Veterans Affairs Secretary Dr. David J. Shulkin has stated that the VA will begin to offer mental health services to those who have been discharged under other than honorable conditions. You can read the press release HERE.
“Our goal is simple: to save lives,” Shulkin continued. “Veterans who are in crisis should receive help immediately. Far too many Veterans have fallen victim to suicide, roughly 20 every day. Far too many families are left behind asking themselves what more could have been done. The time for action is now.”
The story is making its way through veteran groups with many expressing opinions that are diametrically opposing. Concerns about “Entitlement Creep” seem to be surfacing. Secretary Shulkin credits Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., for changing his view on the issue. Rep. Coffman has been active in legislation on the issue:
A measure that Coffman championed last year, the Fairness for Veterans Act, made it into the National Defense Authorization Act. It requires Defense Department panels that review discharges to consider medical evidence from a veteran’s health care provider. Panels would have to review each case presuming that post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, sexual assault trauma or another service-related condition led to the discharge.
It also aims to give the benefit of the doubt to veterans who seek to correct their military records.
It appears that people who were discharged with an Other Than Honorable Discharge can now receive benefits and have their discharge characterization changed because the VA must presume that PTSD, TBI, Rape, or some other service-related condition was responsible for it in the first place. That sounds like more than just mental health services being offered. As is most often the case, the cause is being pushed from behind a banner that most people will not challenge.
Of course there is the issue of veteran suicide painted boldly on the banner they seem to be marching behind.
“Our goal is simple: to save lives,” Shulkin continued. “Veterans who are in crisis should receive help immediately. Far too many Veterans have fallen victim to suicide, roughly 20 every day. Far too many families are left behind asking themselves what more could have been done. The time for action is now.”
Under the “If it saves even one life” rule, no critical thought can be put into the effort. Even though the “22 a Day” myth has been debunked countless times…it persists. It is disturbing that the VA itself is using the number 20. The actual number is something more like 7 according to most researchers including the Military Suicide Research Consortium.
The study suggests that 22 veterans commit suicide on average each day while the data above suggests an average of 2,500 suicides by veterans per year or under seven per day in the 21 states studied.
I seriously doubt that the number of preventable veteran suicides is even that high if corrected properly for those over 50 who are suffering from fatal illnesses and decide to stop the pain by their own hand.
I agree that one is too many. We should be doing all we can to prevent needless suicides. Does that mean we have to open the gates for people with OTH discharges to join the ranks of everyone else at the entitlement buffet?
The rampant over diagnosis of PTSD has become epidemic. Once again, the “veterans are victims” hyperbole persists.
If there is no substance to Honorable service…then Military Service has no honor. Everyone gets a trophy.
