Sticker Shock over Shell Shock

From Truthout, on the VA's unconscionable treatment of Veterans:

The US government is reviewing 72,000 cases in which veterans have been diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, claiming that misdiagnosis and fraud have inflated the numbers. Outraged vets say the plan is a callous attempt to cut the costs of an increasingly expensive war.

To outraged veterans groups, the review smacks of a convenient way to cut costs during an increasingly expensive war and reflects a reluctance by the department to take PTSD seriously. "The V.A. hopes to trim costs for existing war veterans and recently returning war veterans by targeting PTSD," says Steve Robinson, executive director of the National Gulf War Resource Center, a veterans advocacy organization in Silver Spring, Md. "This is a desperate and despicable move by an administration caught without a plan, the money, or the staff to care for our nation's wounded warriors."

What that boils down to, says Robinson, is that veterans caught in the V.A. review are going to have to prove they were hurt all over again. "If you had a claim granted during this time period, you better get out your [military records] and start calling your buddies for evidence of your combat exposure," he says.

Every month in the VFW magazine there are personal ads from Vets of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam seeking old service buddies to help them establish VA claims. I think the VA has caught up with Spanish-American War and WWI claims, because there aren't many ads from those Vets. I'm sure the VA hopes to catch up on claims from later conflicts in the same manner.

In June, the V.A. issued an order that would have made it more difficult to grant veterans 100 percent disability for PTSD by requiring further review of those cases before granting payments. It was rescinded a week later in the face of intense criticism from veterans groups, who wanted equal scrutiny on cases where the department decided to deny a PTSD claim.

"There are a lot of people out there who want to make some changes on the backs of veterans," says Smithson. "This is a really scary time."

A grateful nation speaks: "You did what we wanted you to do. We used you 'til you were useless to us. You suffered terribly. You should be very proud of your service and hold your head high. Now fuck off."