VCS Announces Our Four PTSD Priorities for 2009‏

Veterans for Common Sense was formed by Gulf War veterans in 2002 in part to avoid repeating the mistake of failing to adequately address the medical needs of our veterans when they return home from war. VCS has a track record of success when we take on an issue. During 2006 and 2007, we worked extensively with Congress on the "Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act," a bill that became law in 2008 and expanded healthcare and benefits for our returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

On January 26, VCS sent a letter to our new VA Secretary, Erik Shinseki, urging him to use his rule-making authority to promulgate a regulation establishing a presumption of service connection for deployed veterans diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) based on the recent Institute of Medicine report linking PTSD with deployment to a war zone.

VA reports more than 105,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are already diagnosed with PTSD. Many of the bureaucratic hurdles veterans face for treatment and benefits start in the military. That's why VCS developed four priority items for the military to improve how the military handles PTSD during 2009:

1. VCS urges DoD to implement the 1997 Force Health Protection law, PL 105-85, Section 761-771, that requires the military to provide pre- and post-deployment medical exams to all service members. The Government Accounting Office and the Institute of Medicine found the current system of asking soldiers to self-report mental illness was woefully inadequate. We believe mandatory exams by physicians will reduce stigma against PTSD by normalizing the exam process. When a civilian police officer is involved in a shooting, he or she receives a mandatory exam before returning to duty. This same standard of required exams should apply to all our troops when they return home from combat.

2. VCS urges DoD to implement a strong anti-stigma program as required by the National Defense Authorization Act for 2009. We believe that attitudes toward veterans with PTSD will change with education about the causes, symptoms, and treatments. Education should describe the devastating consequences of untreated PTSD like broken families, unemployment, crime, drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness, and suicide. We believe that reducing stigma will encourage more veterans to seek treatment and provide a smoother readjustment for our veterans into colleges, jobs, and communities without fear of discrimination.

3. VCS urges DoD to hire additional mental health professionals to meet the increasing demand for examinations and treatment. In February 2007, the American Psychological Association reported a 40 percent vacancy rate for mental health professionals within the Department of Defense. If DoD plans to perform the mandatory exams in a timely manner, then the military must have a sufficient supply of mental health practitioners to meet the ever-increasing demand. More than 717,000 troops have deployed two or more times to the war zones, and these veterans are now at greater risk for developing PTSD than those who deploy only once. Identification and early treatment for PTSD will save taxpayers' money and help stem the growing suicide epidemic.

4. VCS urges VA to work more closely with DoD implementing the Force Health Protection law so VA has sufficient records to provide medical care and process disability claims. We believe that many of the problems VA faces when dealing with PTSD arise due to inadequate military policies that flow unchecked downstream toward VA. We are concerned that there are 105,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans diagnosed by VA with PTSD, yet only 42,000 veterans receive VA disability compensation for PTSD - an unacceptable 40 percent approval rate that may be caused by a lack of military medical records. VCS also urges VA to grant automatic disability benefits to Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans diagnosed with PTSD by VA.

We know these are ambitious goals, but we here at VCS believe they are necessary to reduce the rising tide of PTSD-related violence and suicides among our veterans. Your contribution to VCS will help make this ambitious agenda for 2009 attainable. Please make a commitment to America's veterans today.

Thank you,

Paul Sullivan
Executive Director
Veterans for Common Sense

CALL TO ACTION: Veterans vs Country They Serve

Veterans vs Veterans Administration Case UpDate 6-25-08

Yesterday, the 25th, a ruling came down from the judge hearing the case, in San Francisco, 82 pages long, and not a surprise to this Vet. In the ruling the judge sided with the Veterans but had to push it to where it belongs, In Congress. Only Congress and the Excutive Branch, of the Peoples Government, can bring about the way to long overhall of the Veterans Administration. Everything that is being reported about the care to the returning Veterans, of the Wars and Occupations of Choice, is actually Old News, just ask the thousands of my brother, and sister, Veterans of Korea and Vietnam, and it's happening once again while these conflicts rage as it did back than. We call the present Military the Professional Military yet we continue the foulups that take place within the Government Agencies, Veterans Administration and DoD Health, that are charged with it's care, especially the Mental Trauma War brings on in the Soldiers and the Civilians in these Theaters of Occupation.

This Government, thus by extension it's agencies, are the People of this Country. We 'Hire' those in charge who in turn hire those that do the work. We pay the salaries and the bills, those who work in the federal system work for us, from the President right on down the whole Government.

The Veterans, and those personal still on Active duty, of this Countries Military, Serve the Country in Defense of. For that service they are owed by the Country the Best Care Available and the Best VA Care Agency in the World, they always have been, but Especially as this Country supports the Wars of Choice it's leaders sell to it. Over 70% were in Support, many were silent but in support many others were very vocal and calling and labeling those of us who saw what was coming every dispicable name they could come up with. Those of us opposed wear our guilt of not being able to stop what was to come and the continuing destruction, we were sadly right about what we saying and it's even been worse.

It is up to the People to give back what is owed to those who serve, Contact your Representatives, in Congress, both houses, and Demand the Overhall of the VA, long overdue! The support from the majority of this countries people has never been there, some speak it but few act on it. The ones who could be depended on to help us Veterans from past conflicts, after WWII, were many of the activists opposed to the conflicts, some of the family members of the veterans who understood, some professionals in physical and mental health fields and law, and caring civilians who were driven by what they saw and heard, and the veterans, but those numbers have always been a small percentage of this countries population.

We have a young generation now seemily getting more involved, they came out in opposition to the invasion, they have come out in greater numbers on the political scene, they are coming out on a whole host of issues as they see this country heading in a direction opposite of that they were taught and led to believe. The Active Duty and Veterans need that energy and dedication to come to their aid in fights with the government and country that shouldn't even be needed, but exist. And the older generations that haven't been there, you know who you are, need to step it up more than just a notch.

SF Federal Judge Refuses To Order Overhaul Of VA

A federal judge in San Francisco refused Wednesday to order an overhaul of the Department of Veterans Affairs' health care system, saying veterans groups who had sued for the changes should take their case elsewhere.

One of the groups who have been tirelessly, and extremely dedicated, working on this lawsuit has been the Disability Rights Advocates and their legal branch. Yesterday, after the ruling came down they posted this on their wensite:

June 25, 2008: Senior Federal District Court Judge Samuel Conti has issued his decision in the landmark case brought on behalf of veterans suffering from PTSD and traumatic brain injury in July of 2007. The trial was conducted from April 21 30, 2008, and included a week of testimony in early March. The trial focused on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and adjudication systems for disabled veterans. The trial included testimony from the heads of national veterans’ organizations, top VA officials and some of the leading experts in the country on the widespread failings of the VA system.
Read the Press Release.
Read more about the Case

This is the press release, which is a downloadable file, linked above:

MEDIA ADVISORY


JUDGE RULES that VETS IN ptsd case should seek relief from congress — VETS RESOLVE TO APPEAL


WHAT:Decision After Trial—VCS, et al. v. Peake, et al.

JUDGE Senior Judge Samuel Conti, United States District Court, Northern District of California.

PRESS CONFERENCE: 2:30 p.m. PST, June 25, 2008, Morrison & Foerster LLP, 425 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, 11th Floor, check in with building security first and go to the 11th Floor; or dial in to listen to the conference: 1-800-755-6634

Senior Federal District Court Judge Samuel Conti has issued his decision in the landmark case brought on behalf of veterans suffering from PTSD and traumatic brain injury in July of 2007. The trial was conducted from April 21‑30, 2008, and included a week of testimony in early March. The trial focused on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and adjudication systems for disabled veterans. The trial included testimony from the heads of national veterans’ organizations, top VA officials and some of the leading experts in the country on the widespread failings of the VA system.

In his decision, Judge Conti held that it is “clear to the Court” that “the VA may not be meeting all of the needs of the nation’s veterans.” He agreed with, and explicitly adopted, many of the factual assertions made by the veterans. Those include the following:

1“The suicide rate among veterans is significantly higher than that of the general population,” and there is “a strong connection between PTSD and suicide.”

2“One out of every three soldiers returning from Iraq was seen in the VA for a mental health visit within a year of their return” with PTSD being a “leading diagnosis.”

3“The high rates of PTSD among Iraq veterans are the result of various factors, including multiple deployments, the inability to identify the enemy, the lack of real safe zones, and the inadvertent killing of innocent civilians, ” as top VA officials admitted.

4“Initiatives such as screening veterans at risk, a suicide prevention database, emerging best practices for treatment, and education programs were all still at the ‘Pilot Stage’ three years” after VA’s Mental Health Strategic Plan was adopted.

5“It is beyond doubt that disability benefits are critical to many veterans and any delay in receiving these benefits can result in substantial and severe adverse consequences.”

6The VA’s track record with respect to delays in processing veterans’ appeals “is troubling.” It is taking veterans on average 4.4 years to adjudicate a benefits claim at the first two levels in the VA benefits system.

Nonetheless, Judge Conti concluded that the power to remedy this crisis lies with the other branches of government, including Congress and the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, holding VA’s failures to meet veterans’ needs are “beyond the power of this Court” and would “call for a complete overhaul of the VA system.” Judge Conti’s opinion states that Congress, and not the courts, needs to resolve the crisis facing our nation’s veterans. This underscores the importance of the ongoing congressional hearings that seek to find the truth, and to address the problems faced by our veterans. Now, more than ever, it is critical that Congress act. Plaintiffs very much appreciate Judge Conti's consideration, but disagree with his legal conclusions. Accordingly, Plaintiffs plan to appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit so that these important legal questions can be addressed by a higher court. The full text of the decision can be found at Veterans PTSD Class Action.

Paul Sullivan, Director of Veterans for Common Sense, commented that “This ruling will only cause us to redouble our efforts and our pursuit of justice for our nation’s veterans. We will not rest until our job is finished.” Bob Handy, the Director for Veterans United for Truth, added: “Every time we feel discouraged or need to find our way, we always return to the VA’s motto, ‘To Care for Him Who Hath Borne the Battle, and His Widow and His Orphan,’ and that tells us what we need do.”

“The decision, if upheld on appeal, would suggest that veterans have no enforceable rights in America, and the Constitution does not apply to veterans. For all Americans, the implications of this decision are profoundly disturbing,” remarked the lead counsel for Plaintiffs, Gordon Erspamer. “Our fight on behalf of our veterans will continue.” Sid Wolinsky added, “I know that we will not rest until victory has been achieved and the suffering of our veterans ceases.”

Tragically, the VA has been neglecting wounded veterans returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan who are in desperate need of ongoing care and support, including medical treatment and disability payments for living expenses. Among those suffering the most are returning veterans with mental disabilities such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Veteran suicides have reached an epidemic level, with over 120 veterans taking their own lives every week, and 1,000 suicide attempts per month amongst veterans under VA care. This lawsuit was unprecedented in directly challenging the VA’s 600,000 case backlog in handling claims, appellate delays of five to ten years, the waiting lists that veterans face before receiving health care, and the inadequacy of VA care for PTSD.

The trial brought to light many critical facts that the VA had tried to conceal or downplay. An internal e-mail from the VA’s head of mental health, Dr. Ira Katz, surfaced during the trial. At a time when the VA was reporting only 790 veteran suicide attempts in all of 2007, Katz wrote, “Shh!...Our suicide prevention coordinators are identifying about 1,000 suicide attempts per month…Is this something we should (carefully) address...before someone stumbles on it?” At trial it was also disclosed that the suicide rate of veterans is at least three times the national suicide rate and in 2005, the suicide rate for veterans 18-24 years old was three to four times higher than non-veterans.

We are grateful to Judge Conti for hearing our case and for allowing a public display of VA’s enormous systemic failures.


Client Contacts:

Paul Sullivan, Veterans for Common Sense
(202) 491-6953

Robert M. Handy, Veterans United for Truth
(805) 455-5259

Counsel:

Gordon P. Erspamer, Arturo J. González, Heather A. Moser
Morrison & Foerster LLP, Lead Counsel
(415) 268-7000

Sid M. Wolinsky, Ron Elsberry, Kasey Corbit,
Disability Rights Advocates
(510) 665-8644

This is The Courts Decision in PDF File and is 82 Pages long, if you would like to download and read.

Swords to Plowshares also put out a press release, after the ruling, in PDF that you can download here

Here are a few more articles you can read to find out more.

Judge rules court won't step in to aid vets

The federal government is subjecting veterans to long delays in obtaining mental health care and medical benefits, but the power to change the system rests with officials and Congress, not the courts, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled Wednesday in dismissing a lawsuit by veterans' advocates.

The VA is understaffed and takes an average of nearly 4 1/2 years to hear veterans' appeals of benefit denials, and a long-range improvement plan the agency adopted four years ago is still mostly in the pilot stages, the judge said.
But Conti said, "The remedies sought by plaintiffs are beyond the power of this court and would call for a complete overhaul of the VA system.

And what does the VA Administration think.

VA spokesman Phil Budahn said the agency was pleased with the ruling.

What would one expect, for it isn't the hard working Veterans Administration employees that create the failures of the agency, nor any government agency, though I don't blame some who get so frustrated they just go along and stop trying to correct the systems, it's the Political Appointee's to the leadership positions and those hired in the Administrations of these agencies. I wonder how long this Phil Budahn has been working in the Veterans Administration.

Veterans get mixed decision about mental health care from SF judge

Conti found that individual members would have standing to sue. “Given the dire consequences many of these veterans face without timely receipt of benefits or prompt treatment for medical conditions, especially depression and PTSD, these injuries are anything but conjectural or hypothetical,” he wrote.

Do you want to help erase the Vietnam Syndrom, at least a part of that, do you really 'Support The Troops' in more than words, cheap symbols, and maybe an occasional care package, than Contact Your Representatives Today and continue these contacts, as often as deemed necessary, keep the preasure on them, show the Soldiers and Veterans you really care for and support them for their service to the country you live in, Sacrifice your time and anything else needed to give them the help that shouldn't need to be asked for, but should already exist!

Press Conferance
by Gordon Erspamer of Morrison & Foerster LLP

A Big HatTip to Ernie1812 over at Vet Voice for this video!

Lets See Now, 'Supporting The Troops'

What do those three words really mean in this ever so Rich, Powerful, and Patriotic Country of Ours, not to mention Supposedly Christian as well?

Is it just the mouthing of?

If a politician, which some call a profession, is it the wearing of a Flag Lapel Pin?
I have one I wear on my Veterans For Peace ballcap Turned Upside Down!!!

Is it little cheap Magnetic Yellow Ribbons that have those words printed on them, and seem to have rapidly disappeared?

We once had a conflict, we have 'The Wall' of remembrance of 58,000 lives lost in that conflict.

The one we, as a Nation, stated we should never forget the lessons of, and Quickly Forgot The Lessons Of!

We have a Huge Collective Guilt of how this Nation treated us returning Vets of that conflict and as we Cheered on the Invasion of another Innocent Little Country we came up with 'Support The Troops' and the little trinkets along with a bunch of 'Patriotic' slogans and putdowns, for those that did and those that didn't, follow the collective mindset!

With all my brothers went through on returning, especially those suffering from the Trauma of Conflict Theaters, myself coming back unscathed physically but the experiances of having served there rarely leaving my mind, left me with the ability to be an Advocate for my fellow 'Nam Veterans.

How many, non-veterans, knew that on February 26, 2008, 2PM at 334 Cannon House Office Building , at the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, this hearing was held:

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Schedule for Rating Disabilities And asked themselves why, if we 'Support The Troops', as myself and many other Veterans ask ourselves over and over, are we still having Congressional Hearings on Disability Ratings!

We're a Wealthy Country, or at least some are, Extremely Wealthy, beyond amounts that one can use in a lifetime, and we 'Support The Troops'!

With all we learned? from that other conflict, not so long ago, the one the lessons were never going to be forgotten, the one that Finally gave a name to
and an explosion of knowledge about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, i.e. PTSD, why hasn't the Veterans Affairs Department, the Peoples Representatives in Congress
and the Commanders in Chiefs since than made Military and Veterans Care a Top Priority and Budgetted at the Top of the Defense Budgets with No Questions of Cost,
after all we 'Support The Troops' and we now have a Professional Military!

The Navy Times had abit about the above hearing called, of all things, Experts: VA disability system can be fixed. Say What!!

For some reason the term 'Experts' and VA, System, Fixed just don't seem to fit together.

With the wealth of information, the fighting the system that Vets have had to do, the huge problems encountered by returning 'Nam Vets back than with the VA, why weren't these 'Experts' fixing what was already broken long ago, especially as we supposedly modernized with a professional military!

“The VA needs the right tools to do the right thing,” Hall said.
VA argued that it is already doing the right thing and has been updating the rating schedule, though officials acknowledged they could do better. From 1990 through 2007, VA had updated 47 percent of the ratings schedule, but 35 percent of the codes had not been touched since 1945. However, VA said it updated the codes for TBI in January and is working on an update for PTSD.

Working on an Update for PTSD??

“I believe the ratings schedule needs to be clarified so it has logic from the point of view of medicine and science,” McGinn said. “It has not progressed in the last five decades.”

No Shit!!

Kilpatrick said the exam for PTSD is also key. Examiners need to be carefully trained in how to diagnose and rate PTSD, and the exam should take up to three hours, rather than the 20 minutes that the Institute of Medicine found is often the case with veterans.

Send our Military Personal to create a 'Hell On Earth' than when they return take 20min. to find out how that may have effected them, 20 Minutes, think they can really spare even that, apparently it would be an even greater trauma, for the examiners, if they needed more than 20 Minutes, hell 3 Hours isn't even enough!!!

Now add to the fact that this country, who Supports The Troops, still need to have Congressional Hearings on the care of those same troops after they return we can add another travesty, the Veterans Need To Bring Lawsuits Against the Government, Us, Who They Served!

Tomorrow the following will take place:

VCS and VUFT Press Release: Court Hearing Set for March 3 in Lawsuit Against VA

MEDIA ADVISORY: FEBRUARY 28, 2008

FEDERAL COURT TO HEAR TESTIMONY ABOUT BREAKDOWNS IN VA HEALTH DELIVERY SYSTEM

Contacts:

* Paul Sullivan, Veterans for Common Sense, (202) 558-4553

* Robert M. Handy, Veterans United for Truth, (805) 455-5259

* Gordon P. Erspamer and Heather A. Moser, Morrison & Foerster, (925) 295-3341 and (415) 268-7091

* Sidney M. Wolinsky, Disability Rights Advocates, (510) 665-8644

WHAT: Hearing with Witnesses on Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction

WHO: Before Senior Judge Samuel Conti, United States District Court, Northern District of California.

WHEN: Beginning Monday, March 3, 2008 at 9:30 a.m.

WHERE: Federal Courthouse, Courtroom #1, 17th Floor, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, CA

Beginning Monday, March 3, and continuing throughout the week, Senior Judge Samuel Conti will hear testimony from witnesses concerning Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) neglect of veterans who have shown a potential for committing suicide. Opening statements from both sides shall precede testimony. This unusual hearing stems from the filing by Veterans for Common Sense (VCS) and Veterans United for Truth (VUFT) of a Motion for Preliminary Injunction. The motion asks the Court to order the VA to immediately screen and treat all potentially suicidal veterans.
Veteran suicides have reached an epidemic level, with approximately 120 veterans taking their own lives every week. Despite these numbers, the VA argues that veterans are only entitled to health care if the VA decides to provide it, and that veterans lack “entitlement” to any health care. The judge has convened the evidentiary hearings to assist in his decision on the Preliminary Injunction.

In January, the Court cleared the way for this major national class action lawsuit on behalf of disabled veterans to directly challenge the VA failings. The ruling affirms the rights of veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to sue in federal court over the lengthy waiting times that veterans face in receiving needed mental health care, the huge backlog of disability claims, and the inadequacy of care for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The complaint, filed in the United States District Court in July, seeks a judicial finding that the VA’s system of handling claims and appeals is so dysfunctional that it violates veterans’ constitutional and statutory rights. The suit also calls for court orders requiring the VA to provide immediate medical and psychological help to returning troops and to screen them for risk of suicide. For more information about the lawsuit, please go to this web site: Veterans For Common Sense et al. v. Peake,
Case No. C 07 3758, U.S.D.C. {N.D. Cal. 2007}.

PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that can develop in a person who witnesses or is confronted with a traumatic event. PTSD is the most prevalent mental disorder arising from combat. The suit claims that numerous VA practices violate the constitutional and statutory rights of veterans with PTSD by denying veterans adequate procedural safeguards in VA benefits process, access to the judicial process, and mandated medical care.

Military Spouses for Change are Strong Advocates with 'Veterans For Common Sense' and 'Veterans United for Truth' on the above Class Action Lawsuit, their Newly Created Blog

Once again I'll ask, if we as a Country 'Support The Troops', why do We Make Those Same Troops and Veterans Jump through Hoops of Red Tape and Broken Promises to Seek That Support ?!!!!


An Update to an Earlier 'Alert' Post:

Family turns to homeless - Missing Marine

Eric Hall

Age: 24

Hair: brownish-blond

Eyes: brown

Height: 5 feet, 9 inches; walks with a limp

Weight: 140 pounds

Clothing: black leather jacket with patch that says "In Memory of Pops" (a memorial to a friend's deceased father), plaid long-sleeved shirt, white T-shirt, blue jeans, possibly a motorcycle helmet

Tattoos: "sinner" written on inside of right bicep, "saint" on inside of left bicep, Chinese characters on stomach, dog tags on left side of ribcage, praying hands on left side of chest, and "established in 1983" written on lower back

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office at 941-639-0013 or Becky Hall at 502-500-7732.

Hall, a 24-year-old native of Clark County and Iraq war veteran, was said to be experiencing hallucinations and war flashbacks when he fled a family member’s home in Charlotte County, Fla.

There have been a few updates since I posted about Eric here, especially about the two phone calls a friend received, this update also mentions them.

Earlier this month, a female friend of the family received two phone calls, initially thought to be from Eric Hall. Hopes were dashed when one of the calls was traced back to Louisville and found to be a hoax — perpetuated by someone with whom the family friend used to be involved, said Kevin Hall.
Authorities have yet to confirm whether the other phone call was real or not.

And apparently there isn't much they can do to the AssWipe who made the fake phone call, my guess a young, non-military, supporter of the war!!!

Veterans' Suicide Risk

Last night, 11-13-2007, CBS News had an Exclusive Report on Returning Iraq and Afganistan Veterans who committed Suicides, it was a stunning report, and once again showed the Lessons of 'Nam Not Learned, by an Apathedic, Flag Waving, War Cheering, America!

Below you will find four of the Video's, from CBS, on this report, the links, repeated after each, will give you Much More if you visit the CBS News Site.

Veterans' Suicide Risk - CBS First Look

Click To Play

CBS has just released some of those numbers: "At least 120 Americans who served in the U.S. military killed themselves per week in 2005, CBS News learned in a five-month investigation into veteran suicides. That's 6,256 veteran suicides in one year, in 45 states.

CBS News Exclusive - Veterans Suicides

Help and Resources

Veterans' Suicide Risk - The Families Speak

Click To Play

After witnessing the carnage and bloodshed of war, many veterans return home with mental problems that place them at high risk of suicide. Armen Keteyian reports.

CBS NEWS Exclusive - Veterans Suicides

Help and Resources

Veterans' Suicide Risk - Paul Sullivan of VCS

Click To Play

Eye To Eye: Veteran Health

"Only On The Web": Paul Sullivan of Veterans for Common Sense tells Armen Keteyian that the No. 1 problem facing vets of Afghanistan and Iraq will be mental health

CBS News Exclusive - Veterans Suicides

Help and Resources

Veterans' Suicide Risk - CBS Health Watch

Click To Play

The Veteran Suicide Epidemic
A CBS News Investigation Uncovers A Suicide Rate For Veterans Twice That Of Other Americans

CBS Exclusive - Veterans Suicides

Help and Resources

And the following night, on the PBS Newshour:

Troops' Mental Health Needs Increase Over Time

November 14 , 2007
RealAudio | MP3: Twenty percent of active duty soldiers and 40 percent of reservists need mental health services after serving in Iraq, according to a new study. Soldiers are also more likely to report problems months after returning home. NewsHour Health correspondent Susan Dentzer discusses the report.