Mental Health Funds Lacking in Florida
WJHG-TV
Large numbers of veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. They are also finding delays in getting treatment. Mark Alvarez is the commander of VFW post 3308. He believes that as many as 40 percent coming home are feeling the effects of combat.
"They're very quiet, you know, very edgy sometimes. They lose their focus at times," said Commander Alvarez.
A swamped Veterans Administration is the first place for those seeking help to turn.
After that, it is private or state programs. The problem is that Florida ranks 50th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in mental health funding. Experts say the state is losing ground.
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Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Reverse Boot Camp to Prep Troops to Leave Military
Reverse Boot Camp to Prep Troops to Leave Military
Jul 23, 2012
Stars and Stripes
by Leo Shane III
WASHINGTON -- Troops leaving the military will go through a five- to seven-day reverse boot camp covering job skills, personal finances and veterans benefits under a new initiative to be announced by President Barack Obama on Monday.
At a speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention in Nevada, Obama will outline the program -- dubbed Transition Goals Planning Success, or Transition GPS -- as part of a wider effort to help curb veterans unemployment and the difficult integration into civilian life for many troops.
The overhaul is the first significant change in the military's Transition Assistance Program in more than 20 years. It comes in response to criticism that the current three-day voluntary program is outdated and too superficial.
According to senior administration officials, the new Transition GPS will include a pre-separation assessment and individual counseling for all troops, development of an personal transition plan, and certification that the servicemember has met "career readiness" standards before leaving the military. The program also includes efforts to provide career counseling and credentialing opportunity throughout a service member's military career, officials said.
The new five-day transition curriculum, created by an interagency task force, will cover lessons in basic budgeting tips, resume preparation, dealing with family adjustment issues, and translating military skills into a civilian environment.
Representatives from the Departments of Labor and Veterans Affairs will brief outgoing troops on post-service benefits.
Officials said troops will also be offered another two-day course in one of three categories: attending college, getting a technical or civilian-credentialed job, or starting a business from scratch.
read more here
Jul 23, 2012
Stars and Stripes
by Leo Shane III
WASHINGTON -- Troops leaving the military will go through a five- to seven-day reverse boot camp covering job skills, personal finances and veterans benefits under a new initiative to be announced by President Barack Obama on Monday.
At a speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention in Nevada, Obama will outline the program -- dubbed Transition Goals Planning Success, or Transition GPS -- as part of a wider effort to help curb veterans unemployment and the difficult integration into civilian life for many troops.
The overhaul is the first significant change in the military's Transition Assistance Program in more than 20 years. It comes in response to criticism that the current three-day voluntary program is outdated and too superficial.
According to senior administration officials, the new Transition GPS will include a pre-separation assessment and individual counseling for all troops, development of an personal transition plan, and certification that the servicemember has met "career readiness" standards before leaving the military. The program also includes efforts to provide career counseling and credentialing opportunity throughout a service member's military career, officials said.
The new five-day transition curriculum, created by an interagency task force, will cover lessons in basic budgeting tips, resume preparation, dealing with family adjustment issues, and translating military skills into a civilian environment.
Representatives from the Departments of Labor and Veterans Affairs will brief outgoing troops on post-service benefits.
Officials said troops will also be offered another two-day course in one of three categories: attending college, getting a technical or civilian-credentialed job, or starting a business from scratch.
read more here
UK:'One in eight soldiers' commits violence on return
'One in eight soldiers' commits violence on return
By Jane Deith
24 July 2012
One in eight soldiers has attacked someone after coming home from a combat deployment, research suggests.
Ministry of Defence-funded researchers surveyed 13,000 Army personnel and say they found a link between combat and trauma, and violent behaviour - often towards their partners.
Former head of the Army General Richard Dannatt warned a cultural change is needed within the forces.
The Ministry of Defence said it had measures to manage violence.
The study by Dr Deirdre MacManus, at The Kings Centre for Military Health Research, found an association between soldiers' experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, and violent behaviour at home.
Soldiers involved in direct combat were twice as likely as others to admit having hit someone at the end of the tour, the research found.
A third of the victims were someone in the family - often a wife or girlfriend.
read more here
By Jane Deith
24 July 2012
One in eight soldiers has attacked someone after coming home from a combat deployment, research suggests.
Ministry of Defence-funded researchers surveyed 13,000 Army personnel and say they found a link between combat and trauma, and violent behaviour - often towards their partners.
Former head of the Army General Richard Dannatt warned a cultural change is needed within the forces.
The Ministry of Defence said it had measures to manage violence.
The study by Dr Deirdre MacManus, at The Kings Centre for Military Health Research, found an association between soldiers' experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, and violent behaviour at home.
Soldiers involved in direct combat were twice as likely as others to admit having hit someone at the end of the tour, the research found.
A third of the victims were someone in the family - often a wife or girlfriend.
read more here
AP VA fact check missing facts
UPDATE July 25, 2012
Shinseki: Backlog means VA reaching more vets
This is what AP reported as FACT CHECK
These are the real facts.
June 4, 2009, Subcommittee approves bill easing PTSD compensation for vets
October 13, 2009 VA Extends "Agent Orange" Benefits to More Veterans
August 6, 2010 Court orders VA to act on new Agent Orange findings
These are just examples of what happened to increase the number of veterans filing claims on top of the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans filing claims. The other truth is that there were less doctors and nurses working for the VA than after the Gulf War. Another factor is the layoffs and employment freezes that happened all over the country along with the other fact that every state is different when it comes to taking care of veterans.
Here's another one
July 23, 2012 Political Shenanigans Target Veterans
Obama had to deal with the congress screaming about cutting the public workers at the same time each state was doing the same and then they started to complain about what they were all a part of all these years because the media let them get away with it and now, now they are FACT CHECKING?
Did AP mention how the elected GOP in congress want to turn the VA over to private companies and this very well could be part of their plan to do it? Break it so they can get rid of it.
Shinseki: Backlog means VA reaching more vets
This is what AP reported as FACT CHECK
FACT CHECK: Disability claims still growing at VA
By By KEVIN FREKING – 8 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama paints an encouraging picture of the additional resources his administration has poured into helping veterans get disability benefits and mental health treatment. But he glosses over just how much those problems have grown during his time in office.
Obama spoke Monday to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. His Republican rival for the White House, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, is set to address the same group Tuesday. A look at Obama's assertions about the Veterans Affairs Department's efforts and how they compare with the facts:
OBAMA: "We've hired thousands of claims processors. We're investing in paperless systems. To their credit, the dedicated folks at the VA are now completing 1 million claims a year, but there's been a tidal wave of new claims."
THE FACTS: Veterans can be eligible for help with conditions caused or aggravated by their military service. The government, however, has long struggled to keep up with the claims, and the backlog has grown worse during the president's term in office as soldiers return from Iraq and Afghanistan.
read more here
These are the real facts.
VA: NEARLY 500 CRITICAL DOCUMENTS FOUND IN SHREDDER BINS
ALL VA SHREDDER SCANDAL ARTICLES HERE...
UPDATE: NEW VA FIGURES SHOW NATIONWIDE PROBLEM WITH SHREDDING CRITICAL DOCUMENTS (10-23-08)VA finds hundreds of documents critical to veterans' claims in shredder bins across the country.AND --
FILNER COMPARES VA TO "KEYSTONE COPS," TO HOLD HEARING ON SHREDDING IN NOVEMBER (10-24-08)
DAV "OUTRAGED" BY VA SHREDDER SCANDAL (10-24-08)
HISTORY OF DECEPTION: VA ATTORNEYS CONVICTED OF DESTROYING DOCUMENTS (10-22-08)
FEDERAL JUDGE FINES VA FOR SHREDDING CRITICAL DOCUMENTS ... IN 1987 (10-20-08)
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 38 CFR Part 3
RIN 2900-AN04
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Interim final rule.
SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is amending its adjudication regulations regarding service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by eliminating the requirement of evidence corroborating occurrence of the claimed in-service stressor in claims in which PTSD is diagnosed in service. This amendment is necessary to facilitate the proof of service connection in such claims. By this amendment, we intend to reduce claim-processing time for such claims.
Unopened claims letters hidden at VA offices
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Mar 3, 2009 17:22:51 EST
A new report about Veterans Affairs Department employees squirreling away tens of thousands of unopened letters related to benefits claims is sparking fresh concerns that veterans and their survivors are being cheated out of money.
VA officials acknowledge further credibility problems based on a new report of a previously undisclosed 2007 incident in which workers at a Detroit regional office turned in 16,000 pieces of unprocessed mail and 717 documents turned up in New York in December during amnesty periods in which workers were promised no one would be penalized.
“Veterans have lost trust in VA,” Michael Walcoff, VA’s under secretary for benefits, said at a hearing Tuesday. “That loss of trust is understandable, and winning back that trust will not be easy.”
Crisis at the VA as Benefits Claims Backlog Nearly Tops One Million
Monday, 01 June 2009
By Jason Leopold
During the past four months, the Department of Veterans Affairs backlog of unfinished disability claims from grew by more than 100,000, adding to an already mountainous backlog that is now close to topping one million.
The VA's claims backlog, which includes all benefits claims and all appeals at the Veterans Benefits Administration and the Board of Veterans Appeals at VA, was 803,000 on Jan. 5, 2009. The backlog hit 915,000 on May 4, 2009, a staggering 14 percent increase in four months.
June 4, 2009, Subcommittee approves bill easing PTSD compensation for vets
October 13, 2009 VA Extends "Agent Orange" Benefits to More Veterans
August 6, 2010 Court orders VA to act on new Agent Orange findings
These are just examples of what happened to increase the number of veterans filing claims on top of the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans filing claims. The other truth is that there were less doctors and nurses working for the VA than after the Gulf War. Another factor is the layoffs and employment freezes that happened all over the country along with the other fact that every state is different when it comes to taking care of veterans.
Here's another one
July 23, 2012 Political Shenanigans Target Veterans
Obama had to deal with the congress screaming about cutting the public workers at the same time each state was doing the same and then they started to complain about what they were all a part of all these years because the media let them get away with it and now, now they are FACT CHECKING?
Did AP mention how the elected GOP in congress want to turn the VA over to private companies and this very well could be part of their plan to do it? Break it so they can get rid of it.
Gun range owner says Army Reserve officer prayed before pulling trigger
Gun range owner haunted by recent suicide on premises
July 23, 2012
by Jon Burkett
COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. (WTVR)–The owner of The Smoking Gun pistol range didn’t want to appear on TV, but he did want to set the record straight about the suicide inside his business five days ago.
It’s a death that he says has made it hard to sleep at night.
It began with the sound of gunshots inside a shooting range. It’s safe to say it’s common to hear that sound there, but a shot last week still haunts the range owner. “I yelled, ‘Lieutenant!” he said. “’You have five minutes,’ but he didn’t acknowledge me.”
Second Lieutenant James Cho, an Army Reserve officer was dead. The gunshot wound to the head was later determined to be a suicide. The Smoking Gun’s owner says Cho was in a position that he’ll never forget.
“It appeared as if he was praying, trying to make peace with god, I guess.”
Sources tell CBS 6 Cho was under an Army investigation for an alleged criminal act but wouldn’t give further details. The range owner says he met Cho twice: the day of, and the day before his death.
read more here
Fort Lee Army Officer dies at shooting range
July 23, 2012
by Jon Burkett
COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. (WTVR)–The owner of The Smoking Gun pistol range didn’t want to appear on TV, but he did want to set the record straight about the suicide inside his business five days ago.
It’s a death that he says has made it hard to sleep at night.
It began with the sound of gunshots inside a shooting range. It’s safe to say it’s common to hear that sound there, but a shot last week still haunts the range owner. “I yelled, ‘Lieutenant!” he said. “’You have five minutes,’ but he didn’t acknowledge me.”
Second Lieutenant James Cho, an Army Reserve officer was dead. The gunshot wound to the head was later determined to be a suicide. The Smoking Gun’s owner says Cho was in a position that he’ll never forget.
“It appeared as if he was praying, trying to make peace with god, I guess.”
Sources tell CBS 6 Cho was under an Army investigation for an alleged criminal act but wouldn’t give further details. The range owner says he met Cho twice: the day of, and the day before his death.
read more here
Fort Lee Army Officer dies at shooting range
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