Lawmakers have proposed legislation that, if passed, would help protect the jobs of Veterans and service members.
A House subcommittee is considering two bills that would expand job protections for Veterans.
The proposed Disabled Veterans Employment Protection Act would prevent employers from discriminating against disabled Veterans who miss work because they are receiving medical treatment for service-connected disabilities.
Under the bill, which is currently pending before the House Veterans Affairs Committee’s Economic Opportunity Panel, disabled Veterans would also receive up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year without fear of losing their job.
House Resolution 3670 would extend employment and re-employment rights to workers for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Currently the TSA, which has more than 50,000 employees, is not required to hold positions and promotions for employees who are called away for military service.
Various Veterans organizations have announced their support for these pieces of legislation.
The medical leave bill for disabled Veterans “should have been enacted 40 years ago,” said Richard Weidman of Vietnam Veterans of America.
This would have prevented reprisals against Veterans, such as losing seniority, pay or some other status, or being considered for furlough because of medical treatment related to their military service, he said.
John Wilson of Disabled American Veterans said current law requires employers to make “reasonable accommodations” for disabled Veterans, but “are not specifically required by law to allow veterans with service-connected disabilities to be absent from the workplace to receive medical treatment for them.” The pending bill would provide that protection, he said.
Ryan Gallucci of Veterans of Foreign Wars has expressed support for H.R. 3670 stating that VFW believes that it would be beneficial for our service members, as well as the TSA by “offering our military’s best and brightest the opportunity to pursue a meaningful civilian career without the persistent threat of possible termination for service obligations.”
At the Madigan Army Medical Center – about 30 miles south of Seattle, Wash. – it has been found that 285 diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder were reversed during a screening process for medical retirements. These 285 cases were found from a review of 1500 soldiers screened by the forensic team at Madigan in the past 5 years.
The Army has not released information on the total number of soldiers who were screened by the team since 2007. Madigan is the largest Army hospital in the West and has one of the largest staffs of biobehavioral health specialists.
The Army Command was informed that the screeners at Madigan may have been influenced by costs to the government of paying for benefits for those who were diagnosed with PTSD and would qualify for a medical retirement.
At least 3 separate investigations are underway after soldiers complained that their initial PTSD diagnosis was revoked, and they were accused of exaggerating their symptoms or malingering. So far, 14 soldiers have undergone new evaluations at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and 6 of them were re-diagnosed with PTSD.
Those screened over the past 5 years will be asked if they would like a new review at Madigan or another military facility.
The screeners have been removed from duty while these investigations proceed. Col. Dallas Homas, Madigan commander, is on leave. Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Juliana Ellis-Billingsley has resigned. In her resignation letter, Ellis-Billingsley wrote: “It became patently clear to me that some force . . . came to bear on Walter Reed forensics and they changed their diagnoses. This is professionally unethical. It is now my opinion that all the investigations are a charade as the outcome has been predetermined.”
Concern about what happened at Madigan has spurned a broader review by the Pentagon as to how military medical staff diagnoses PTSD. The Seattle Times indicates that there are also disputes between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs as to how to diagnose PTSD.
Any soldiers who were evaluated at Madigan and have complaints about their treatment or diagnosis can call the Warrior and Family Hotline at 1-800-984-8523.
Prior to this investigation, the psychiatrists at Madigan had an excellent reputation. In the last 2 years, almost 1,700 soldiers were diagnosed with PTSD at Madigan. The professionals at Army medical center had previously received praise for identifying a false claim of PTSD – a soldier stated he had the mental disorder due to killing a civilian in Iraq but, in fact, had never been deployed.
On the other side of the spectrum, they were also known to make an initial diagnose PTSD where no such diagnosis had been found previously.
Veterans with PTSD cope with their feelings using different techniques, and although animal therapy isn’t a new idea, it’s not one all people consider right away.
Horses for Heroes was started in 1997 and now has programs all over the country. It allows Veterans to establish basic bonds with the horses and ultimately pick one to take care of. The Veterans are then able walk their horse and take care of basic grooming.
Robert MacTamhais spent a year in a half in Iraq working as a medic, and now he works with a horse named Mel. For him, it’s a version of therapy.
“There’s no negative feedback,” MacTamhais said. “There’s nobody saying you need to do this and this and this. I’m just able to talk and vent and get it out to where it’s not on my mind anymore.”
Suicides committed by active-duty service members reached a record high in 2011, and it’s hoped that with programs like this, Veterans might have a better choice of resources to seek help from.
Attorney Carrie Weletz assists a Veteran at Bergmann & Moore's Veterans Benefits Workshop in October. The Veterans law firm will be hosting two workshops in Mayaguez and Ponce.: Photo by Samuel Garcia.
When it comes to the Department of Veterans Affairs, some communities are better served than others.
Unfortunately, Veterans in Puerto Rico have learned this lesson the hard way. According to a 2009 study by the VA Office of Inspector General, the San Juan Regional Office only had a 60 percent accuracy rate – this is the lowest rate in the nation.
Bergmann & Moore wants to inform Veterans about the benefits they have earned and provide legal assistance when applications for these benefits are denied.
Staff will be on hand at two Veterans Benefits Workshops in Puerto Rico this month to provide free VA claims advice and introduce Veterans to job assistance and healthcare services that they might not have known about.
The workshops will be March 10, 2012 in Mayaguez at Pampa’s Restaurant and March 11, 2012 in Ponce at El Señoral Centro de Convenciones. For more information, please visit www.vetlawyers.com.
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In recent years, domestic violence has become a serious issue in the military community. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, rates of domestic violence committed by Veterans and active-duty service members have been found to be up to three times higher than among civilians.
In light of these statistics, Swords to Plowshares and the American Legion are hosting a seminar to discuss the issue and share resources to combat it.
Participants who attend the seminar will learn “how to identify risk factors for violence amongst military and veterans, military/ veteran and survivor culture, and resources and service to prevent and mitigate domestic violence.”
The event will take place Tuesday, March 6 at the Veterans War Memorial Building at 401 Van Ness Ave., Suite 207 in San Francisco. It will start at 9 am and last until 4:30 pm.
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Mental health care is essential for our nation’s Veterans.
Tragically, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 20 percent of the suicides that occur in the U.S. are committed by Veterans. Between 2008 and 2010, about 950 veterans enrolled in VA health care attempted suicide each month.
According to information available from the Centers for Disease Control’s National Violent Death Reporting System, which receives input from 18 states, and other sources, there is an average of 18 Veteran suicides each day.
VA officials said more than 500,000 of their 6.2 million patients have diagnoses for post-traumatic stress disorder; 100,000 of those are Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans. In 2009, VA treated 1.2 million patients for mental health issues, a Government Accountability Office report found.
On Monday, VA Undersecretary of Health Dr. Robert Petzel said that the VA is auditing its 152 medical centers to see whether they meet the mental health care needs of Veterans. According to Dr. Petzel, VA headquarters officials are conducting site visits to all their hospitals, reviewing staffing levels; job vacancy rates and productivity levels.
VA’s 2013 budget proposal includes $6.2 billion for mental health, which the department plans to use for increased outreach and screenings, new technology for self-assessment and symptom management, and reducing the stigma of seeking mental health care.
VA’s Office of Research and Development has launched the Million Veteran Program (MVP) in which they are seeking the participation of 1 million Veterans to help study genes and health.
Participants will: complete a survey about health and health-related behaviors; provide a blood sample (including DNA and other matters); complete an optional health assessment; allow secure access to VA medical records, current and future; and allow future contact.
MVP is interested in genetic research because it is believed that genes play a role in why some people, but not others, develop certain diseases and that they affect responses to different medications and treatments. The researchers will collect DNA and health information to learn what genes are linked to what health traits.
Researchers are only interested in a very small portion of DNA – less than one percent. The researchers believe a better understanding of genes can help prevent disease and improve disease treatment.
One goal of genetic research is to develop “personalized medicine.” For instance, doctors already use a genetic test to predict how a patient will respond to an anticlotting drug. The genetic research has helped doctors provide the right amount of medicine the first time without adjustments.
The program is entirely voluntary and will not affect the Veteran’s benefits or access to health care in any way. In fact, there is no direct benefit to any of the participants, though many see it as another opportunity to serve their country.
In an effort to protect confidentiality, VA says that the medical records will be connected to the genetic information only after the Veteran’s name has been removed from the record.
At the end of 2011, VA began to request participation. Early reports are that it only takes a few minutes to provide the blood sample and less than 20 minutes to complete the questionnaire.
Almost 51,000 Veterans have already agreed to participate. There are 40 VA medical centers involved. VA hopes to reach the 1 million mark in 5 to 7 years.
A new clinic for the Department of Veterans Affairs is opening in Parma, Ohio, near Cleveland.
At present, the facility is open on a limited basis, but will have its grand opening on March 10.
It is an outpatient clinic offering primary care, mental health, physical therapy, and other specialty fields.
Community members in San Francisco will have the opportunity Friday to honor the city’s service members, Veterans and military families by pledging to support to support them through Community Covenant.
Community Covenant is a nationwide program started by the U.S. Army that seeks to “develop a greater awareness of the needs of our Military members, veterans and their families who live and work in our community.
In addition to a job and resource fair for Veterans and their families, the San Francisco event will include and Armed Forces Community Covenant signing ceremony.
During the ceremony, “elected officials, community leaders and the community of San Francisco will gather . . . to address the community and sign the community covenant, committing their awareness and support to our service members and their families.
When signing the pledge, community members are committing to build “partnerships that support the strength, resilience, readiness and reintegration” of service members, to provide “the necessary resources and support our community relies on,” to hold outreach events for military members and their families, and to understand “that the strength of our military members and veterans comes from the strength of their families and the support of our community’s employers, educators, service providers, civic and business leaders and citizens.”
Since the first event took place in Columbus, Ga., events have been held in communities in 48 states, three territories and Washington, D.C.
The San Francisco Armed Forces Community Covenant Veterans and Military Resource Fair will take place at the War Memorial Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Ave. from 9 am to 5 pm. The covenant signing ceremony will take place from 12 pm to 2 pm.
