Posted on 10/01/2007 7:59:58 AM PDT by SubGeniusX
WASHINGTON — Thousands of U.S. soldiers in Iraq — as many as 10 a day — are being discharged by the military for mental health reasons. But the Pentagon isn't blaming the war. It says the soldiers had "pre-existing" conditions that disqualify them for treatment by the government.
Many soldiers and Marines being discharged on this basis actually suffer from combat-related problems, experts say. But by classifying them as having a condition unrelated to the war, the Defense Department is able to quickly get rid of troops having trouble doing their work while also saving the expense of caring for them.
The result appears to be that many actually suffering from combat-related problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries don't get the help they need.
[snip]
The legislation sets a higher bar for the Pentagon to use the personality-disorder discharge, and also mandates a review of the policies by the Government Accountability Office. Bond said it also would "force the Pentagon to stop using this discharge until we can fix the problem."
Bond said he learned of the practice from returning Iraq veterans. He called it an "abuse" of the system and "inexcusable."
"They've kicked out about 22,000 troops who they say have pre-existing personality disorders. I don't believe that," Bond said in an interview Friday. "And when you kick them out, they don't get the assistance they need, they aren't entitled to DOD or Veterans Administration care for those problems."
[snip]
Defense Department records show that 22,500 cases of personality-disorder discharges have been processed over the last six years.
(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...
Minimum Service Requirement
You do not have to meet the 24 continuous months of active duty service requirement if you:
* Were a reservist who was called to Active Duty and who completed the term for which you were called, and who was granted an other than dishonorable discharge, or
* Were a National Guard member who was called to Active Duty by federal executive order, and who completed the term for which you were called, and who was granted an other than dishonorable discharge, or
* Only request a benefit for or in connection with:
o a service-connected condition or disability; or
o treatment and/or counseling of sexual trauma that occurred while on active military service; or
o treatment of conditions related to ionizing radiation; or
o head or neck cancer related to nose or throat radium treatment while in the military.
* Were discharged or released from active duty for a hardship , or
* Were discharged with an “early out”; or
* Were discharged or released from active duty for a disability that began in the service or got worse because of the service; or
* Have been determined by VA to have compensable service-connected conditions; or
* Were discharged for a reason other than disability, but you had a medical condition at the time that
o Was disabling, and
o In the opinion of a doctor, would have justified a discharge for disability (in this last case, the disability must be documented in service records)
http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/eligibility/DetermineEligibility.asp
this 22k number would include the many bolo’s and duds who wash out during the first few days, weeks, and months of active duty. They are grandstanding by including all “personality-disorder” out-processes and falsely representing them with those who served long enough to be eligible for VA medical care.
Geez, the VA “LOVES” nutjob patients, and they try to coax nearly all Vets enrolled for care into being seen and treated by psych services. My most recent offer was in connection with treatments in the pain clinic......
When they are deployed to a highly stressed and a relatively unstructured environment, they may become disorganized mentally and their personalities disintegrate. Some become withdrawn, depressed, and unresponsive. Some suspect outside forces are causing their unhappiness and may become manic or angry/violent.
However, some emerging psychotics can function very successfully in combat if they see themselves as valuable and powerful for their fighting skills. Only when they re-integrate back to civilian or non-theater tasks do they disintegrate.
All of this is very subtle and recruiters are not qualified to detect much of it.
The military is essentially claiming, so to speak, that the worn tires caused the automobile accident, not the wet road and speeding.
Gulf War Syndrome — “it’s all in your head”
“Preexisting condition” - it’s all in your head......Oh, wait.
Nothing new here.
IMHO, a significant part of the population suffers from personality disorders.
Liberals?
It is not so now. The policy has obviously changed. I know of several vets who received VA compensation settlements >30% (Special Disabled) for pre-existing conditions which were deemed to have been made worse by military service.
I met a retiring First Sergeant a few years ago who even though he had no disabling injuries and was not medically boarded by the Army was still planning to file a claim with the VA for 'the stuff that got worse' during his service. It was part of his retirement planning. I know of another Army vet who was medically seperatated for a pre-existing knee condition. He eventually received a 100% VA disability for his pre-existing condition. In fact under the photo on the VA ID card it lists if the injury is Service Connected or not.
Are you aware that every penny a retiree receives from the V.A., an exact amount is deducted from his military retirement check?
Uggh, more Military Urban Legend. Last I checked nothing is deducted from military retirement for VA compensation. In fact the two are legally seperate entities. The VA compensation isn't even reportable as income. Neither the IRS, the Ex or anyone else can touch it.
So ...
either the Military is abandoning these men/women...
or
the pre-screening process, sucks rocks ...
thoughts?
It is the second choice. As a nurse in a Military Treatment Facility..I can safely say that many recruiters are out there telling some of these kids - “when you go for the physical - don’t tell them of your psych problems/history....
Thanks for the update. Is your VA disability >30% ?
I have to go to the VA for hearing aids, batteries and other things but I still use base hospital for everything else.
I used to get the third degree for PSTD until I told them to knock it off in very colorful language.
How about a negotiated deal with those troops?
Perhaps they are problem children and wanna go home very badly, so badly that they’ll trade a general discharge or early discharge with no VA benefits for the chance to go home?
You had better check again. Legislation to remove the offset has never made its way through Congress. I have a brother in law who retired from the A.F. as a Colonel and he keeps me updated on this issue.
The greater issue I think is disabilities created or worsened during service which are not covered by service branch or VA disability compensation and support. IMO contrary to the article's implications there should be no service members who are so affected. If they are not covered by their service branch they will get coverage by the VA. One or the other disability processes is set up to assist and compensate service members even for preexisting conditions.
I didn't get a great settlement from the VA but I used the medical treatment and Voc Rehab and did very well thereafter thanks to all which was available to me. Most of the people at the VA really are on the Vets' side.
It's very important to realize these soldiers have VA support via financial compensation, treatment, retraining and integration if they're to turn themselves around. Losing hope and goals is the worst tragedy which could befall them which is why the false premises and implications promulgated by this article and some posters is the greater betrayal.
There’s a pattern of the government trying to weasel out of caring for veterans. It is disgraceful, it is wrong, and it must stop now.
“Support the troops” is not an obligation that ends with a discharge. And while it’s tempting to dismiss the story or claim some bias on the part of the Post-Dispatch, these stories keep piling up.
There was a cover story in US News last year about veterans who lost the use of both arms, but were classified as 49% (something like that; I don’t remember the exact number) disabled. Just below the threshold for a full disability pension.
Our government is treating our veterans shabbily. There is no excuse.
There’s a pattern of the government trying to weasel out of caring for veterans. It is disgraceful, it is wrong, and it must stop now.
“Support the troops” is not an obligation that ends with a discharge. And while it’s tempting to dismiss the story or claim some bias on the part of the Post-Dispatch, these stories keep piling up.
There was a cover story in US News last year about veterans who lost the use of both arms, but were classified as 49% (something like that; I don’t remember the exact number) disabled. Just below the threshold for a full disability pension.
Our government is treating our veterans shabbily. There is no excuse.
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