VA to Review PTSD Claims (moved from ATSNN)

After the number of veterans receiving benefits for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) nearly doubled in the past five years, The Veterans Affairs Department is planning to review 72,000 cases for proper medical evidence of the condition. Over 200,000 vets recieved benefits for PTSD in 2004, at a cost of over $4 billion.



Is this a legitimate investigation, or just a search for increased revenue through cutting expenses? We gear our soldiers up, teach them how to kill, send them out to do it, and when they come back with mental and emotional problems, first we say "Ok, we'll take care of you," then we say, "Hold on a minute, this is getting expensive."? What kind of message does that send to our brave troops fighting in foreign lands for our beloved country? Go fight, kill, and destroy, maybe even be wounded or die, but don't try to claim it effects your ability to function in normal society? These are people, not robots!

Currently, I know of several vets who have been rated 100% for PTSD and who do not possess the symptoms or the problems in living associated with a serious mental illness. Clearly, in my opinion, there needs to be an investigation. Poor diagnoses and unneccesary expenditures do not benefit the greater good. Actually, I knew this was coming.

[edit on 2005/8/12 by GradyPhilpott]

How well do you know these people? Are you qualified to make this determination? Have they admitted to you they are faking it? Is it a case of you toughed it out, so why can't they?

Perhaps these people of whom you speak can live relatively normal lives and exhibit few symptoms only because of the care they are receiving and the mental pressure they have been relieved of. Did that ever occur to you before you sat down at your keyboard to indict them in absentia?

Why don't you go and tell them to their faces that you think they are faking it, or have you tried talking to them about it at all? I shudder to think what will happen to these people if they are truly suffering and and have their benefits rescinded. Active PTSD is nothing to mess with.

Grady, I have a lot of respect for you through your posts on this site, and I am not trying to bad-mouth you in any way. I feel very strongly about this issue, that's all. Please accept my apologies if the tone of my post is offensive to you. I have to challenge your opinion on this.

Let me just say that I know quite a bit about PTSD. This trend has been going on for a while and, yes, some of these individuals, I do know well. They are not faking in my opinion, but they have been over-rated by the VA. I have been told by some veterans who don't know me well, upon learning that I have a Purple Heart that I should go down, sign up and get 100% for PTSD. When I heard this, I knew that something was wrong and that it wouldn't last. This is actually going to hurt some vets, but the system must be corrected so that those who really have dibilitating disabiliies can receive their just compensation. You'll have to trust me on this, or not.

I do trust you on this, and appreciate you providing the additional information. I agree that the scenario you describe above is abuse of the system, and wrong. Some people are better able to 'take it' than others, and taking advantage of a benefit you don't need just because you can shows weak moral fiber.

Thank you Grady.