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.
