New Administration brings Grassley out on old problem

Update,,,here's the rest of the story
Senators seek review of military's personality-disorder discharges

By DAVID GOLDSTEIN
McClatchy Newspapers
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In the Senate, Barack Obama fought for better mental-health care for troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now that he's president, some of his former colleagues want him to pick up the gauntlet once more and make sure troops are getting the benefits they deserve.

"In 2007, we were partners in the fight against the military's misuse of personality disorder discharges," four senators - Democrat Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Republicans Charles Grassley of Iowa, Kit Bond of Missouri and Sam Brownback of Kansas - wrote in a letter this week asking Obama for a report to Congress on the current use of the discharges. "Today we urge you to renew your commitment to address this critical issue facing thousands of returning service members."

Because the military views personality disorders as a pre-existing condition, many service members returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health problems have been unable to receive health benefits. There have been questions, however, about how scrupulous the military has been in making sure that the personality disorder discharges were proper.

A Pentagon spokeswoman said the department would have no immediate comment.

Obama was the junior Democratic senator from Illinois two years ago when he and other lawmakers asked the military to examine how it treated troops who came home with mental disorders.

Failing to get a response from the Pentagon, several senators, including Bond, Obama and Democrat Claire McCaskill of Missouri, asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate.

They were concerned about the rising number of troops who were returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions. Many were diagnosed with personality disorders.

"In many instances, service members discharged with 'personality disorders' are forced to repay thousands of dollars to the federal government in re-enlistment bonuses they deserved while serving in hazardous combat conditions," the senators said in their letter this week to the president.
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http://www.kansascity.com/444/story/1519533.html

Where has he been all these years on this when his friends were voting against fixing any of this?

Grassley questions military over dismissal of soldiers with PTSD
by Matt Kelley on October 20, 2009

in Military

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is calling on the nation’s military leaders to document how they’re working to solve the problem of combat soldiers being unfairly discharged due to undiagnosed cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Grassley says some soldiers may’ve been kicked out, then forced to repay bonuses they got for re-enlisting, even though it was the wartime experiences that were the root cause of their mental health issues. Grassley says a recent study found flaws in the U.S. military’s procedures when troops return home from battle zones.

“The Pentagon failed to meet key personality disorder separation requirements,” Grassley says. “This means some members of the military may’ve been discharged for pre-existing personality disorders when it’s possible the disorders could have been due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
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Grassley questions military over dismissal of soldiers with PTSD