More on BushCo - lack of Concern for Troops; vets clogging underfunded system Emotionally injured vets clogging underfunded system, new reports say http://www.VeteransforAmerica.org/index.cfm/Page/Article/ID/8515 Veterans with emotional disorders are overloading treatment facilities, which haven't received the funding they need to provide adequate help, according to two new government reports. Paul Sullivan, director of programs for Veterans for America, a veterans advocacy group, said the Vet Center report was disturbing but not surprising. "We've been saying that VA is in crisis," he said. "It shows that VA does not have a plan. This is additional evidence." ------------------ ORIGINAL; Emotionally injured vets clogging underfunded system, new reports say Eric Newhouse
Great Falls Tribune (Montana) http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061020/NEWS01/610200318/1002 Oct 20, 2006 Veterans with emotional disorders are overloading treatment facilities, which haven't received the funding they need to provide adequate help, according to two new government reports. But Montana VA officials in Helena said their new budget gives them 10 percent more funding this fiscal year than last. A report issued Thursday from the House Veterans Affairs Committee's Democratic staff found that the number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have sought help for post-traumatic stress disorder doubled - from nearly 4,500 to more than 9,000 - from October 2005 through June 2006. The number of veterans with other types of possible mental health and readjustment problems also doubled, and in some cases tripled, the report said. In Montana, VA Director Joe Underkofler said the workload has increased tremendously, but mostly among Vietnam-era to Desert Storm-era vets. "We attribute that to two reasons," Underkofler said Thursday. "Many of them (Iraq vets) are still active in their military organizations and they avoid seeking treatment. "And they're wary of admitting any problem in that field - it's the not-me syndrome," he said. Half of the Vet Centers sampled reported that their expanding caseloads have affected their ability to treat their current clientele. "The administration's failure to increase staffing and other resources for Vet Centers has put their capacity to meet the needs of veterans and their families at risk," the report stated. Among the other findings in the report: 40 percent of the centers have sent veterans with readjustment issues who should be receiving individualized therapy into group therapy. 30 percent said they need more staff. 25 percent cut services and created waiting lists. 20 percent said they have either limited or no capability to provide counseling or therapy for families dealing with veterans suffering from PTSD or other mental health problems. Greg Burham, team leader for the Missoula Vets Center, did not return phone calls Thursday. In Great Falls, twice as many vets seek help now at the Center for Mental Health than four years ago, said executive director Mike McLaughlin. The center, which contracts with the VA to provide mental health care for vets, is treating 25 percent more patients than it did 18 months ago, McLaughlin said. "Right now, we're gearing up," said Underkofler. "We've added a lot of mental health workers in the last few months, so I think we're able to deal with the current load." Paul Sullivan, director of programs for Veterans for America, a veterans advocacy group, said the Vet Center report was disturbing but not surprising. "We've been saying that VA is in crisis," he said. "It shows that VA does not have a plan. This is additional evidence." The VA vastly underestimated the number of PTSD cases it expected to see this year, predicting it would see 2,900 cases. As of June, VA staff saw more than 34,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans for PTSD, Sullivan said. Meanwhile, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported late last month that the Bush administration failed to fully fund its promised $300 million to address gaps in access and quality of mental health services for veterans over the past two years. Preliminary findings of the GAO study show the VA actually budgeted only half - approximately $53 million - of the $100 million it had committed to mental health care initiatives in fiscal year 2005. VA also claimed to allocate another $35 million in FY 2005 through a general fund, but the GAO found "VA did not notify networks that these funds were to be used for (mental health) plan initiatives" and that medical center officials "were unaware that any portion of their general allocation was to be specifically used for mental health strategic plan initiatives." VA did not distribute the remaining $12 million of the promised money because VA officials claimed there was not enough time to distribute the funds, GAO said. For fiscal year 2006, GAO found that VA failed to distribute all of the promised $200 million for additional mental health care staff, allocating only $92 million for new initiatives and $66 million to continue efforts from FY 2005. "The prime problem was that it was too much, too late," said Underkofler at Fort Harrison. "When you get money in the last three months of the fiscal year (which ended Sept. 30), there's an onus from my standpoint to spend it wisely, not just to spend it," he added. Underkofler said the Montana VA managed to use most of the money immediately, but carried a little over to this fiscal year. "For this fiscal year, there's generous funding for the VA, so I'll be able to add staff," he said. "And that directly affects programs like PTSD, so we can have a better impact on (patients') lives. "This fiscal year, our facility will receive about a 10-percent increase," said Underkofler. 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