Funds to Help Returning Vets Go Unspent
VETERANS
Bangor Daily News
Lauren Smith
Boston University Washington News Service
9/28/06
WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 – The Department of Veterans Affairs did not spend all of the money it has budgeted to help returning military personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a new government report.
The report prompted members of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs to lambaste VA officials over treatment of returning veterans.
“The tools are no good if the veterans cannot access them,” said Rep. Michael Michaud (D-Maine), senior Democrat on the committee’s Health Subcommittee.
The VA planned to increase its funding for treating post-traumatic stress disorder by $100 million in fiscal year 2005 and an additional $100 million in fiscal year 2006. But according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office, Congress’ investigative arm, in fiscal year 2005, only $53 million of the new money went directly to medical centers and offices, while an additional $35 million was sent to VA’s health care network without instructions that it be spent on mental disorder programs. And $12 million of the new funds went unused.
In fiscal year 2006, the VA spent about $158 million out of $200 million, according to the report.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a psychiatric disorder that can affect people who have been in war zones, among others. It can result in nightmares, flashbacks, difficulty sleeping, and feelings of estrangement, among other symptoms. The VA estimates that 30 percent of men and women who have spent time in war zones experience post-traumatic stress disorder.
In July, Michaud asked the GAO to conduct a study of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ efforts to identify and treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and other such injuries. The request came after several newspapers reported 10 percent of returning troops suffered brain injuries during combat.
“The administration has critically shortchanged veterans by failing to spend needed funds to address gaps in access and quality of mental health care, instead offering false claims that VA is ready and able to provide these services,” Michaud said.
Michaud was especially concerned with the amount of funding and initiatives getting to rural areas, such as Maine. Roughly one in five veterans reside in small-town rural communities and 34 percent of the VA’s patients live in a rural area, reported the department.
Maine has one of the highest concentrations of veterans in the country, making up 16 percent of its population, Michaud said in early September when he introduced legislation for rural veteran health care. Providing quality care has proven difficult in rural areas because of distance, access to care and availability of resources.
“The administration is far short of fulfilling its commitments,” Michaud said. “Clearly, our oversight of the VA’s implementation and delivery of mental health services will have to be more vigorous.”
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