Most of the employees in the VA system are actually very dedicated and hard working. Please don't presume the actions of one person are characteristic of us all. We are trying to do the best with what we have available. Yes, the VA budget has increased, but because of the rules Congress has put in place, the individual facilities are often not able to use the increased budget where they need it the most.

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I have documents showing VA uses volunteers who are unqualified to help Veterans with PTSD, the system doesn’t allow the VA hospitals to fire Volunteers.

This is oneway the VA is keeping the cost down. By using volunteers who are not qualified.

Just one little horror story of me and my VA hospital
http://loma-linda-va-hospital-threatening-me.blogspot.com/

Suicide blogs about me and suicide.

http://va-carl-suicide-saga.blogspot.com/

http://suicide-epidemic-veterans.blogspot.com/

http://hopefully-someday-4-u.blogspot.com/

This has happened to me. I am a Desert Storm veteran, and have been told I have PTSD, but no VA official has ever made it a formal 'diagnosis'. Instead, I was given the diagnosis of "Panic Disorder", "Anxiety Disorder", and "Agoraphobia". These are all SYMPTOMS of PTSD and should have fallen under the "umbrella" of PTSD, not been the main diagnosises.

Also, it took me almost nine years to get my 100% service connection. First of all, I suffered from a severe case of the missing medical records. Then when I had some documentation, that was good enough for me to be permanently disabled from SSDI, it was a few years after that that I was told by the DAV that I qualified for a NSC Pension. This is what is given to people who are permanently and totally disabled, and yet it is Non Service Connected. The amount is based on income, and so I got about $400 additional dollars a month. This was from '01 to '05.

In March of '05, I was told I was 30% service connected, and that meant that my amount would remain roughly the same. Finally, in September of '05, I was given a 100% service connection. However, they have tried on a few ocassions to reduce my amount, and I have also filed appeals to try and have the amount made permanent.

I cannot understand how at one point the VA said I was permanently and totally disabled, (but nonservice connected), but once it became service connected, I am no longer permanent??? What kind of BS is this?

I remain depressed, I have a hard time sleeping, then when I sleep, I just stay in bed for up to days because of the effort it would take to get up, I have unpredictable outbursts, bad nightmares, and I don't know if you call them flashbacks or what but I will think of things I don't want to think of, and it is difficult to not think of these things. I am frequently suicidal. I have become convinced that the VA is just using me as a guinea pig and is seeing how far they can push me before I break down and kill myself, and ironically, this has been the only thing that has kept me from killing myself; I stay alive to spite them.

Finally, it is coming to light and on CNN that the VA is pushing to not diagnose PTSD and rather give out 'adjustment disorder' or 'anxiety disorder'. Finally, I am beginning to realize I am not alone, and that this horrible treatment of veterans needs to stop.

Just had my access to the pain clinic block by the gate keepers in primary care ! I have seen at least 15 dr and surgeons plus their own pain clinic I have had back surgery unsucsessfully and because of this 1 primary care idiot that has been my dr for 18 months has decided that the pain I am in does warrant the pain med I am on who the **** is this little peeon I have been on pain meds for years with no need to increase the doses and I don't understand this why are they doing this in hopes that you will get fed up and go outside for fee based care and what about humane weaning off of these med? what about withdrawl and other health risk such as mental health issues?
I'm fed up but have no outside insurance and besides this is my right as a vetran isn't it? john

Man, I know of law-breakers in prison who receive better benefits and treatment than our young heroes and soldiers. This is bullshit. It's time to physically organize to a much higher level of resistance to these government, corporate thieves, perverts and frauds. We are watching a "hitlerian" takeover by fascist, totalitarian elements who have nothing in their agendas but the destruction of America and enslavement of the American people. Go to Prison Planet.com and start educating yourselves so you will have the information to share with the blind, dumb-downed public who have no idea of the massive wall of shit coming towards them at break-neck speed.

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tanx see you later turkey you freand love me

How long is the "adjustment" suppose to take? The doctors have prescribed a variety of medications that would be giving to PTSD suffers but don't have the gear to put that in writing on his records.
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My friend's dad, who served in Vietnam,and was a POW and gets sick due to Agent Orange exposure, had SURGERY this week - Monday, June 16, 2008. They had to CUT HIM OPEN quite a bit to work on him.

On Wednesday they didn't give him ANY PAIN MEDICATION - ALL DAY!!! He was in dire pain all day and night. AND the REASON he didn't receive any pain medication...... pause....... get ready... it is because THEY RAN OUT at the VA hospital where he had the SCHEDULED surgery and was recovering in!!!!!!! HELLO!! What the h*ll is going on. Haven't these war veterans been through enough?? I mean there are three other hospitals within 15 miles and one is maybe 2 miles away. And if they couldn't have helped... we have a ton of pharmacies. And even if these places would need a day or two go get the pain meds - they SHOULDN"T have RUN OUT. WHY was it a problem to prepare for a low supply of urgently needed medication, with all these resources available"? Who the heck was keeping track of the medication suppies anyway?

We need responsible, intelligent,farsighted men and women in Congress and the White House who can see further than the noses on their faces. People who will NOT make such undermining cuts to both physical and mental health care facilites, and other social programs that help the people who need them stay ahead of their pain be it physcial, mental or both.

"Government", when expanded is "go over earnings of men before T{they cross-die"! "Politics" is Poli{synonym for many and bond}. Put together is a "bond of many" and Tic{tick is a blood sucking parasite to irritate it's host}. "Leader" when rightly divided "le" is french for "the" and an "adder" is a serpent! When put together, THEY are "a bond of many blood-sucking snakes! How do you KNOW when a politician is speaking lies? When their mouths move! "Politics", is "the art of deception"!!!

I could say that you should consider yourself lucky that you have not had to deal with the likes of a Norma Perez above you but better than that would be to prepare yourself along with your fellow department professionals for when that day comes.

I caught some of the webcast of her appearence before the Senate panel and related stories and am still muttering to myself over her excuse that she "is not a good communicator". This from an individual that apparently has a Phd, calls herself a psychologist and is a department supervisor of other psychologists (some of which are propely licensed and have hands on working experience in that field and with veterans - attributes that career bureaucrat Norma seems to lack) where being "a good communicator" is probably the most important attribute one could have for that postion.

As a licensed engineer and a veteran I've had to deal with my share of Norma Perez's. Self centered ego driven status seekers that will manage the b'jesus out of anything despite having little or no knowledge of what it is that they're managing, only a mad desire to make a bigger name for themselves. It's a big reason as to why bridges, tunnels, and cranes collapse. It's a tired act coming from these people like her.

Although there is not much chance of it happening there's still the hope that the next President and Congress will do their jobs of managing the federal government and start firing all the Norma's (and those that hire them) they can find instead of focusing on how much more they can loot it.

Who ever this person is should be married to someone who suffers from PTSD. Your life with them is a very hard and stressful one on a daily basis , 24 hours a day. As a wife, I must endure sparatic outburst of anger, hellish nightmares with screaming out in the middle of the night,and frequent moments of depression. I'm speaking of a vietnam vet who still suffers from this trauma, so I'm going to pray for this person that they never ever have to experience such trauma in their life, as a vet or a vets spouse, brother, sister, mother or child.

I would like to invite that person to spend a year or more in the worst parts of Iraq, and then see what his/her suggestion would be like when coming back. Reading that really made my blood boil!!!

I'm glad they black out his/her name on the email for safety reasons. Unbelievable!

I am a civilian who has suffered from a form of PTSD. May God help the person or persons who deliberately mis-disgnoses a soldier returning from this terrible war in order to save our government some money!

WHo is she to tell the doctors how they should be treating and diagnosing?? I didn't see any initials behind her name. All I seem to see is money signs, isn't it sad that a veteran who would give his life for his country, can't even get his country to give him a means to a life when he returns from service... sad sad sad day for our country

The comments made by this woman are unjust! But, she is not the only one. A woman psychologist from the Pittsburgh VA area made the same comments and implemented them. I feel this way. If you haven't heard the song of the bullet and haven't been in the arena of COMBAT and war the same time as I then keep your opinions to yourself. Everyone knows that opinions are like assholes and everyone has one including specialist trained to deal with situations like PTSD but all of the crap ALWAYS comes out the wrong hole yet still rolls down hill to the vet. I love gravity...don't you? If there's a problem....fix it! VA is rampant with problems and it is not the past or present veterans who are causing it. I am a Viet-Nam veteran who battled with VA from 1979 to 2004 for treatment and disability. Not only from PTSD but pain from war wounds, Type II diabetes, anger management, etc. Twenty-five years later, one divorce, two stays in jail, job after job, arguments and violent physical contact with other people, and it was the Military Order of the Purple Heart who did more to get me disability and treatment than any other. People who go to war, especially combat personnel, who see things happen of unimaginable horror, do things out of the norm to keep themselves and their buddies alive, manage to survive whole, disabled in body and/or mind, do not return to this country normal or "fit" right in to this sorry ass society. We're labeled from the start. One person on this site already labeled people like us as "trained killers". God! Some Americans haven't changed in 40+ years. Try living with hyper-vigilance, pain, things that NONE who did them can forget, the nightmares,the memories of a certain day and place that no one heard about or really cares about but you and the others who were there, the deep anger and hatred for everyone and no one, the volatile temper (John McCain), the isolation, survivors guilt, and so many other things that "normal" people never experience and then have your government put you through hell to "prove" you have become what you are due to war. To the veterans of today who are experiencing this my heart and prayers go out to you and DON'T GIVE UP. I won't blame the VA entirely for these comments for our government continues to slash funding for VA so new roads can be built, bridges repaired, and more items that are "more important" than the "PROPER" treatment and care for the veterans who did what this country and it's government asked them to do. Trained psychologist, like most people are filled with opinions. We all know that opinions are like ass-holes and everyone has them to include trained personnel like psychologists. Unfortunately, all the crap comes out of the wrong hole and decision makers listen to them and yet all of the crap continues to roll downhill to the veteran.(You have to love that gravity!) One divorce, 2 jail terms, job after job, isolating yourself from others to include your family, maximum depression, the volatile anger, the taking of pill after pill, sessions in therapy, anger management and trying your utmost to change does not always meet with success. The system needs fixed...for sure! Who is going to do it? Who will stop those taking funding away from VA to support a corrupt government that's for big business and special interest groups and not "FOR THE PEOPLE"? Elections? I doubt it. Especially after how this last sitting president got into the White House. No, the veterans will continue to fight for what is rightfully theirs to survive or it's back to the gun like the Medal of Honor recipient who was shot to death while robbing a store. Maybe, just maybe, if a little more money at that time would have been available to properly diagnose and treat him, and others like him, they might still be with us today. Am I angry? You can bet your sweet-ass I am and will continue to be until this country's veterans get the treatment, the disability, the respect, and have to quit trying to adjust to a society that can't even adjust to itself. Thank you, ALL VETERANS, for what you did, are doing, and going through yourselves. Thank you all.

I asked for an increase in my disability based on my doctors advice. When I went to the C&P exam my doctor told me my injuries were from old age and not having been blown up by a bomb. He then documented that I was a 76 y/o patient, I was 35 y/o. He refused to change my record and no one in the hospital would. I went as far as Sen. Lindsey Graham, before I realized that it would remain in my record that I suffer from old age. The terrorists I fought didn't do me as much psychological harm as the VA has.

JG

As a vietnam, desert storm veteran, I had to go to my own doctor and use my own insurance to get my diagonis of PTSD. The VA would not even evaluate me, for the condition, I have appealed their denial of my claim, and have been waiting over a year for the denial to be heard.

I'm not very suprised by the actions of Norma Perez. I aggree with the writer who stated that she is just part of a corrupt system that has allowed her to be a scapegoat and a distraction from the systematic abuse perpetrated upon veterans who are not fortunate enough to personally have someone of influence to support them.

I am an Iraq war vet that didn't get a diagnosis of PTSD, but of depression with a rating of 10% disability. If it weren't for other disability ratings I wouldn't end up with enough money to buy a daily cup of coffee at one of the corporate coffee chains. By the way, we drank coffee in the army that was made by adding hot water to a concentrated liquid coffee syrup - disgusting taste but with the same amount of caffeine I assume.

I have to deal with lack of energy and the conflicting actions of the different medications my VA doctor has perscribed for me. I can't get chiropractic treatment for my back problem - only medications that don't work or put me to sleep. I'm told that these alternative treatments are only recommended/approved/authorized in a very few cases. Maybe one has to be a commissioned officer? I don't know because they won't tell me.

Also, I can relate to the woman whose father is a WWII veteran because my girlfriend's dad is too. He doesn't talk about the war much, but about his time as a NYC police officer. I suspect that this, as today, is one of the few jobs available (along with security gauard) that vets are qualified to do coming out of an army that trains soldiers primarily for combat and security missions and little else.

-bw

As I myself am a physician (not a mental health specialist) at a large west coast VA medical center I would like to make a few comments.
1. All physicians I work with are dedicated and feel great empathy for OIF/OEF veterans who have put themselves in harms way based on their sense of duty.
2. When many combat veterans return to the U.S. they experience symtoms of sleeplessness, disturbed dreams, hyperalertness and other symtoms. Transitioning from a so called "battlemind" situation to civilian life can be difficult. Some will make the transition fairly quickly (perhaps with the help of counseling or particpating in group sessions) and others will have more difficulty and require ongoing care. The former have adjustment disorder and the latter have PTSD. Unfortunately we do see many cases of full blown PTSD and we have highly trained PTSD experts who provide ongoing care for them.
3. All returning OIF/OEF veterans complete a set of screening questions related to PTSD symptoms and those who have such symptoms are referred to our PTSD clinic for definitive diagnosis and treatment by experts.
4. Contrary to what some may think, not all returning combat veterans want to be labeled with PTSD the first time they seek medical care and mention they are having trouble sleeping and getting combat out of their mind. Many plan on applying for law enforcement jobs and are concerned the label will harm their future careers.
5. Physicians in the medical branch of the VA have nothing to do with the benefits branch. As a physician in the medical branch personally I don't care how much the VA has to pay for claims. That is the cost of war and veterans with PTSD or any other physical or mental condition have the right to proper medical care and compensation. NO one has EVER told me to do anything to reduce costs of benefits and no one has ever asked me to change a diagnosis I have made to save money. Furthermore, since compensation decisions are made by the benefits branch it would make no sense for anyone to try.
6. The comments to this story indicate that many have problems with the VA. I am sure this is true but most returning combat veterans I know value the help the VA offers them. All our OIF/OEF veterans are seen by a case manager who goes over all benefits and services they are entitled to and are seen by a physician for a thorough exam designed to pick up post-deployment issues.
7. Finally, I have no defense for Dr Perez memo as it implied that her advice was based on compensation issues. But frankly I do think that there are times when the INITIAL diagnosis of adjusment disorder is justified until the scope and duration of the patients condition is clear. Certainly there are clear cut cases where PTSD can be diagnosed at the first visit but for those with mild symptoms of short duration one has to see how the returning veteran does. Such patients should be offered help and it will soon be apparent what the diagnosis is.

Taken out of context, by itself, this email is not unreasonable. It is standard with mental health diagnoses to consider the possibility of malingering. In some dx's that are more commonly faked than real, that concern is directly stated in DSM guidelines. (eg. Multiple Personality Disorder)

In the context of the general treatment that the VA gives to veterans at their hospitals, it is yet another outrageous money saving tactic.

I am the former caregiver of a veteran with a disputed diagnosis of PTSD, and have heard the stories at the VA hospital of a large minority of other patients who had trouble getting treatment.

This is an issue of great concern, and I abhor the tactics that the VA sometimes uses, but I understand the need to keep an eye on the bottom line, as well. The more difficult it is for profiteers to cheat the system, the less they will do so. The more difficult it is for the legitimately sick to get help, the less they will do so, too.

To make matters worse, the legitimately ill, especially the mentally ill, are less able to advocate for them selves.

I see no easy solutions here. I am not so much upset at the email originator as I am with the failures of the system as a whole. More money would help, but would also provide a stronger enticement to fraud. Smarter money would be better, but I have little to suggest here. Fraud tailors itself to work the system, and the systems only effective resistance is skepticism. We accept in the court room that it is better to let 100 criminals go free than to lock up one innocent. (But that actually saves us money superficially, in reduced prison costs.) It would be nice to also say that it is better to let 100 people get away with fraud than to deny one injured person needed care. But that costs money right out of the gate, and principals are harder to maintain when you have to find the money to pay for them.

C. Caerbhallain

This internal VA e-mail absolutely turns my stomach. To think that this may be going on is beyond belief. Haven't we suffered enough?

i should get money,,,i suffered plenlty long

That James Peake's response to this deeply thought out act of intentional misconduct by a VA manager is to do nothing more than "reassign" Norma Perez (and probably have a good laugh about it) stands as nothing but a testament as to his own lack of character and unfitness to be VA Secretary or to attach MD to his name.

As a VETERAN I see both side. To many want to claim to have PTSD to collect monies. It only takes a few to bog down the profesionals to the point they become cynical.The number given is by a partisan person who is against the war. So how bias do you think is there. Yes there are real cases as there was in WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam. The numbers being thrown out there serve ONLY the anti-war munions. So they are VERY self serving.

Bureaucrat Norma Perez's (who does not appear to be a properly licensed psychologist in any state)email encouraging intentional misdiagnosis of a medical condition will now ultimately force the VA to have to reopen and re-evaluate every case done at that facility/department while she has been a manager there.

That's going to cost a lot of money. Who should pay? Let's start by garnishing Norma's generous salary and those of other VA employee in her chain of command up to and including political appaointee VA Secretary James Peake who himself tries to blow this atrocity off by trying to pass off Norma Perez as just another faceless worker and not the irresponsible significant department manager that she was acting as.

This entire incident is typical of an administration loves having a great gluttonous feast for itself and then refuses to pay the tab.

This is so unbelievably shameful and yet it really isn't new. I am the daughter of a WWII vet. I want you to know that my father was severly wounded PHYSICALLY...lost an arm, all of his hearing, and a deep wound in his side. For these he was treated...they were "respectable wounds". He was able to deal even with the loss of the arm BUT for the mental wounds he never received an ounce of treatment. Mental wounds were NOT respectable, you see.
Therefore they affected to such a great degree, not only his own life but the lives of his wife and children. Today at 85 years old, he STILL suffers the effects. His children continue to deal with what his illness did to them.
Now we have identified the illness PTSD, but we don't want to pay the price. So we deny it's existance. Still isn't respectable is it? We will hurt these soldiers and their families until the day they die....WHAT A DISGRACE!
I tell my 3 sons, ages 16, 19 and 21..I NEVER want them to even consider a military career. "Serve Your Country'???
No Please.....Our country doesn't care enough to treat our vets right.
sign me......
A Vet's daughter not wishing to be a vet's mother.

I think it is horrible. I mean we send these people to these hellish conditions and expose them to extreme horrors. And they expect them when they come back to be normal within a couple of months? It is an unjust war. It is a little different if you are fighting for a just cause but there was no valid sane reason to invade that country. Now we have lost over 4000 young men and women and countless innocent Iraqis and for what?? And then we don’t even have the decency to provide adequate medical treatment upon their return home? Is the war costing us this much money that we have to cut back on the medical care that our soldiers need? Remind me please, we are spending billions on this war for what? Hmmm, it doesn’t seem the planners of this great liberation campaign actually did any planning whatsoever except how they are going to line their own pockets! I won’t even begin on the Vietnam vets, they got screwed all the way around then and it continues today. How many of the Vietnam vets are homeless? Hasn’t statistics proven that these vets need the most help? The horrors they experienced, the chemical warfare, then they mistreatment here by the people and the government…. My uncle, who is Vietnam vet will not even utter one word about that war. I wonder what all he was exposed to. That is my 2 cents for the day. J

The article states that Norma Perez is a Psychologist. That means that she is Not a Medical Doctor / M.D.

She is not (legally) allowed to 'Diagnose' and she cannot Prescribe Medication.

She is SCUM and should be prosecuted- and have her credentials taken away.

She is certainly no 'doctor'.

I'm glad someone else noticed that she spelled incidents incorrectly- thought I was the only one.

We need to support our Veterans.
Vote for Obama- He called for an investigation.

As a Vietnam veteran I am not at all surprized by this development.
Billions for those who supply and profit from the war.
Pennies for those who fight and suffer from it.
James Carpenter. USMC 68 - 71.

I understand that this news is outrageous. I am outraged. On the other hand, veterans have been subjected to this for many, many years--probably since Reagan came into office. I was never able to trust the VA, which I began dealing with in 1989. My experience with them, up until the moment they finally gave me a diagnosis and disability compensation, was a nightmare. They, and all other federal agencies, will fight tooth and nail to keep employees (soldiers or public servants) from getting any benefits at all. Misdiagnoses to make the soldier go away, prolonged legal battles that only the smartest, best educated, and most alert soldier can win--the VA has never been the soldier's friend. This is why so many vets with PTSD end up homeless. They can't win, and once they're homeless, they don't have a prayer.

The VA has not tried to hurt me for many years, now, but I still don't trust them. I still cringe whenever I get VA mail. For many, many years it has been the same: Republican power-brokers--and the Administration--lean heavily on the VA, and the pressure is felt all the way down through the ranks. The exact same process is used in ALL federal agencies. None of them are actually there to do the job they were meant to do: they're there to save money and dish up misleading statistics and opinions for the Republicans to use.

John McCain, ironically enough, is an active player in this game. If he is elected, you can count on these travesties to continue--and on veterans' benefits to continue to erode.

This should not shock anyone, (which is shocking in and of it's self), after all this adminastration led us into this war with an intentional mis-diagnosis. Where are the WMD's????
Nothing this clan of self-rightous, self-serving, war profitears does shocks me, I feel the only thing that will supprise me, is if they recieve justice that they have earned.

First of all, any mental diagnosis, PTSD, Anxiety disorder, Major Depressive disorder, to name a few, are all rated under the same criteria. Read CFR 38

What this means is that there isn't a increase or reduction in a veterans compensation.

Service connected compensation is based on the severity of the disability.

The ratings exam process is a joke ... but it' the only joke we have.

I challenge you to help me improve and rememdy the existing system.

Lets start by ridding the system of aspiring actors.

There needs to be a full investigation of the Temple VA hospital and the Waco Regional Office to locate the veterans who have sought treatment for PTSD and/or filed claims for same. It must be assumed that there are veterans who have already been misdiagnosed due to this doctor, or the colleagues thereof, and that there have been claims denied based on such misdiagnosis. These claims need to be reopened, dating back to the time that this particular doctor began work at the VA. These veterans need to be reexamined, by doctors in no way connected with this particular doctor or the Temple VA hospital, and if diagnosed with PTSD their claims should be granted and made retroactive back to the date of original filing. This is the only way to see that these veterans receive justice.

They should, also, be allowed to sue the doctor making this statement personally.

This doctor should be fired immediately and if found to have been intentionally misdiagnosing patients charged federally with falsifying medical and federal documents.

Rocky, VA Rep.
Chapter XVII, 173rd Airborne Brigade (Sep)
Charlie Company 75th Inf. Airborne Rangers
100% SC Vietnam Veteran