Veterans' Health

Blumenthal, Families Celebrate Passage Of Suicide Prevention Bill

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Following the unanimous passage of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Act by the U.S. Senate earlier this week, Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal joined local families of veterans whose loved ones committed suicide. At a press conference in Hartford Friday, Blumenthal and the families of three veterans spoke about the importance of the legislation. The bill attempts to curb suicide rates among military veterans, which federal officials estimate results in 22 deaths daily. It requires an independent and outside review of the Department of Veteran Affairs suicide prevention services, enhances outreach to veterans, and tries to attract more psychiatrists into VA clinics and hospitals with tuition breaks. Continue reading the story by ctnewsjunkie.com here.

Veterans' Health

Vet Suicide Prevention Bill Wins Approval

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Legislation pushed by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., to strengthen suicide prevention programs for veterans won Senate approval Tuesday and is expected to become the first veterans’ bill of 2015 to be signed by President Obama. The measure – dubbed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, for a Texas Marine who killed himself in 2011 – won House approval last month. Its passage was blocked last year by Republican Sen. Tom Coburn, who has since retired from the Senate. The bill will require the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs to submit to independent reviews of their suicide prevention programs. It also establishes a program to repay loans to psychiatrists who agree to work with veterans, improves VA collaboration with non-profit agencies, and calls for more online and community outreach mental health services for veterans. In the Senate, Blumenthal, ranking member of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, worked with Republican John McCain, R-Ariz., to expedite the bill’s approval.

Veterans' Health

Lawsuit Filed To Gain Records Of Military Academies’ Admissions

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Claiming the shortage of women in military academies puts female students at greater risk of sexual assaults and harassment, several groups sued the U.S. Department of Defense Tuesday seeking access to the schools’ admission policies and enrollment numbers. The Service Women’s Action Network, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and ACLU of Connecticut sued the department for violating the Freedom of Information Act. The groups say they sought enrollment data and information about recruiting and admission practices from the department in November and the information has been withheld. The groups want to see enrollment records from the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Officials at the Department of Defense did not respond to requests for comment.

Veterans' Health

New Generation Of Vets Has Higher Suicide Risk, Study Shows

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Justin Eldridge’s family will never fully understand why nothing seemed to ease the anguish of the young Marine and father of five, as he wrestled with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury after a deployment to Afghanistan in 2004-05. Despite stints in VA hospitals and an array of medications, he killed himself in his Waterford home on Oct. 28, 2013. He was 31. “He did his part – he followed the treatment they gave him,” said his widow, Joanna Eldridge, who is now raising their children alone.

Veterans' Health

GAO Report: VA Provides Inconsistent Treatment To Veterans With Depression

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The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides inconsistent treatment to veterans with depression and may be underestimating the number of vets who suffer from the condition, according to a government watchdog agency. The VA also needs to do a better job monitoring veterans who are prescribed antidepressants and in tracking suicides, according to a new report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The GAO analyzed VA data from the 2009 through 2013 fiscal years and found inconsistencies in the way veterans were treated and medical records were kept. It also found that the VA’s own clinical guidelines were not always followed. VA officials did not respond to requests for comment about the report.

Veterans' Health

Older Vets Make Up Most Of Unemployed, New VA Report Shows

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Veterans ages 18 to 54 had similar, or slightly lower, rates of unemployment than their civilian counterparts from 2000-2013, but older veterans were more likely than their peers to be unemployed, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The report also shows that the majority of veterans who were unemployed – 60 percent – were 45 and older, and that nearly a third were veterans who served after 2001. The unemployment rate for that latest generation of veterans fell to 5.7 percent in November – down from 9.9 percent a year ago. The newest women veterans face a higher unemployment rate than men: 8.1 percent, compared to 5.3 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate for the U.S. as a whole was 5.8 percent in November.

Veterans' Health

VA Wait Times For Health Care Improve

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Ninety-six percent of veterans awaiting appointments at VA medical centers in Connecticut are being seen within 30 days, new data show, with Connecticut performing slightly better than the national average. At Connecticut Veterans Administration medical centers, there were 51,281 scheduled appointments on Oct. 1, according to new data (based on a one-day snapshot) released by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Of those, 96 percent – or 49,063 appointments – were scheduled within 30 days of when patients wanted to be seen or medically needed to be seen. There were 2,218 veterans waiting more than 30 days for their health care appointment.

Veterans' Health

Schwartz Confirmed As New VA Assistant Secretary

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After months of delays, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed state Veterans Affairs Commissioner Linda Schwartz as the new Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Policy and Planning in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Schwartz, 69, a former nurse and Air Force veteran, was chosen for the national post last year by President Barack Obama. In her decade as head of the Connecticut agency, she has become known for her strong advocacy of veterans, especially around issues of homelessness, post-traumatic stress disorder and women and disabled veterans. Her confirmation was applauded Tuesday by U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, who noted in a joint statement that the VA is “in critical need of new approaches, greater accountability and new people to tackle tough challenges.”

This summer, former Proctor & Gamble chief executive Robert A. McDonald took over as Secretary of the embattled department, after a scandal over the manipulation of patient wait-time data led to the ouster of former Secretary Eric Shinseki.

Veterans' Health

Vietnam Vet Hopeful New Pentagon Guidelines Help Him And Others Gain Benefits

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Conley Monk, a Vietnam War veteran who has been fighting for decades to have his military discharge status upgraded, expressed hope Friday that new Pentagon guidelines will help him and other Vietnam Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder finally get federal benefits. PTSD was not designated as a medical condition until 1980. Some 70,000 Vietnam veterans who suffered from undiagnosed PTSD were given less-than-honorable discharges for their behaviors and many were denied medical, educational and other federal benefits and had trouble securing employment. “I’m a fighter. I won’t quit,” said Monk, who left the military in 1971.

Veterans' Health

Blumenthal: Delays at VA Facilities Triple

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The number of cases delayed at Veterans Affairs healthcare facilities in Connecticut nearly tripled in the span of a month, according to data released Monday by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. The new data, offered by Blumenthal at a press conference in Hartford, are the latest indicators of problems in VA’s health care system. The senator has been seeking facility-specific results of an audit conducted by the agency in May. The audit was conducted amidst revelations that staff within the VA system in Arizona falsified records to conceal the agency’s inability to meet deadlines in providing healthcare services to veterans. Read the report by ctnewsjunkie.com here.