VA Ordered Not to Diagnose PTSD

Posted by Mike Connery, AlterNet at 2:35 PM on May 15, 2008.

This is a disgrace. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and VoteVets.org have discovered that the VA is instructing its staff to avoid diagnosing soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with PTSD:

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Both CREW and VoteVets have issued spot-on statements on the matter:

Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW, said today:

It is outrageous that the VA is calling on its employees to deliberately misdiagnose returning veterans in an effort to cut costs. Those who have risked their lives serving our country deserve far better. First and foremost, they have a right to expect that they receive diagnoses and treatment based on their symptoms and not on the VA’s budget. The VA should immediately reverse this and any other similar directives.

Jon Soltz, an Iraq War Veteran and Chairman of VoteVets.org, added:

This is an issue I take personally. I know of many people who received a diagnosis of ‘Adjustment Disorder,’ who strongly felt they had PTSD, many of whom confirmed that suspicion with an independent diagnosis. Many veterans believe that the government just doesn’t want to pay out the disability that comes along with a PTSD diagnosis, and this revelation will not allay their concerns. It is crucial that we quickly get to the bottom of this, and ensure that misdiagnosing veterans is not part of some cost-cutting policy.

According to a study by the RAND corporation, approximately 300,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan display symptoms of PTSD, or nearly 20% of veterans. PTSD is highly stigmatized within the military (in which is is viewed as a sign of weakness). Soldiers are encouraged to "tough it out" rather than seek proper car. That's why only half of those 300,000 veterans have ever sought treatment.

This move by the VA makes worse and already bad situation in which soldiers are not receiving the proper care from an injury that is as serious as any physical wound. Earlier this year Senators Clinton and Obama met with young veterans to discuss their issues, and PTSD came up a number of times. Here's a chance for them to show those veterans their support.

Tagged as: veterans, ptsd, va, veterans administration

Michael Connery is the author of Youth to Power: How Today's Young Voters Are Building Tomorrow's Progressive Majority. He blogs about progressive youth organizing at Future Majority and is an adviser to a number of progressive youth organizations.