ptsd Just Something To Read About The Latest House Of Va Hearings

[spike]

I figured this is something that should be read here.....It affects all those who have PTSD, Unemployability, etc. It is a Cut and Post from a Larry Scott article.

The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a roundtable discussion on PTSD on Wednesday, May16, 2007.The full witness list is here... http://veterans.house.gov/

hearings/schedule110/may07/05-16-07/witness.shtml

Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN), Ranking Minority Member, invited Dr. Sally Satel to testify. Satel is the paid mouthpiece of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. Satel's disrespect for veterans with PTSD is a matter of legend. Buyer's "suck it up soldier" attitude is also well-known.

Satel's "blame the veteran" approach is not well-received in the medical community. Quote: "Blaming the veteran for psychological reactions to war fosters stigma, a major reason why veterans do not seek mental health assistance." John A. Fairbank, Ph.D.

For more an Satel, use the VA Watchdog search engine. You'll be amazed at some of the things she has said. Search engine here... http://www.yourvabenefits.org/

What we heard from Satel and Buyer was the "M&M" agenda...minimize and marginalize...that is, minimize the disorder and that marginalizes the veteran. It's a tired old tactic.

Here are Rep. Buyer's opening remarks where he says that PTSD is often used as an "umbrella" and a "catch-all" for any mental disorder...click here to listen or download MP3, 3:36 in length.

Satel's remarks were equally repugnant. She talked about "recovery" and confusing PTSD with other disorders such as phobias, depression and anxiety. She says the VA should be careful of granting 100% benefits for PTSD. Satel added that there must be a "high threshold" for granting PTSD benefits, work is the best therapy and PTSD is a "time-limited" affliction. Here are Satel's opening remarks...click here to listen or download MP3, 9:01 in length.

Later in the hearing there was discussion of "return to work" programs for veterans with PTSD who receive unemployability benefits.

The hearing lasted over 2 hours and 40 minutes. Complete audio is here... http://veterans.house.gov/

hearings/schedule110/may07/05-16-07/05-16-07.wma

[allan]

Satel's remarks?

From Satels remarks & the remarks of a head shrinhk from Sandiego. I would guess their theories are responcible for the lack of 100% PTSD claims being awarded.

They are very, VERY, confident that that can basically cure the problem of granting 100% for PTSD. There's no need for it, after they re-route your way of thinking, that all you need is a job.

Im thinking, the vets that are homeless & waiting for their claims to be decided, will be not be thrilled by such confidence in denying the benefits for them & their familes.

100% PTSD vets, will now be reprogramed & given a job. There was discussion of holding troops for six months or so for a lab rat treatment as well, before separation.

Won't it be nice to be held in captivity, on display like some damn reality show, so they can figure out how to do away with the PTSD rating altogether?

All those on TDIU?

Guess what, They have a cure for you also. I guess all you need is a job.

The millions these brainiacs have saved our wonderful & grateful nation, will be remembered for generations to come by veterans across this country, & will be told to their children, & their children.

This is what I amagine goes on behind the scenes...............

"Yes, we lied about everything & cheated you out of it. SOOOOO what? We did it for your well being? Thats why we also forced all those raises & bonuses on our selves. we would do such a thing for ourselves during such an, IMPORTANT war. Why, this here warmust be fought like the war to end all wars. Thats why we think it's important for all you whiney vets to learn to shake it off & get back over there. We want to stay the couarce for yrs & use "YOU" PTSD vets to do it.

Pulling this all off while the entire country full of do gooders, thought we were careing for you buch of loosers that don't want to work, wasn't easy.

Do these comitees really believe these bean counters give a damn about our lives? Pure waste of time.

These people will cover your hands in red Congress, while they collect the green. We used to be a nation of the people & for the people.

Im am so sick of the excuses for turning ones back against those who need it the mosts & call it,"teaching the disabled to pull themselves up by their own boots" As if to say, WE will teach you not to beg & walk around with your hand out.

Your gonna be so greatfull for us depriving you of monitary compensation, your going to take the job illegals don't want. That is once we reprogram your way of thinkin, to be our way we're thinkin."

[Jay Johnson]

Wow, that is truly disgusting. Why aren't the SO's doing anything about this?? This "psychiatrist" is making claims to congress based on personal experiences and has NO scientific evidence to back up a single claim of her's? The evidence on the effectiveness of the therapies she mentioned (behavioral, psychotherapy, etc) are all very limited.....every one of those is far from a guaranteed cure and most have proven ineffective for severe mental conditions. Psychotherapy is perhaps the biggest joke the medical community has ever come up with.....it reminds me of drilling holes in people's heads to "let the spirits out"; it is THAT useless and baseless of a therapy, yet millions subscribe to it.

This is the typical conservative "bootstrap myth" that says that anyone can do anything if they work hard enough. Ironically, the "bootstrap myth" has been disproved for decades by sociologists and psychologists alike.

It's shameful that congress allowed this idiot to speak.

By the way, didn't we just have a report done that said the opposite of what this pseudodoctor is proposing?

[Jay Johnson]

I just finished listening to the entire hearing posted below. I can't stress enough that the veteran community needs to start pushing back HARD against the VA and, more importantly, congress in regards to this issue. This idea of "curing" PTSD vets (to which there's NO real evidence of this happening in severe cases) and/or forcing veterans to work as a form of "therapy" is a HUGE problem, especially when it's coming from the medical community. Also, this timing couldn't be worse given the influx of new PTSD cases due to the Iraq war.....we could soon find P&T PTSD vets under review and forced into temporary work programs as a means of lowering the amount of 100% cases. I think those with TDIU have the most to fear in this, as work seems to be the key factor in the discussions to the VA panel.

Make no mistake about it, this is pseudo-science at its worse. This Satel person clearly has a conservative agenda and does NOT have the veteran's best interest at heart. Time and time again her, and some others, glossed over the fact that jobs are the most stressful part of 99% of American lives.....not all of us are doctors getting paid 7 figures for our "opinions". Rather, we are typically faced with jobs we don't like, in highly stressful situation in which we are forced to choose between a horrible working situation or not having the money to feed our kids or keep a roof over our heads. Work *IS* the stressor for most veterans for this reason.

If there is to be ANY type of work incentive from the VA it MUST be tied in with guaranteed compensation as a means to reduce the stress associated with gainful employment. Also, the panel failed to address social implications of PTSD and its impact on the quality of life for veterans......as has been pointed out (by myself and the recent PTSD study), physically disabled vets can receive payments for simply being injured up to and including the 100% level despite being able to lead a relatively normal life with gainful employment.

So, the ONLY reason the VA, and these wanna-be doctors, are pushing the job issue is because PTSD is linked to work and has no basis in social impairment....I've never seen a 100% PTSD veteran who is gainfully employed while retaining that 100% level; yet there are plenty of 100% physically disabled veterans who do. This is a fishing expedition to cut the compensation benefits to PTSD vets, because of this war. It is disgraceful and we (being the entire veteran's community) need to speak out now, or we're all going to find ourselves without compensation and shaking our heads.

One more note - this panel's blatant disregard for human life is appalling. They were honest enough to mention that 5000 vets commit suicide each year, but they didn't want to make the connection as to how many MORE vets would commit suicide if forced off of the 100% level and into work.....is saving some tax dollars worth a 10-50% higher suicide rate? I bet Satel believes it is!

[Testvet]

Satel and Burkett have worked together on BS PTSD projects Buyer is the only person on the VA committee that "agrees" with her so that should tell you something....

[spike]

Jay and Allen,

I truely agree that this is disgusting as well as I believe insulting to veterans. Being that I am participating in several NSO's and programs, I am trying to put together a grassroots system of letting our local veterans become more aware. I find that you won't find a lot of these things on CNN, or your local news. I think because sometimes the Veteran community is unaware at times. I hear a lot of times, excuses of why someone doesn't join a Vet Orgs. I believe that they do not see the urgency of what goes on outside their local realm. In short you know what I think a lot of the problems are the doctors, senators etc......were not in the service. I would like to see more veterans who are working and able to work (not those who are too disabled to work in any sense) in the VA Regional and VA hospitals, for our veterans to be understood.

I found this VA hearing very disgusting as well.

[Stretch]

Mustang Sally, spouts all her theory, but when questioned, about how many PTSD Vets were cured under her guidance, she had no answer.

A disabled woman at the table said that the rate is 8% effected with PTSD and about a 4% partial recovery rate. Now if Mustang Sally, didn't even know this, how could she even make the broad statements that she has made before Congress.

It appears that Sally could be getting her information from the Mustang Ranch.