The Iraq war has produced thousands of physical and mental casualties among American forces whom the government is morally obliged to care for.
Of more than 433,000 returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, about 185,000 were active-duty military and 248,000 Reserve and National Guard troops. Nearly 120,000, or about 28 percent, have sought health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, including 31 percent of former active-duty military and 20 percent of Reserve and Guard members. To its credit, under a special program the government is providing VA health care for two years after vets leave the service.
In a $70 billion 2006 VA appropriation, Congress has earmarked $29.8 billion for health care. That’s about $2.1 billion more than fiscal 2005 but $1.4 billion less than veterans’ organizations urged.
Unusually long tours are taking a toll. A survey by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research revealed 17 percent of Iraq combat veterans show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, compared with 15 percent for Vietnam vets. In November, VA Secretary Jim Nicholson nixed an announced reopening of 72,000 earlier PTSD disability cases to determine if the disability rulings were correct (after veterans and congressional Democrats raised a stink). But suspicion lingers that the VA is seeking a way around paying PTSD disability because of a VA contract with the Institutes of Medicine to review how PTSD is assessed, as well as treatment, prognosis and compensation.
Early intervention can offset the effects of the disorder, and Mike O’Rourke of the Veterans of Foreign Wars said the Defense Department’s provision of psychological counseling in the field is a positive step. But, he said, “I think we’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg as regards mental health disorders.”
In addition to conventional combat injuries, many returning vets – especially older Reserve and Guard members – have serious dental problems, according to O’Rourke. In a combat zone, personal hygiene sometimes is neglected, he said.
“I think (the VA) is trying to do the best it can,” O’Rourke said, “but I think the whole system is being stressed.”
Stress or not, adequate treatment for veterans is an obligation that must be honored by the government and the nation.
