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

[Jay Johnson]

For any physical disability I would agree, but PTSD is so subjective and it only takes one A-hole doctor to make your life a living hell. I do, however, agree with continuing care....if a PTSD vet just walks away from the VA AND treatment all together, they will have a tough time if the VA goes digging into their files again.

My wife maintains a psychiatrist, for meds, every month to 2 months (depending on how she's doing). This gives her ongoing treatment and shows proof that she still needs meds and other medical services. But, her psych is civilian, so the RO can't use every appointment as a basis for reopening her P&T claim with "new and material evidence"....if they want that, they better go to court for it:-)

[augoldminer]

Sally Satel is a front for the insurance companies that have been paying ever increasing payouts to cops firefighter and EMTs/ paramedic's for PTSD.

Due to the criteria set by the VA years ago the courts have been ruling in favor of cops firefighters and EMT/Paramedic using the same criteria for these people.

Sally Satel is also one of the insurance company hacks that think fibromyalgia is a mental disorder even though the research in the last few years show that it is a neurological disorder.

Most insurance companies only pay out for 2 years for mental disorders but would have to pay disably for many years for someone with fibromyalgia if its called a neurological disorder.

I AM BOTH A VIETNAM VET AND A EX EMT/FIREFIGHTER

and a CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS MANAGEMENT/PTSD DEBRIEFER

[Tbird]

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.

you may find this site helpful http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/

also if you a tool, though it does cost, for starting a grass roots movement http://capitoladvantage.com/capwiz/associations/index.html

[sixthscents]

I havent listened to the audio, hopefully I will be able to tonight, but... I've followed the thread and I'd like to make a couple of comments if I may.

It is my PERSONAL opinion... and JUST my opinion that if I am receiving compensation for a mental health issue I should attend all the requested treatment unless it places undue hardship (like traveling to far) upon me. Now dont ya'll get pissed, like it said this is just what I believe. If they are paying me for this condition, then I should attend the requested treatment, and PRAY that it does help and lessen the issues. I AM diagnosed with depression, like so many chronic pain sufferers, and I am being asked to go to weekly counseling sessions. I have agrred to go, if they can arrange it so I dont have to drive over 50 miles. They have, so I'm going. It's just that simple.

Now I personally am VERY concerned with the way PTSD is slowly being manipulated - again MY personal opinion, by the government into what seems to be a less damaging problem, and I suspect with LESS compensation for it in the future. For the new veterans anyway... I am also VERY worried about the supposed Imagery treatment that can CURE PTSD supposedly... I see it as a way for the VA to CURE some of it's PTSD comp people.... Personally I would think long and hard about refusing that treatment as there is no real evidence to support the idea that it can CURE anything... long and hard... yep, even with my normal stance stated above. I think this treatment which has been massively funded and experimented with by the VA is nothing more than a tool for reducing compensation, OPINION again, but since I believe that, I wouldn't feel obligated to take the treatment....

Further, we all need to be VERY careful and understand that we are talking about changes that will take a LONG time to happen. So, for people who are being compensated for PTSD PLEASE do not panic, or get unduely upset... just be aware of what is going on.

So, there you go... I am sorry if I ruffled some feathers, but again its just my opinion, and I am NOT trying to say others should share it... nope, do what YOU think is right. I do think that I am seeing a shift here though, and by all of you alls comments, you are too.

[spike]

I don't want to sound off a key note here as well. A lot of us who are vets are not the only ones who have suffered. Does everyone also remember 9/11. What about the thosands of people who did survive that terrible day in American history. I am not lumping the families in this but the people who worked in the building. I can see this kind of hearings transfering over into the civilian community as well, as there are probably a lot of agencies, insurance cos, etc...that would like to see that diminish.

[Jay Johnson]

Six,

Good points. What worries me about PTSD is that the affliction is SO subjective and there's no way to diagnose its level of severity outside of a doctor's *opinion*. Psychiatrists aren't mind readers, nor are they trained to tell if someone is lying and/or over/under-exaggerating....the best they can do is GUESS.

Because of this, I think raters are given a LOT of latitude to "weigh" evidence however they see fit and to sift through evidence and cherry pick the parts that conform to the rater's *opinions*.

When this is coupled with the high/low nature of most PTSD cases, you get very inconsistent ratings from the RO. So, if you go to your regularly scheduled psych appointment at the VA and you're having a "good" day (on a high) your VA doctor might note that you looked upbeat and alert....that information, in turn, can be used against the veteran as a justification to lower them despite the regulations stating that PTSD shouldn't be measured by its high; rather, PTSD should be measured at the low points and how often those low points occur.

So, if the system were fair to mentally disabled veterans I would agree 100% Sixthscents, but it's not and, in my opinion, PTSD vets are better off using tricare/medicare to obtain a *good* civilian psychiatrist.

But, if you trust that the system will always work out in your favor, by all means seek treatment at the VA........just remember that I told ya so when they use that treatment against you in a future eval:-)

However, most other disabilities are far less subjective and VA documentation can actually HELP in future claims....to me, it's a terrible double-standard, but what can we do??