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SAN FRANCISCO WAR VETS FIGHT TO REBUILD A
BROKEN
SYSTEM -- "What they are saying is troops that
go over
and fight in Afghanistan and Iraq aren't
entitled to
mental health care, if they want benefits they
have
to fight their way through a system that's
broken."
Article about the class-action suit against the
VA is here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/07/
nf07/nfSEP07/nf092907-1.htm
Background on this lawsuit against the VA is
here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/07/
nf07/nfJUL07/nf072407-1.htm
Web site for lawsuit news is here...
http://www.veteransptsdclassaction
.org/index.html
To read the government's filing, go here...
http://www.veteransptsdclassaction
.org/pdf/courtfiled/9-25-07-Motio
n%20to%20Dismiss.pdf
Today's story here...
http://abclocal.go.com
/kfsn/story?section=local&id=5681530
Story below:
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SF War Vets Fight To Rebuild A 'Broken System'
By Erik Rosales
SAN FRACISCO (KGO) - Some are calling it a counter strike as the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs filed a motion Friday asking the court to
dismiss a class action lawsuit filed against it back in July.
The suit, filed by Bay Area veterans groups charges that the V.A. system
has failed hundreds of thousand of vets with combat stress disorder.
Kasey Corbit is a disability rights advocates attorney. She is
representing veteran groups vowing to continue their fight for timely
medical treatment for wounded veterans. Corbit calls the V.A.'s motion
to dismiss a class action lawsuit, disgraceful.
"What they are saying is troops that go over and fight in Afghanistan
and Iraq aren't entitled to mental health care, if they want benefits
they have to fight their way through a system that's broken. "
The plaintifs, Veterans For Common Sense and Veterans United For Truth,
estimate that 120,000 to 300,000 former service members suffer from post
traumatic stress disorder.
Their lawsuit claims veterans are unable to get help because of the
V.A.'s huge backlog of disability claims and inadequate handling of
those claims and appeals.
"I gave them a couple several pieces of paperwork several times and it
got misplaced."
Former National Guard sergeant, Stephen Edwards Junior, spent a year in
Iraq, and suffers from post traumatic stress disorder.
He says dealing with the V.A. system at times can be frustrating.
"This whole organization was established to help veterans, and when
veterans are getting turned away, and waiting two, three, or four years
to be assisted, that's unacceptable."
Kerri Childress, with the V.A. Palo Alto Health Care System declined to
comment on the lawsuit but told ABC 7, quote "I can not speak for the
entire V.A. system, but here in Palo Alto we have some of the highest
patient satisfaction scores in the country. We are currently meeting the
demand."
The lawsuit asks for no monetary damages, nor does it address individual
claims of veterans. Plaintiffs say all they want to do is fix a system
that's broken. It doesn't bend for any reason, no matter what the
circumstances are for any person, and that makes it difficult when
people are suffering.
-------------------------
Larry Scott --
