Beyond Walter Reed: the DOD's Other Healthcare Scandal (by Nancy Goldstein at HuffPost)

[marmar]

Nancy Goldstein

04.24.2007
Beyond Walter Reed: the DOD's Other Healthcare Scandal

The governmental and media response to the Walter Reed scandal scratches only the most visible layer of the larger crisis in the US military's healthcare system. The fact remains that the majority of servicemembers -- whose injuries in the course of duty do not necessitate being airlifted into Reed -- face substantial barriers to receiving any kind of care at all.

As I reported in a series of articles on Raw Story this past October, servicemembers with mental disorders are treated particularly badly. As the violence in Iraq and Afghanistan intensifies and military recruiters continue falling short of their quotas, the problem grows. More troops are exposed to ever-worsening combat conditions for increasingly longer terms of duty. And when they return, these troops face systematic barriers to proper diagnosis and treatment, starting with a post-deployment process littered with disincentives to disclose any kind of problem whatsoever.

For example, these same troops that have served two and three times longer than they originally intended are warned, while they are at the post-deployment center awaiting their release, that anyone reporting any kind of potential physical or mental disorder will be held indefinitely "for a full evaluation" while their buddies go home to their friends and families. And it's common knowledge that a mark like that on their military record could end all hopes of working for the police force, the fire department, or any other kind of security-related job.

Of the mere 5% of troops still desperate enough to vault these hurdles and acknowledge potential symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTSD), 78% are denied further mental health evaluation after being eyeballed by... just about anyone. As Paul Reickhoff, Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and an Iraq veteran explained, "The form went to me and I passed it up to my commander. Essentially, you're asking a group of people who have been in exactly the same situation, and who have no mental health training or background, to evaluate other people." ....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-goldstein/beyond-walter-reed-the-d_b_46720.html