Written By: Erik Stryder
Editor: Nigel Woodford
President Obama is finally addressing an issue that was overlooked and lied about during the Bush administration. The President wants to increase the VA budget in the amount of 25 billion dollars over the next five years, paying particular attention to PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and the plight of homeless veterans.
During the last administration, we were constantly subjected to Bush/Cheney sound-bites describing the patriotism and bravery of our military. Away from the cameras, it was a very different story. When they weren't singing the praises of the American military, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney were busy ham-stringing veterans services and benefits.
The blatant denial of services even included misdirection of services through mis-diagnosis. Staff psychiatrists and psychologists were instructed not to be too quick to diagnose PTSD because the VA did not have the budget or the staff to treat the condition. Meanwhile, our veterans suffered the consequences of an administration that was eager to make war, but not to accept the long term responsibility that accompanies warfare.
The neglect of American military veterans by the United States government has been deplorable. Actually, deplorable is not a word strong enough to describe the way in which our veterans have been treated. When I consider the present state of the VA and the conservative schmucks who deny that it is happening, I become angry beyond words. Let's understand something right out of the gate; a proposed VA budget and a passed VA budget are two different things! Congress finally managed a comprehensive bi-partisan VA budget increase, and the man who looooves the military VETOED the bill!!!! Republicans vivid political fairy-tales and fantasies do NOT change the reality of veterans health-care! Ask any COMBAT veteran with a Purple Heart! In some cases, a field hospital is less horrific than a VA hospital!
Let's talk about homeless veterans for a while, or rather, let's talk about how they came to be homeless. I am going to bore the reader with statistics for a bit, but please understand two things: 1) these stats. are conservative estimates due to the obviously transient nature of the homeless, and 2) these statistics have a direct relationship with the root cause of veteran homelessness. Forty-five percent of homeless veterans suffer from mental illness. Fifty percent are chemically dependent. These men and women became this way as a direct result of military service, through either experience or injury, or both. Sixty-seven percent served more than three years. Roughly twenty-five percent of all homeless people are veterans.
Inadequate funding for supportive environments for treatment of substance abuse is a major obstacle for a large number of veterans. The horrors of war are not something to be taken lightly. The things that our combat personnel see in the field are the stuff that screaming nightmares are made of. Those of us that have not been to war can only imagine what it must be like. It is regrettable that our veterans do not have the luxury of of only imagining it. Battlefield experiences can lead a person to question his or her own sanity. Retreat into substance abuse is not an uncommon coping mechanism, especially when the government is unable or unwilling to provide assistance. A fair number of our veterans also become chemically dependent as a result of pain management regimens due to serious wounds.
A new aspect of VA budgeting has arisen in recent years. Female personnel are now an issue of concern. The war in the Middle East really has no front line. As a result, we have many women, both combat and non-combat personnel, whose needs are different than the males. The VA needs additional funding to study and effectively resolve those needs
The effective treatment of chemical dependence and mental illness is absolutely necessary if we are to help our veterans re-acclimate to society. Veteran unemployment and homelessness can be reduced substantially with expansion and increased funding to these programs. Special attention must be given to our veterans in these, and other, areas. They have earned it!
There are multiple reasons for the failure of the system, but most trail back to budget issues. The VA simply does not get the funding it requires to serve the needs of the estimated 400,000 homeless veterans that need its services. There will be many, many more veterans in need as they return from the Middle East in ever increasing numbers. Doctors, surgeons, psychologists, physical therapists, prosthetists and medication cost money. We cannot turn our backs on our veterans!
A country that is proud of its military, and not loathe to utilize its services overseas, should not have such a general disregard for its veterans. If you ask anyone about veterans services, they will generally be positive and quite passionate about it. The other side of the issue is that no one wants to pay higher taxes or sacrifice in other areas of the budget in order to accommodate the needs of veterans. The latter is particularly true of the conservative side of the political fence. Republicans want the military hardware. They want to exercise the military. They also want to cut taxes. If you look at a breakdown of defense spending, you will see that veterans services take a back seat to hardware and active-duty personnel(active-duty personnel are also under-paid. We'll address that issue in a later essay)
Bottom line, congratulations to President Obama, assuming that he can actually accomplish what he says he wants to accomplish. We will be watching, both carefully and vigilantly!
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