Many Veterans Still Fighting for Health Care

by Shannon Moriarty

categories: Government, healthcare, mental health, Veteran Homelessness

Published August 31, 2009 @ 09:05AM PT

Today, there are more Vietnam veterans living on the streets than the number of soldiers who died in that war. The plight of many of these men and women is directly linked to the lingering effects of PTSD and our failure to provide proper health care. Comprehensive health care reform will finally gives us the opportunity to do right by these brave soldiers and prevent a future generation of war veterans from ending up on the streets.

There are currently one million U.S. veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a mental illness not even recognized as a mental illness during the Vietnam era (it was passed off simply as "shell shock"). This disorder can manifest itself in a number of ways that could ultimately lead to homelessness, such as depression or substance abuse. What's more, it may not be evident until years after the traumatic experience, which makes the all-important diagnosis and treatment difficult. 

Sgt. Gil Riviera, for example, experienced a frightening PTSD-induced flashback on the streets of New York City, 30 years after returning from Vietnam. It was only then, after a potentially dangerous incident, that Riviera received the mental health care he needed.

Today, returning war veterans are guaranteed only five years of medical care after returning from war. After that five-year window, the burden of proof is on each veteran to prove their illness in order to receive proper care. After filing a claim in a veterans service office, they must use "supporting documents, deployment records, employment records, documents of medication problems and anything else to strengthen their case," according to Medill. If that's not enough, each veteran must provide documented evidence of where they were stationed during their service and whether there was combat in the area. 

In other words, we trust our soldiers to put on the uniform and potentially make the ultimate sacrifice, but we don't believe them when they ask for medical or mental health assistance. 

It's not hard to see why many veterans don't even bother getting involved in the system. A 2007 Harvard study found that over one million American veterans do not have health insurance. In addition, 3.8 million members of veteran households are uninsured - and that number continues to grow.

As the nation continues to discuss comprehensive health care reform, we cannot forget that universal coverage will improve the delivery of critical mental and physical health care to the men and women who have worn the uniform. At the same time, we will do right by our next generation of veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, preventing thousands from ending up on the streets.