Civilians often don't get PTSD help
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Gilbert Baez
More: Bio, News Team
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- Troops returning from war zones go through a rigorous reentry screening to check for signs of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.
But, there are thousands of civilian contractors returning from Iraq and Afghanistan without any check for mental health problems.
Alice Redding is a computer systems engineer. She has spent more than a year in Iraq and Afghanistan as a civilian contractor setting up servers and computer systems for soldiers.
Redding has flown with the troops into combat zones wearing a flack jack and helmet and has come under fire. Now that's she's back home in Fayetteville, it's emotionally tough.
"I would wake up and realize I'm not there anymore. But it would take me a moment to realize that. And speaking to some of my friends that are retirees from the military, that do have PTSD, they recognize - they say hey you've got a touch of PTSD," she explained.
read more here
Friday, December 2, 2011
Civilian contractors from war zones not getting help for PTSD
As far as I know, this report is totally right in reporting that no one is tracking them and even fewer people are helping them. I track these reports all the time and have seen very little reports about civilian employees coming home and getting help.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this Kathie
ReplyDeleteThere is a government mandated Workers Compensation The Defense Base Act that all civlian contractors working US Gov funded contracts must be covered under.
The program is poorly overseen by the US Department of Labor and is provided by private insurance companies CNA, AIG, ACE, Zurich who routinely deny benefits to even the most severely wounded contractors and deny death benefits to the families of those killed.
PTSD diagnoses and treatment is covered under the DBA but it is very difficult to get them to pay for it.
My husband was blown up in July of 2003 and while diagnosed with PTSD and TBI the insurance company CNA has never paid one dime for diagnoses or treatment.
Marcie, thank you for writing and I am very sorry that this happened but until reporters bother to tell the public, like this just did in this piece, there is no chance of getting it changed.
ReplyDeleteAfter all, remember the general public doesn't pay attention to the people in the military so it is very unlikely they would pay attention to people working with the military.
Keep talking about it and someone with the power to change it will hear you.
thank you for your post; I was and International police advisor embedded with our millitary and have also been diagnosed with ptsd. I worry a great deal about all of the U.S. civilian Police that served in iraq or afganistan and have no help at all when they get home. Most will not seek help for fear of being labled and losing there job; after all what department would give a police offic
ReplyDeleteer a job who has been diagnosed with PTSD. Many individuals go without help and continue to struggle just to make it through the day. I know Where do they go now? They will fall through the cracks and perhaps years from now someone will bring them up in a history class, maybe.
I can only speak for me I could not have done three tours in Iraq for money I needed to believe in our cause and perhaps I'm niav but I still do.
Thank you Ron. If I can help you in anyway, please just email me at woundedtimes@aol.com
ReplyDelete