ptsd Ptsd Cases

[Railroader]

VA's Hometown News Service

The following was provided by the Hometown News Service of the

Department of Veterans Affairs:

No Across-the-Board Review of PTSD Cases - Secretary Nicholson

WASHINGTON (Nov. 10, 2005) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

will not review the files of 72,000 veterans currently receiving

disability compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder, the

Department's secretary announced today.

On May 19, 2005, VA's Inspector General reported on an examination of

the files of a sample of 2,100 randomly selected veterans with

disability ratings for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The IG

cited insufficient documentation in the files and a dramatic increase in

veterans filing for disability compensation for post-traumatic stress

disorder since 1999.

"We have now just completed our own careful review of those 2,100 files

cited in the IG's report,'' said the Honorable R. James Nicholson,

Secretary of Veterans Affairs. "The problems with these files appear to

be administrative in nature, such as missing documents, and not fraud."

"In the absence of evidence of fraud, we're not going to put our

veterans through the anxiety of a widespread review of their disability

claims,'' Nicholson said. "Instead, we're going to improve our training

for VA personnel who handle disability claims and toughen administrative

oversight."

"Not all combat wounds are caused by bullets and shrapnel," Nicholson

added. "We have a commitment to ensure veterans with PTSD receive

compassionate, world-class health care and appropriate disability

compensation determinations."

To view and download VA news release, please visit the following

Internet address:

http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel

[Jay Johnson]

Thank god.... I'll be sending some thank you emails to obama and the other senators that made this happen.