Veterans Win Historic Victory on PTSD Benefits
More than 1,000 victims involved in a class action lawsuit against the federal government won a major victory in federal court, where a judge ruled that they are entitled to health benefits for the rest of their lives, according to The Washington Post. The veterans claimed the military gave them inaccurate disability ratings that denied them access to VA services, even though they suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder that was severe enough to force them out of military service.
Click here to read the story.
VA Appeals Court Ruling Accusing It Of "Unconscionable Delays"
The VA is appealing a federal court's ruling that the agency must make significant changes to correct "unchecked incompetence" and "unconscionable delays" that deny timely services for veterans with mental health problems, according to The New York Times.
"Instead of working with the plaintiffs to address the court's concerns, the V.A. is appealing the ruling," the Times wrote in a great, strongly-worded editorial. "For veterans who are dying for lack of timely care, due process has been replaced by no process, or process with pervasive delays... This cannot continue."
Click here to read the story.
Services for the Underserved Awarded $500,000 Grant
The VA has awarded a half-million dollar grant to Services for the Underserved, a VMHC-NYC member organization, for work with low-income veterans and families. The organization will use the money to support a range of programs, including cash assistance, supportive housing, employment assistance and treatment.
The grant is part of the VA's Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF), which is providing $60 million in grants to 85 nonprofits across the country.
Click here for a press release about the VA program.
Study: Veterans in Higher Education at Greater Risk for Suicide
Veterans who go to college after their military service are much more likely to think about suicide, according to a disturbing nationwide study reported in HealthDay.com.
Nearly half of all veterans in higher education have considered suicide and one in five of them have made plans to kill themselves, rates of suicidal thought that are far higher than the overall population of students. Ten percent said they think about suicide often, nearly as many said they had actually attempted suicide and four percent said they view a sucide attempt as being likely or very likely. According to earlier research, only six percent of students in the overall population have "seriously considered" suicide.
Click here to read more.
Obama Pushes Jobs for Veterans
President Barack Obama called for efforts to create more jobs for veterans in a speech at the Washington Navy Yard, according to ABC News. Aside from calling on private employers to hire 100,000 vets by the end of 2013, Obama proposed a "Returning Heroes Tax Credit" that would reward businesses for hiring unemployed veterans and a "reverse boot camp" to help veterans transition back into the civilian labor force.
Click here to learn more.
Army Plans Shorter Deployments, Longer Breaks for Troops
The Army is planning to shorten deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan and substantially increase the period between deployments, changes that military officials say recognize the strain of extended tours on troops' mental health and military families, according to USA Today.
Under the changes, troops would be deployed for nine months at a time, down from the 12 to 15 months that have been standard in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We've done these mental health assessment team studies for six years now," Gen. George Casey, the Army's Chief of Staff, said. "[B]etween nine and 12 (months) is where a lot of the stress problems really manifest themselves, where the family problems really manifest themselves."
Troops could also get as much as three years between deployments under the new policy. "The human mind and body wasn't made to do repeated combat deployments without substantial time to recover," Casey said.
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White House Says Veterans Programs Will Be Spared Under Debt Agreement
White House officials have told Disabled American Veterans and other veterans' groups that veterans' benefits and compensation will be safe from any across-the-board budget cuts that could result from the recent debt ceiling compromise, according to The Washington Post.
The compromise will force an automatic $1.2 trillion in budget cuts over the next decade if a congressional committee fails to agree on a plan for cutting costs. Veterans groups expressed cautious optimism at the White House's assurances but said they're still concerned about what the congressional committee will cut.
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Sen. Gillibrand Pushes Bill Requiring VA to Reach Out to Veterans
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has introduced legislation that would make it easier for veterans to take advantage of VA services, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal.
The bill-which has been in committee since it was introduced in May-would require the Defense Department to automatically transfer information about veterans' health issues and eligibility to the VA. The legislation would also make sure veterans are given VA cards, information about nearby VA facilities and sign-up materials before they are discharged.
Click here to read more or here for detailed information about the bill.
NPR: Women Veterans' Struggles with Military Sexual Trauma, Homelessness
NPR's Tell Me More featured a great piece on a female veteran who suffered from sexual assault and posttraumatic stress disorder who managed to get off the streets and rebuild her life. The article also provides some insight into how sexual assault can hurt women veterans' careers even when they do not suffer from direct retaliation.
Click here to listen to the program or read an article based on it.
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