Striking down the stigma associated with the mental health risks of service in a combat zone is among the priorities of the joint VA-DoD conclave.

NOTE from Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org ... While I am sure many good ideas will come out of this Mental Health Summit ... I can see mental health care getting micro-managed to death while the big picture is overlooked.

The priorities should be:

1.  Hire more mental health workers ...

2.  ... thereby ending all waiting lists for mental health care.

3.  Rotate shifts so mental health departments are open evenings and on weekends so working vets don't have to take time off to get care.

4.  And, with the above, the VA should never have to turn away a vet seeking mental health care ... and that means not even having to wait an hour to see a care giver!

Use our search engine for more about veterans and mental health issues ... click here ...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.
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Gates: injured troops face too much bureaucracy

By KIMBERLY HEFLING (AP)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeq
M5j_a4r1huTBwmh6BTSX8C-XClj1sAD9BIUFT80

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that troops injured in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to face too many bureaucratic hurdles.

Paperwork alone for them can be "frustrating, adversarial, and unnecessarily complex," Gates said.

Gates spoke at a mental health summit with Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki. By appearing publicly together, they sought to reinforce their commitment to tackling veterans' health issues and the stigma associated with seeking mental health care.

Earlier this year, they pledged with President Barack Obama to create a system that would make it easier for the Pentagon and VA to exchange information so there is less of a wait for veterans to get disability benefits. The VA is struggling with a backlogged disability claims system with hundreds of thousands of claims that need to be processed.

Among U.S. troops who have fought in the recent wars, Gates says brain injuries and mental health ailments are "widespread, entrenched and insidious." He noted that a RAND Corp. study last year estimated that there could be more than 600,000 service members with traumatic brain injuries or mental health issues.

Gates said there have been positive changes such as the doubling of the budget for mental health and traumatic brain injuries to almost $1.2 billion from last year, but other challenges remain such as filling a shortage of therapists in and near military installations.

About 2 million troops have fought in the recent wars. Tens of thousands have been physically injured, while hundreds of thousands have entered the VA's health care system.

Shinseki said veterans from the recent wars are coming homes with "invisible wounds" that are just as debilitating as physical traumas sustained on the battlefield.

"Who's vulnerable? Everyone," Shinseki said. "Warriors suffer emotional injuries as much as they do physical ones."

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VA, DoD Host National Mental Health Summit

Shinseki, Gates Address Unprecedented Forum

WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) are hosting a first-of-its-kind national summit to address the mental health care needs of America’s military personnel, families and Veterans, harnessing the programs, resources and expertise of both departments to deal with the aftermath of the battlefield.

“This is about doing what is best for those who serve this country and using every federal, state and community asset to do it,” said Secretary Shinseki. “We’re proud of the people and the organizations who have stepped up today to make sure everyone who fought for this country gets a fighting chance for a sound mind and an independent life.”

The summit, which opened today at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., invited mental health experts from both departments, Congress, the president’s cabinet and more than 57 non-government organizations to discuss an innovative, wide-ranging public health model for enhancing mental health for returning service members, Veterans, and their families.

Striking down the stigma associated with the mental health risks of service in a combat zone is among the priorities of the joint VA-DoD campaign on mental health for service members, Veterans and families. Various studies show a large incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder occurs during the lifetime of many combat Veterans.

A final report following the summit will summarize policies, programs and practices that show promise for enhancing the well-being and care for individual service members, Veterans, and their families. VA and DoD view mental health in returning service members and Veterans as a matter of public health and an opportunity to engage in a broad response throughout America.

VA operates the largest mental health program in the nation. VA has bolstered its mental health capacity to serve combat Veterans by adding thousands of new professionals to its rolls in the last four years. The department also has established a suicide prevention hotline (1-800-273-TALK) and Web site available for online chat at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/Veterans.

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TOPICS: veterans, veterans' benefits, VA, Department of Veterans' Affairs, Shinseki, Gates, Mental Health Summit