Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY -- War veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (P.T.S.D.) should now find it easier to get the help they need. The Department of Veterans Affairs recently simplified access to health care for veterans with P.T.S.D.
As combat intensifies for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, new regulations just made it easier for returning veterans to get benefits for P.T.S.D. Under new rules, the veteran does not have to document a fire fight or mortar attack that caused the debilitating illness.
- Anger and irritability?
- Isolation from others?
- Poor sleep?
- Difficulty relaxing?
- Trouble in relationships?
- Changes in alcohol use?
- Difficulty keeping a job?
- Can't get military experiences out of your mind?
- Thoughts of harming yourself or others?
Tanya Miller, a psychologist with the P.T.S.D. Clinical Team at VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, says the change will make a big difference.
"They no longer have to prove that they were at a specific date or specific time when something happened," says Miller.
That can take months, even years. "Research shows that any vet who has had these symptoms for more than 12 months, are not going to get better without treatment," Miller says.
Now, veterans must simply show they served in a war zone where conditions contributed to P.T.S.D.
Daniel Murchie is a patient advocate for veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He believes more veterans who need help will find it easier to reach out and get the care they need.
"A lot of people don't want to talk about these things, and they don't feel that they have to need to prove it, and really they shouldn't have to," he says.
500 Foothill Drive
Salt Lake City, Utah 84148
Steve Allen, PhD
Toll Free: 1-800-613-4012, ext. 2390 or
801-582-1565, ext. 2390
Steven.Allen@va.gov
The change could affect hundreds of thousands of service members nationwide and many here at the George E. Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City. On July 20, 27 local vets showed up for a weekly intake session, more than ever before.
"We anticipate, actually, a significant increase in numbers for people coming in for help," Miller says.
A number that now grows more than percent each year.
"We're expecting the floodgates to open," says Murchie. "We're expecting to get very busy."
So, next year, the VA will add 200 more counselors nationwide and expand facilities. On the campus of the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, a new mental health outpatient building is under construction. It will be ready to serve vets in February. It's another way the VA is trying to answer the growing number of needs among this generation of veterans.
"I think any time people are talking about P.T.S.D. and what the symptoms are, I think it just increases awareness overall in the general population that this problem is out there and that people do need help, and that help is available for them," said Miller.
More than two million service members have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001. Estimates show as many as 15 to 20 percent of veterans suffer from P.T.S.D.
The change helps address the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where there's no clear front line, with constant threats of terrorist attacks.
This change affects U. S. combat veterans of all wars.
E-mail: jboal@ksl.com
