think i suffer from any PTS (I'm just a natural weirdo) To be honest with you, my memories are that of some other person (I was 18/19 when I was there).
Like I just said in another thread...
Neither I nor any other wounded vet that I know has had any problems getting whatever help we needed from the VA.
My medical care has been exemplary,and nobody I know has any complaints about the quality of their medical care.
Well, VA did right well by me, but that was in 1986.
mysteryman wrote:Like I just said in another thread...
Neither I nor any other wounded vet that I know has had any problems getting whatever help we needed from the VA.
My medical care has been exemplary,and nobody I know has any complaints about the quality of their medical care.
Due to ashholes; I have avoided posting about Vietnam, I regret posting what I did above.
Injured Iraq War Veterans Sue VA Head
link
mysteryman wrote:Like I just said in another thread...
Neither I nor any other wounded vet that I know has had any problems getting whatever help we needed from the VA.
My medical care has been exemplary,and nobody I know has any complaints about the quality of their medical care.
I bought this "89 ford" it was a good car and I have no complaints ergo anyone who has a compaint is wrong and an obvious terrorist.
DDT might work, but it causes birth defects in some animal populations (including human), so let's ban all uses!
He's no "ashhole," he's probably one of the most uninformed, stupid, vets around.
Published: July 08, 2007 12:00 am
VA hospital underfunding outrageous
The Norman Transcript
Editor, The Transcript:
President Bush is a uniter; Bill Moyers and Victor Gold, adversaries during the presidential campaigns of Lyndon Johnson and Barry Goldwater, agree on the tragedy of the Iraq war and the unconscionable treatment of our troops. This goes well beyond the trouble at Walter Reed Hospital. The Bush administration has underfunded VA hospitals for years and Iraq veterans are suffering along with those from former wars.
Possibly the cruelest result of this lack of funding is the Chapter 5-13 discharges of soldiers to lessen the medical load, the discharge based on claims of previous conditions for soldiers with post-traumatic syndrome with even physical disabilities resulting from combat wounds. If the military sends a soldier into combat they are responsible for that soldier.
The hypocrisy of the Bush administration touting their praise for the troops while shafting them after their service is also seen here with the Oklahoma GOP. While they praised our troops at the Capitol, they underfunded by $1 million our Oklahoma Veterans Center that has serious needs. Rep. Wallace Collins alone spoke of this outrage. Yes, the hospital is part of his constituency but then our troops are the constituency of all of us.
CHADWICK COX
There's no cure for stupid.
Maybe someone's just trying to hide the real monetary costs of war.
Roger, They don't need to "hide" the cost of war when we know it's costing 12 billion every month.
Since most conservatives are so damn rich, they don't worry about such small matters.
Injured Iraq war veterans sue VA head
By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 43 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Frustrated by delays in health care, injured Iraq war veterans accused VA Secretary Jim Nicholson in a lawsuit of breaking the law by denying them disability pay and mental health treatment.
cicerone imposter wrote:Injured Iraq war veterans sue VA head
By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 43 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Frustrated by delays in health care, injured Iraq war veterans accused VA Secretary Jim Nicholson in a lawsuit of breaking the law by denying them disability pay and mental health treatment.
Well, that's what I was getting at, C.I. The true costs would be much higher if the VA were providing the services as expected. Now, I'm not at all sure this can be laid at the VA Secretary. The bigger your organization, the more important you are, and I'm sure Nicholson would like to grow the organization. It's probably as big as the budget allows, though I haven't followed any of the links provided.
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