Durbin Challenges VA to Make Immediate Improvements to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Services

DURBIN CHALLENGES VA TO MAKE IMMEDIATE IMPROVEMENTS TO POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER SERVICES

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent a letter, signed by Senate colleagues from both political parties, to James Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), challenging the VA's efforts to improve their services to veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In the letter, Durbin asks that a series of recommendations, made by the VA Special Committee on PTSD in a 2004 report, be acted upon quickly and effectively.

"Two years is too long for our veterans to wait," Durbin said. "These recommendations were made over two years ago and still haven't been fully implemented. If we continue to drag our feet on this, far too many soldiers with PTSD will go undiagnosed and untreated. Without treatment, veterans with PTSD are at high risk for drug abuse, domestic violence, homelessness, unemployment and even suicide. America's veterans deserve better."

In 2004, the VA brought together a Special Committee on PTSD, which released 24 recommendations for improving PTSD education and health care services. A Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) report published in February 2005 revealed that very little progress had been made on the 24 recommendations, and requested that the VA expedite the implementation of the committee's recommendations. These changes have not yet been fully implemented.

Recent studies highlight the increasing need for VA PTSD services, as an increasing number of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan seek mental health care. A study conducted by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research indicates that soldiers who have served in combat duty in Iraq have made high use of mental health services following their return to the United States. A separate Department of Defense study showed that at least one in three servicemen and women sought outpatient mental health care in the first year after their deployment.

Last July, Durbin introduced legislation requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to immediately strengthen its Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) services for veterans and their families. The Durbin bill requires the VA to establish a PTSD Clinical Team at every one of the nation's 157 VA Medical Centers and provide for a certified family therapist within each of the 207 Veteran Centers across the country. Durbin's legislation also asks for the appointment of a regional PTSD Coordinator within each Veteran Integrated Service Network and Readjustment Counseling Service Region to evaluate programs, promote best practices, and make resource recommendations.

"Over the past year, I have traveled across Illinois, speaking with veterans who struggle with PTSD," noted Durbin. "Their stories are heart wrenching. In addition to their trauma, they have also faced frustrating delays and roadblocks at the VA that keep them from receiving the treatment they need. Unfortunately, the VA health system is not prepared to provide service members who are dealing with PTSD the health care and other support they and their families need."

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