Colonel Dan on the VA and PTSD

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US Department of Veterans Affairs Disability Policies for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder:

Administrative Trends and Implications for Treatment, Rehabilitation, and Research

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I believe there is a connection..with how veterans perceive treatment by the VA including delays in Claim processing..basically there is no treatment. A Vet finally get's an appointment with the VA, and is relieved.. he thinks, finally I am going to get some help making the pain of PTSD, depression, etc go away, and finally will get some financial assistance... boy is he in for a shock. Many have been thrown out of the military waaay tooooo soon.. and dumped in a new bureaucratic VA nightmare

Look at the status of claims for these suicidal veterans.... how long they fought for benefits...the feeling of abandonment.. after all it's just in their head..get over it....BS

Far too many Pysch Dr's at VA are just pill pushers.... far too many have a foreign background and ARE NOT familiar with a soldier's or American background/culture.
Far too many will not make a statement as to the probability of the veteran's mental problems being service connected. They will say, that is not their job, they will say rules prohibit them from saying so.. which is completely false... they will say that's up to a claims processor..a non-med person... Then after meeting with a Psych Dr for many months... he gets a short sitdown with a C&P examiner.. who has never met the vet before, has not read the complete file, and then despite the veteran having been blown up by a IED or such, or spending 30 years in the military, will state the veterans mental health problems are not service connected, but are related to his divorce and/or his drinking. DUH!! STRESS is Stress.... you don't have to prove being shot at, blown up, etc.... there is a lot of stress in just serving.. even just preparing for deployment is stressful..
some handle it, some don't
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BRecent Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Administrative Trends Regarding
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Disability
•
From 1999 to 2004, the number of veterans receiving VA disability payments for PTSD
increased 79.5% (from 120265 to 215871), whereas those receiving payments for
other disabilities increased only 12.2%.
2
•
From 1999 to 2004, total PTSD disability payments rose 148.8% (to $4.3 billion annually),
whereas payments in other disability categories increased by only 41.7%.
2
•
Most veterans’ self-reported symptoms of PTSD become worse over time until they
reach 100% disability, at which point an 82% decline in use of VA mental health services
occurs; no change in use of VA medical health service occurs.
2
•
In a recent review of disability award files, 25% of files were found lacking compelling
evidence of combat exposure, putting the monetary risk of potential fraud at $19.8
billion.
2
•
Among veterans seeking mental health treatment in VA clinics, most (up to 94%) concurrently
apply for PTSD disability benefits.
3
•
Only about half of those veterans who apply for PTSD disability are seeking psychiatric
care at the time of their disability application submission.
4
•
A nearly 2-times regional difference in the rate of approved PTSD disability claims is
found across the nation; this variation is not explained by differences in PTSD symptom
severity or psychiatric comorbidity, suggesting inconsistent evaluation standards
or procedures.
2,5,6
•
In 2006, the VA took an average of 657 days for appeals resolution of disability claims.

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