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Do you agree with the 9th Circuit Court’s recent condemnation of VA mental health care?

 

 

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While this is anecdotal, I myself have had very good treatment from the VA here in Northern California. I was seen within days of requesting to see a mental health specialist for treatment for PTSD. The therapist was excellent, the VA never argued with his diagnosis, didn't drag its feet, adjudicating my claim nor limit my treatment to the initially agreed upon 6-months. I received out-patient treatment until about three months ago and was told that if I felt I needed to continue all that was needed was for my therapist to fill out ther forms.

That said, I have made use of the VA Watchdog site for various things and followed the sites continuing critique of the VA both good and bad and have noticed that treatment and service by the VA varies greatly from one part of the country to another. This, in itself, is a sign of management problems at the top direly in need of fixing. The court's ruling was harsh but it seems that is what was needed to get attention to the problem.

Submitted by Bob95490 : May 19, 2011 11:56pm

As a DOD Contractor, Reservist, and Active Retiree, the VA experience has varied with each locality. Since 2014, I saw a large effort to automatically diagnose PTSD based simply on three questions. Veterans with dyslexia, vertigo, strong accents, sight issues, or stinosis are detained and mis-diagnosed with PTSD while the suicide rates climb. The questionairres aren't working like they could because of the lack of time, compassion, follow-up and skill by the screening personnel.
I get a phone call every three days from a VA over 1,000 miles from my home offering a COVID-19 vaccination. This is the epitome of compassion and follow-up. If every VA checked up proactively on every Veteran, even those who moved years ago, we would see a dramatic reduction in suicides.
In stark contrast, the local VA only calls proactively when they can't access my nightly CPAP records to threaten to cut my disability rating.

Submitted by akoluch : Mar 19, 2021 2:44am

As a DOD Contractor, Reservist, and Active Retiree, the VA experience has varied with each locality. Since 2014, I saw a large effort to automatically diagnose PTSD based simply on three questions. Veterans with dyslexia, vertigo, strong accents, sight issues, or stinosis are detained and mis-diagnosed with PTSD while the suicide rates climb. The questionairres aren't working like they could because of the lack of time, compassion, follow-up and skill by the screening personnel.
I get a phone call every three days from a VA over 1,000 miles from my home offering a COVID-19 vaccination. This is the epitome of compassion and follow-up. If every VA checked up proactively on every Veteran, even those who moved years ago, we would see a dramatic reduction in suicides.
In stark contrast, the local VA only calls proactively when they can't access my nightly CPAP records to threaten to cut my disability rating.

Submitted by akoluch : Mar 19, 2021 2:49am

I've been diagnosed with PTSD since 1997 by a VA Psychologist with over 22,000 PTSD cases. I've been treated by the VA for it, I also have a diagnosis of PTSD by a VA Psychiatrist and several of my therapists over 9 years of VA therapy.

Still Oakland is jacking my claim around. They finally called me in for a Comp and Pension exam last fall, said I'd hear from them in a month or two. Still no results of that exam. Exam is not in my medical files. Still no resolution of my claim for all these years.

I lost count of how many times I sent the Doctors diagnosis in, but Oakland would always bounce it back saying I had no diagnosis of PTSD.

My wife came down with stage 4 cancer. I requested my claim be expedited due to hardship. We were going bankrupt and had retained a bankruptcy attorney. Sent in my wife's doctors request that my claim be expedited. Oakland sent back a letter saying my doctors request did not prove I had PTSD.

Submitted by Armstrong : May 20, 2011 12:50am

I've been waiting about 5 years for a BVA hearing.

Countless times my claim was denied because they said I couldn't prove my stresser statements. I'd sent adequate proof of my statements.

My advocate looked into my case and told me I'd been being 'top sheeted' for years. That means whoever would review my claim would just deny it and add something even more insulting to the denial than the last person who'd denied my claim.

I've been hospitalized several times with stress related problems. Always flashback related. I can't sleep without taking meds. I just don't go to sleep without them.

Last week I called the 800 number and asked them to check into my claim...they said I'd hear within a week what the hold up and problem was. It's now been 10 days. More deny, delay till they die from the VA.

My wife died. The VA is still jacking my claim around. She might have lived if I'd gotten what the VA owes me and I'd been able to get her better care. Thanks Uncle Sam.

Submitted by Armstrong : May 20, 2011 12:57am

At the VA in Milwaukee Wisconsin (Zablocki) I was diagnosed with PTSD and depression from MST. While in Zablocki's inpatient PTSD treatment program I was stalked and sexually harassed by a male patient. The VA employees protected him!!! I his past he did jail time for stalking and beating another woman!! I never got to finish my treatment, he did, and started a job there!! I found a lawyer and filed a tort claim and judge Gorensen, Milwaukee federal court system, threw it out! the asst. DA from VanHollands office called me a 'fruit loop'!! Was all this discrimination and abuse because I'm a woman? or because the system SUCKS? I served for 2 wars and was honorable discharged where is my justice, much less any mental health treatment?? I drive to another state for my VA care in an attempt to protect myself from the Zablocki stalker, in my opinion the court was not hard enough on the VA!!

Submitted by missmustmove : May 21, 2011 3:25pm