singer plays to honor fallen brother
Texas singer-songwriter Kristy Kruger is making her way across the United States to fulfill a dream of her own, as well as one for her late brother. Both Krugers had wanted to see all 50 states, but in their own way: she as a traveling troubadour, and he as an officer in the U. S. Army.
Her brother, Lt. Col. Eric Kruger, was killed Nov. 2, 2006, by an improvised explosive device in Iraq.
“I came up with the idea to do these shows when our family was at his funeral,” Kristy Kruger explains. “His birthday was Jan. 12, and I couldn’t figure out how we should mark that day, so I decided to put on a show. That would give my parents something to do and a place to go, and it turned out to be such a wonderful experience.
“ I told stories about Eric, we all laughed and remembered him, but when the show was over, I was devastated. I didn’t know what to do next.” Recalling that she and her brother had the shared dream of eventually traveling to all 50 states, she decided to carry out the plan in memory of him, and at the same time, give herself an extended period of grieving and reflecting in the process.
Her brother was of a rank high enough that he could have declined service in the war, but he volunteered, and she decided he deserved more than just a funeral and burial in Arlington National Cemetery.
“He really loved America,” she says. “I figured that by the time I am done, I’ll have shared a little bit of him across the country. Things like how funny he was and how much of a history buff he was.” During his 18-year military career, Kruger served in Korea, Bahrain, Africa and Afghanistan before deploying to Iraq and dying on his second day in the country. He had been based in Fort Carson, Colo., and was the highest-ranking officer from there to die in the war.
By the time Kristi Kruger reaches Arkansas, it will be the 14 th state she has performed in, in tribute to her brother. Before she embarked on her 50-state tour, she was already a musical presence in Dallas, where she has released five independent CDs, the latest of which won the 2007 Independent Music Award for Best Americana Album of the Year. In 2006, the Dallas Observer presented her its award for Best Female Vocalist.
“I started touring when I was 22, and I’m 31 now,” Kruger says. “So it’s not like I’ve put my career on hold. Playing music is what I’ve always wanted to do, but I’ve had stretches where I had to wait tables for a time. I’ve done a lot of grass-roots touring, just driving in my car by myself.
“ The last conversation I had with my brother, right before he left, I told him I felt I was having a ‘quarter-life’ crisis, even though I was 30. I felt that maybe I should be married and having kids, but told him it was more important to me to travel and go to new places and meet new people and play music. He said no one could understand that better than him. Neither one of us would be happy working in an office. We both had adventure-seeking in our blood.” Though she sometimes tours alone, her Arkansas tour will feature a trio format, as she’s bringing drummer Richard Hewitt and singer-songwriter Dylan Sneed, who plays guitar and banjo, which are her chosen instruments, also.
“People have been really incredible as I’ve gone around doing this, taking us in, cooking for us,” she adds. “I try to avoid hotel bills when I can, and people’s kindnesses have restored my faith in humankind.” Donations to the Fisher House, she explains, go to a nonprofit facility in Rockville, Md., which cares for injured veterans.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
A Concert Tour to honor her brother
NY Times investigates high murder rates involving war vets
War veterans involved in civilian homicides
Traumatised veterans 'have killed 120 in US'
By Stephen Foleyin New York
Published: 14 January 2008
While public anger is directed at the Pentagon for sending American soldiers ill-prepared to fight in Iraq, an equally troubling problem is rearing its head at home. Military veterans are returning from the war zone just as ill-prepared for civilian life and dozens suffering from post-traumatic stress are committing murder and manslaughter.
A new study has identified more than 120 killings committed by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, as psychologically troubled soldiers slip through the net of an overextended military mental health system.
The study, which was conducted from examining local news reports, and which may well dramatically understate the scale of the problem, suggested that killings by military veterans have almost doubled since the start of the wars.
Although the Pentagon immediately questioned the accuracy of the figures, the mounting number of incidents across the US add up to a social problem akin to the traumas of returning Vietnam veterans a generation earlier.
The stories are harrowing. About a third involve the killing of a spouse, girlfriend or other relative, among them two-year-old Krisiauna Calaira Lewis, whose 20-year-old father slammed her against a wall when he was recuperating from a bombing near Fallujah that blew off his foot and damaged his brain.
Many others implicate drink and drugs, an increasing refuge for veterans traumatised by deaths they have witnessed or caused during the counter-insurgency led by American troops. The US government is being sued by relatives of 25-year-old Marine Lucas Borges, who became addicted to inhaling ether after a tour of Iraq at the beginning of the war, and who was convicted of second degree murder for crashing his car into an vehicle while driving the wrong way down a motorway, killing the other driver and injuring four others.
Collectively, the stories attest to the inadequacies of the US military mental health system, which a Pentagon task force last year described as "woefully understaffed", poorly funded and undermined by the stigma still attached to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The disorder has been a major concern since veterans' associations found that 15 per cent of Vietnam vets still suffered from PTSD a decade after the conflict ended in 1975.
"To truly support our troops, we need to apply our lessons from history and new-found knowledge about PTSD to help the most troubled of our returning veterans," Brockton Hunter, a criminal defence lawyer specialising in these cases, said in a recent lecture.
The study of killings by military veterans was conducted by The New York Times. It showed an 89 percent increase – from 184 cases to 349 – in the six years following the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan in the number of homicides involving active-duty military personnel and new veterans. About three-quarters of these cases involved Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
More than half of the crimes involved guns while the rest were stabbings, beatings, strangulations and bath drownings, the report said. Twenty-five offenders faced murder, manslaughter or homicide charges for fatal car crashes resulting from drunken, reckless or suicidal driving.
A Pentagon spokesman questioned the methodology of the study, which examined local press reports to identify cases, and rejected the comparison of post-9/11 coverage with the previous six years. The rise might be due to newspaper reporters increased awareness of military service, a spokesman suggested, and questioned the "lumping together" of different kinds of crimes.
The New York Times said its study was conservative. "This reporting most likely uncovered only the minimum number of such cases, given that not all killings, especially in big cities and on military bases, are reported publicly or in detail," it added.
Interesting? Click here to explore further
New Court helps Combat veterans
Veterans Court
NEW VETERANS COURT HELPS VETS IN TROUBLE GET BACK
ON TRACK -- A small army of veterans advocates is putting the
finishing touches on what is believed to be the country's first
Veterans Court, where military veterans having problems
adjusting to civilian life will get special attention.
Vietnam War veteran Melvin Sharp, left, participated in a pilot Veterans Court program assisted by Gulf War veteran Peter Knauber, center, and presided over by Buffalo City Judge Robert T. Russell Jr., right. (photo: Derek Gee / Buffalo News)
I like this concept very much.
A Court that understands the special needs of veterans can only make Buffalo a better city.
Story here... http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/249609.html
Story below:
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FOCUS: WAR VETERANS
The new Veterans Court helps vets in trouble get back on track
By Lou Michel - News Staff Reporter
A small army of veterans advocates is putting the finishing touches on what is believed to be the country’s first Veterans Court, where military veterans having problems adjusting to civilian life will get special attention.
The goal is to intercept troubled veterans before they plunge further into an already overwhelmed criminal justice system, which lacks the resources to help them get their lives back on track.
“Rather than be reactionary, we thought if we could be proactive, we could design a system that would better serve our community, the veterans and their families,” said Buffalo City Court Judge Robert T. Russell Jr., who will preside over Veterans Court when it starts Tuesday.
In some ways, this court is similar to the Drug Court and Mental Health Court that Russell already supervises, offering defendants a chance to wipe the slate clean and avoid time behind bars so long as mandated treatment programs are followed.
The Veterans Court, operating in Buffalo City Court, will be open to all Erie County veterans who commit nonviolent offenses, even if the crimes occur outside city limits.
That’s because judges in other jurisdictions have the option of referring veterans to this special court.
And there’s no question of the need. A recent study determined more than 300 area veterans, many of them who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, entered the criminal justice system in 2007.
The move to create the new court for veterans was praised by West Huddleston, president of the National Association of Drug Courts in Alexandria, Va.
“It’s certainly the first designated veterans court in the United States, and it is a step in the right direction for veterans with post-traumatic stress, emotional and mental health issues,” Huddleston said, adding that the local judicial system is recognizing that these individuals, who sometimes turn to drugs and alcohol, require “help not punishment.”
Court officials here said that historically the criminal justice system has not done well with returning war veterans.
“Vietnam vets did not have this kind of service. The system was ill-prepared, and we’re hoping to learn from our mistakes,” said Henry G. Pirowski, a former Marine, social worker and project director for City Court.
Working with Pirowski on establishing the court, which will be in session every Tuesday, are Jack O’Connor and David Mann, co-founders of the Western New York Veterans Project.
Veterans need the special judicial attention, said Mann, who also works as a Buffalo police lieutenant.
“Nationally, we’re seeing an increase of domestic violence, child abuse and neglect among veterans. We also know that there are higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse, which sometimes leads to arrests,” Mann said.
In this mix of behavior, Pirowski said, are war-related psychological wounds.
“There’s a lot of self-medication with drugs and alcohol, and when you throw in post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries, it’s a formula for failure and unacceptable behavior,” he said.
Compounding the problem, Pirowski said, is that the veterans who need the help the most are the least likely to find it on their own.
“They have a warrior mentality. Treatment is for the weak, and so they don’t seek it,” he said.
But part of the message in Veterans Court is that there is no shame in accepting help. And the help will be comprehensive, going beyond drug and alcohol treatment and counseling from mental health experts:
• Homeless veterans will be placed in lodging.
• Unemployed veterans will receive job training and education at Erie Community College.
• Volunteer mentors will be assigned to work with the offending veterans.
“What we hear a lot in court is that ‘no one understands me,’ ‘they don’t know how I feel,’ and ‘I no longer fit in,’ ” Pirowski said.
That won’t be the case in Veterans Court.
“We have close to 20 veterans who are volunteering as mentors to help them readjust to civilian life,” Russell said. “It’s amazing to see how one veteran talking to another veteran can help in encouraging treatment.”
The judge witnessed this first hand through a pilot program of Veterans Court over the last year, in which more than 160 veterans, many from Iraq and Afghanistan, were assisted. But not all were from the latest wars.
Melvin Sharp is a Vietnam War vet, who wound up being committed to psychiatric treatment 54 times in the years following his return home from war in 1969.
The 60-year-old Cheektowaga man was able to avoid jail through the pilot program and received help.
“I started with illegal drugs in Vietnam, and when I came home, it led to a lot of criminal activity,” Sharp said. “Mentally, I cracked up in the 1980s, but through divine intervention for 17 years after that, I was able to kick the heroin and cocaine.”
That lasted until two years ago, when his life unraveled.
“I fell in with bad company and started using crack cocaine,” he said.
One of his relatives spoke with Russell’s office, and Sharp became one of the first to enter the pilot program. Since then, he has been attending a veterans support group in North Buffalo three times a week and has remained drug free.
That has allowed him to address other mental health issues that he tried to bury through drug use.
“Your eyes are opened to a much larger perspective and basically you see that the drugs were sheltering and hindering you,” Sharp said of his newfound sobriety.
No one knows the plight of troubled war veterans better than Peter Knauber, an Army Reservist from the first Gulf War. He will serve as the Veterans Court care coordinator, a job he already performs in the Drug and Mental Health courts.
Upon returning home from the 1991 war, Knauber, now 44, drank heavily and eventually turned to drugs.
He repeatedly sought help, but nothing worked until he was sent to Drug Court.
“It wasn’t that I just wanted to get out of trouble. I wanted to stop using,” Knauber said.
With court oversight, he succeeded in remaining focused and accountable. The result has been seven years drug free, a four-year college degree, and employment as care coordinator assigned to Ru ssell’s staff.
Knauber along with counselors from the Department of Veterans Affairs in Buffalo and other agencies say they plan to link veterans with the services that will help rebuild their lives.
And for those who embrace the second chance offered by Veterans Court, the prospects of staying out of trouble with the law are better than those of the typical criminal.
“The overall national average for recidivism is 60 to 80 percent. With vets we’ve worked with informally over the last three years, the rate has been 4 percent,” Pirowski said. And there’s another big plus.
Dr. Terri Julian, manager of the VA’s post-traumatic stress residential program in Batavia, says this type of early intervention will save lives that might otherwise be destroyed.
“If we can introduce opportunities for a healthier alternative, like treatment to deal with emotional problems and alcohol problems, then we are doing the veteran a service and society as well,” Julian said. There’s no disagreement on that point.
Pirowski says that while the criminal justice system lacks the resources to treat veterans, it will make a difference with the Veterans Court. “In the old days it was search and destroy,” said Pirowski, referring to his military service and that of other vets. “Now it’s identify and help.”
lmichel@buffnews.com
-------------------------
posted by Larry Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
Don't forget to read all of today's VA News Flashes (click here)
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Colonel Wingard US Army retired supports Hillary
Hillary Clinton best choice for president
Morning News, Florence, SC
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Opinion Editorial
Barringer F. Wingard, Jr., US Army Retired
A funny thing happened on the way to the 2004 elections. I first voted in 1968, and in the next nine elections, every four years through 2000, I vigorously and happily supported the republican. (I supported McCain, but reluctantly voted for Bush when he got the nomination). But, the Bush-Cheney cabal changed all that.
The foremost reason was the unnecessary Iraq invasion. Second, if I accepted the invasion of Iraq was in our national interest, was the way the administration disregarded the advice of military experts, ultimately mistreating and humiliating bona fide heroes like General Eric Shinseki. Another major contributing factor that soured me on this administration was the abysmal treatment of and disdain for veterans.
So in 2004, for the first time in the presidential election, this retired Soldier eagerly voted for the democrat. Today, my vehicles and lapel pins proudly proclaim, “Veterans for Hillary.” This sometimes leads to comments, even occasional chiding, expressed as, “How can you support her?!” Besides being the best candidate to be president, my answer is, “She supports us.”
In fact, Clinton’s US Senate record is unsurpassed in its support of military, veterans, and their families. There’s a reason the American Legion named Senator Clinton as an “unsung hero” of the 108th Congress.
Her history of fighting for veterans extends to her days as First Lady when she called attention to Gulf War Syndrome. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, she’s a fixture on bills making lives better for the extended military family. Clinton led the fight for legislation securing additional support for disabled veterans, increasing funding for VA hospitals, and victoriously fighting administration attempts to increase prescription drug payments.
Clinton’s efforts led to health tracking systems for active, National Guard, and reserve personnel to secure means for regular treatment. Of significance, she crossed party lines to work with Lindsay Graham expanding healthcare benefit opportunities for National Guard and reserve personnel.
Her Heroes at Home legislation hugely benefits our returning warriors. First, it provided family members of Soldiers suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) with basic skills and training to better assist loved ones. Next, it enhanced the detection, assessment, and treatment of TBI while expanding support systems for service members and their families. Third, the Heroes bill identified paths to help Guard and reservists transition into civilian life.
As a result of Clinton’s efforts, the survivor benefit was raised from $12,000 to $100,000. It was Clinton who initiated a petition to the Postmaster General that compelled the Postal Service to continue recognizing our wounded with the Purple Heart Stamp.
Clinton’s focus on the future is evidenced by introduction of the Gold Star Parents Annuity Act that provides monthly stipends to parents whose son or daughter made the ultimate sacrifice. Other legislation enables service members deployed to a combat zone, or hospitalized as a result of that service, means for families to receive free postage on some mail or packages.
Clinton’s agenda as president includes implementing a new GI Bill of Rights with less red tape to access the VA, micro-loans for small business start ups, expanded home ownership opportunities, protection against predatory lenders, and educational scholarships. She seeks guaranteed, mandatory funding for veterans’ healthcare, relieving the VA of annual fights for funds to treat wounded. She will reverse the current administration’s attempts to hold down pay raises by promoting war time pay raises to eliminate the need for troops to rely on food stamps.
Nearly three years ago in Afghanistan, I was part of a briefing team for a delegation of five US Senators, including Clinton, John McCain, and SC’s Lindsay Graham. While I have the utmost respect for McCain and Graham, my foremost memory of that encounter is just how extraordinary Clinton was. And, it was not just me. During the “hot-wash” following the briefing and question and answer period, the general consensus of the team of military officers was that Clinton was most prepared, surprisingly astute, highly intelligent, and…most important…genuinely interested in our message and what we were trying to accomplish.
I like lots about Hillary Clinton. Besides her established, solid record and pledge to fulfill obligations for our military family, I’m excited about her experience on the world stage, her devotion to resolving healthcare concerns, and her incredible work ethic, passion, leadership, and patriotism.
For the first time in my life, I fear America, in most corners of earth, is not considered the greatest country on earth. The USA must regain its stature as the beacon of hope, and Hillary Clinton is best qualified, not only to reach across the political aisles, but to embrace the world and restore our nation’s tarnished image. I look forward to her being our next Commander-in-Chief.
Barringer F. Wingard, Jr. is a retired US Army colonel, who served in Operation Enduring Freedom from January to November, 2005.
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Learn about Senator Clinton's Support for Troops, Veterans, Military Retirees and Families by Clicking Here
Hillary on the Issues
Senator Clinton has a long history of fighting for our veterans. She believes that once service members have fulfilled their duty to our country, our country must fulfill it’s obligation to them. As First Lady, Hillary called attention to Gulf War Syndrome.
As the first member of the Senate Armed Services Committee from New York, she has traveled overseas to witness firsthand the incredible honor and courage of our troops. And in the Senate, she has consistently taken a leading role in improving mental health services, access to medical care, family benefits, and assistance in transitioning to civilian life for our veterans.
As a presidential candidate, Hillary’s Veterans Agenda includes:
A new G.I. Bill of Rights. Hillary has proposed a new bargain with our troops. Her plan would reduce the level of red tape facing our wounded service members and veterans; make available microloans for entrepreneurial ventures up to $100,000; expand opportunities for veterans to purchase, build, repair or improve a home; protect service members against predatory lending, insurance, and other financial practices; and provide educational scholarships for those who have served.
Guaranteed, mandatory funding of our veteran’s healthcare system. Hillary does not think that the Veteran’s Administration should be fighting every year to get the funding necessary to care for our wounded Veterans. She has called for full funding of veterans’ health care, taking into account the fluctuating number of veterans and inflation in each year going forward.
A pay raise for wartime troops. One in five military families rely on food stamps and other public assistance to survive and last year's pay increase for members of the uniformed services was just 2.2 percent, the lowest since 1994. Hillary has called upon President Bush to increase pay for our troops by 3.5%.
A monthly stipend for Gold Star Parents. Hillary introduced the Gold Star Parents Annuity Act, legislation that would provide a $125 monthly stipend to surviving mothers and fathers whose sons or daughters lost their lives while serving in the Armed Forces during a period of war for the rest of their lives.
Free postage for the family and friends of service members. Hillary introduced legislation that provides each service member deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan or hospitalized at a Department of Defense (DOD) facility as a result of service in Iraq or Afghanistan with a voucher every two months that would enable his or her family or friends to send the service member one free package or piece of mail (up to ten pounds).
Senator Hillary Clinton’s Record:
In the Senate, Hillary has championed legislation to improve the lives of our veterans and their families. She has secured funding for Veterans’ hospitals, and secured additional support for disabled veterans. She also successfully fought off the Administration's proposal to double the co-payment for prescription drugs of certain veterans.
She created a health tracking system for all active duty personnel and Reservists to ensure that they receive regular check ups; and expanded access to military healthcare benefits (TRICARE) for all Guard and Reserve members whether they are on active duty or not in order to prevent another illness like Gulf War Syndrome.
She successfully passed her Heroes at Home legislation, which helps family members learn to support loved ones suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), identify ways to help Guardsmen and Reservists transition back to civilian jobs, and assess the mental health challenges – including PTSD – faced by members of the Guard and Reserve. Hillary’s initiative improves the detection, assessment and treatment of traumatic brain injury and expands support systems for members and former members of the Armed Services with traumatic brain injury and their families.
She passed legislation to increase the military survivor benefit from $12,000 to $100,000.
Clinton successfully worked to address Veterans’ mental health needs. In part as a result of her efforts, the Veterans Administration will be directed to take into consideration the needs and concerns of Veterans as it proceeds with the CARES process.
Hilary wrote to Postmaster General John Potter, and launched a petition on her website to urge the Postmaster General to continue issuing the Purple Heart stamp. Hundreds of people signed the petition which were then delivered to Postmaster General John Potter. As a result, the U.S. Postal Service decided to continue printing the Purple Heart Stamp despite the recent rate change.
In recognition of her efforts, the American Legion named Senator Clinton an “unsung hero” of the 108th congress for her leadership in securing record increases in funding for
Questions for Presidential Candidates?
I realize in the main scheme of things we veterans are only to be used for photo ops at rally's, and VFW and DAV national meetings, where politicians can come and show their "support" for the "troops".
Where are the candidates statements about yesterdays HUGE win in federal court as shown by our own Melissa Kasnitz, a DRA lawyer on the case her and the other lawyers on this case show real support for the troops, instead of photo ops, they are doing the hard work to get them help. Which the Department of Veterans Affairs has failed to do, under the Bush administration and all previous administrations. This has been business as usual since the end of WW2, George W Bush did not create this mess, but he has done nothing to fix it either.
We are in a "change election" fine as a disabled veteran, I want to hear what the leading contenders for the office of the President, the next Commander in Chief are going to do to fix the problems that U.S. District Judge Samuel Conti, a conservative jurist and a World War II veteran, rejected Bush administration arguments that civil courts have no authority over the Department of Veterans Affairs' medical decisions or how it handles grievances and claims. If the plaintiffs can prove their allegations, Conti said, they would show that "thousands of veterans, if not more, are suffering grievous injuries as the result of their inability to procure desperately needed and obviously deserved health care."
He said federal courts are competent to decide whether those injuries were caused by flaws in the health care system and the VA's grievance procedures.
Conti did not rule on the adequacy of the treatment system, which will be addressed in future proceedings. But he decided one disputed issue, finding that veterans are legally entitled to two years of health care after leaving the service. The government had argued that it was required to provide only as much care as the VA's budget allowed in a given year.
SF Gate article
Judge Conti also took issue with the governments contentions that veterans claims process was non-adversarial he seems to think it is anything but
Conti also said the VA system, originally intended as an informal procedure to help veterans resolve their claims, has morphed into an adversarial process in which claimants have to comply with formal legal rules, often without a lawyer.
"It is within the court's power to insist that veterans be granted a level of due process that is commensurate with the adjudication procedures with which they are confronted," Conti said.
Efforts to reach the Justice Department were unsuccessful.
Our own Ilona wrote this excellent diary on July 23, 2007 right after the lawsuit was filed
Now my questions to all of the Presidential Candidates, Senators, Clinton, Obama, Edwards, McCain, Governor Romney, Hiz Honor da Mayor 911, and Preacher Mike, are the following:
Do you really need this Judge to rule on what the VA should be doing to help this nations veterans, or will you move to make immediate changes during your first month in office?
Will help for PTSD be made available to veterans for their entire lives or only in the first few years after discharge, many veterans never admit to PTSD symptoms until as much as 30-40 years later, ask Senator Max Cleland he just sought help for the first time for PTSD last year, more than 40 years after he left Vietnam.
What help are you going to give to the families of veterans suffering from PTSD, as those of us who deal with PTSD realize it is not only the veteran affected by it, but the entire family, spouses, kids, parents, brothers and sisters, how is the government going to help them?
What changes are you going to make to help veterans and their families? Or is everything going to be driven by a budget that must be contained to with a few percentage points year in and year out? Fully funded health care for this nations veterans is not to much to ask for, they all put their lives on the line to serve this nation, the least the nation can do it to keep the PROMISE
The promise is for you that do not know, is if anything happens to you while on active duty, injury, death etc the "grateful nation" will take care of you and your family medically and financially for the rest of your lives. A small price to pay for one who has given their greatest gift to a fellow citizen, their life, or even their quality of life, the price military members and their families pay is extreme, and the promises should be kept.
What will you Presidential contenders do for this nations veterans and their families?Sphere: Related Content
Congressman Walter Jones NC to hold open military forum
Congressman Walter Jones to hold Military Forum on Jan 21
Jones to speak on military affairs
Third District Congressman Walter B. Jones will be addressing the Alliance of Retired Military at their regularly scheduled meeting on Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. in Moffatt Auditorium at Wayne Community College.
All military retirees, veterans, and active duty members of all military services are invited. Jones is expected to speak on a number of important issues regarding the military, including health care.
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on January 13, 2008 02:04 AM
Hat tip to Billings Gazette
Billings Gazette OPED ON Veterans Healthcare
(2)
Published on Sunday, January 13, 2008
Gazette Opinion: VA must catch up with veterans' growing needs
In the past six years, 1.5 million U.S. military personnel have served our country in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. About half of them have since left military service.
These new veterans have swelled the Veterans Administration health care enrollment nationwide. And many have found the system wasn't ready to provide the care needed.
The VA is scrambling to meet their needs. The budget Congress approved just before Christmas should provide a significant increase in resources for both VA health care and benefits administration - $3.7 billion more than President Bush requested. As of last week, Bush had yet to authorize that "emergency" spending, but has indicated he will.
Because of the intense, prolonged combat work that many thousands of U.S. military members have experienced in these ongoing wars, post-traumatic stress disorder has emerged as the most common mental health problem among new veterans. Mental health issues overall are estimated to account for nearly a quarter of all the illnesses and injuries the VA is treating.
The influx of veterans and the gaps in the care system have been apparent in Montana as they have been elsewhere. Improvements are under way.
Tragedy spurs improvement
Tragically, it was the death of a Helena National Guardsman, Chris Dana, that finally prompted changes in outreach, education and mental health services. Dana's family, friends, fellow Guardsmen and Gov. Brian Schweitzer pushed for improving how both the Guard and the VA will serve returning combat veterans. For example, because returning service members may not realize they have a mental health problem or may be reluctant to seek help, since April 2007, all returning members are supposed to receive additional screenings.
Phay Lloyd, who coordinates services to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans for VA Montana, now has direct contact with the Montana National Guard and Reserves. Earlier in the wars, Lloyd said, VA didn't get information on returning personnel. Since last year, the Guard has required all members returning from deployment to enroll with the VA. A couple of weeks ago, Lloyd said, the VA received contact information on all Montana Guardsmen who have served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom and will contact them to inform them of VA services.
VA Montana is recruiting for 16 new mental health professional positions, including two psychiatrists, according to Joe Underkofler, director of the statewide VA health system. The plan is to station one new psychiatrist in Billings and one in Helena. For now, the VA has just three psychiatrists on staff statewide, all at the VA hospital in Helena. But all 10 outreach clinics have telemedicine capabilities, so it's possible for patients at the clinics to be seen remotely by VA psychiatrists. For now, the Billings VA clinic at King Avenue West and 24th Street West has just one mental health professional on staff, a licensed professional counselor who also is a chemical dependency counselor.
VA Montana has contracted most of its mental health services to the private, nonprofit regional mental health centers that are headquartered in Billings, Great Falls and Missoula. The Billings-based center has satellite offices in surrounding counties and also subcontracts VA service to the Eastern Montana Mental Health Center, which has offices in Miles City and several other towns.
The VA wants to "increase our mental health presence in Billings," Underkofler said. This spring the VA will put out a request for proposals for a new Billings VA clinic with twice the space of the existing site to accommodate mental health services as well as expand primary care. Underkofler wants to open the larger clinic by September.
Tremendous growth in enrollees
VA Montana has more than 31,000 veterans enrolled for health care, about a third of all Montana veterans, Underkofler said. That enrollment number represents tremendous growth. In 2001, VA Montana served 17,000 veterans. Last year, VA Montana counted 250,000 patient visits to VA facilities and an additional 25,000 veteran visits to mental health centers around the state.
The VA and the U.S. military are playing catchup. Finally, changes have been made and services are expanding, especially in the critical area of mental health care. Will these new and planned improvements be enough to meet needs of the growing veteran ranks?
The VA's newly appointed secretary, James Peake, should institute independent patient satisfaction surveys and report publicly on how well the department is meeting veterans' expectations. On mental health care, the VA also must tackle the stigma that keeps people from seeking the help they need. Again, the department ought listen to veterans, their families and service organization about how to make care more accessible and less intimidating.
Congress was right to boost VA funding. Senators and representatives must keep tabs on that money and the department's performance. The war isn't over; the need for Iraq-Afghanistan veteran mental health care is just beginning.
Monday's Gazette opinion will address concerns about the VA's handling of disability claims.
Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
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