VA News – 6/16/2008
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gisuicide15-2008jun15,0,1232813,print.story\
Mental health and the military mind-set
A young sergeant's case illustrates the difficulty of balancing sensitive
treatment against Army needs.
By Aamer Madhani
June 15, 2008
The Army had mandated an extension of his three-year contract, which had been
set to expire, as his unit was set to deploy to
Soon after he was admitted to the
"We all agreed that it was for the best that my Army career come to an end
then," said Goldsmith, who added that he'd scrawled the words "stop-loss killed
me" in marker on his body before his suicide attempt. "It was a few days later
when they told me that they were going to come at me for faking a mental lapse."
The rear commander of his unit, Maj. Douglas Wesner of the 2nd Brigade of the
3rd Infantry Division, quickly initiated an administrative punishment known as
an Article 15 against Goldsmith for malingering -- that is, feigning a mental
lapse or derangement or purposely injuring oneself -- in order to avoid being
deployed to Iraq.
Eventually, his commanders dropped the Article 15, but not before removing the
22-year-old from the service on a general discharge. Because he did not receive
an honorable discharge, Goldsmith was stripped of his Montgomery GI Bill
benefits, which he'd been counting on to help pay for his college education.
Goldsmith's treatment is hardly unheard of. In fact, 21
Goldsmith's case illustrates the complex decisions facing the
Goldsmith remains adamant that he did not fake a mental illness. A Department of
Veterans Affairs psychologist later diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress
disorder.
Wesner declined to comment. A 3rd Infantry Division spokesman said that
Goldsmith was provided legal counsel and received a medical evaluation before
his discharge, but he declined to speak further about the case.
Sitting in his parents' home in this working-class suburb on Long Island,
Goldsmith said his mental unraveling began when he returned from his first tour
in
The collapse accelerated after he learned he would be subject to "stop-loss":
The Army was involuntarily extending his three-year contract so that it could
return him to
Goldsmith, now an active member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, is part of a
growing population of
Pentagon officials recently disclosed that at least 40,000
Last month, the Defense Department announced that 115
Goldsmith served much of his yearlong deployment in the Shiite slums of
When he got back to
At first he refused to seek help.
"Before we were heading back to Iraq, [a senior noncommissioned officer] said
that if we tried to use mental stress as a way to get out of going, he would see
to it that we'd become his personal IED kicker," Goldsmith said. "No one wanted
to be stigmatized. . . . You also feared that there would be career
consequences."
One night Goldsmith became so irritated by a man at a party that he choked him
until he was unconscious. He realized that he had to tell his commanders he
needed help.
Goldsmith is fighting for an upgrade to an honorable discharge so he can regain
his eligibility for GI Bill benefits.
Some of the soldiers who worked most closely with him have written letters to
the 3rd Infantry Division brass on his behalf.
His company commander and platoon leader had recommended him for a Bronze Star
at the end of his tour.
"If I were to go to war tomorrow, I would want Kris Goldsmith to go with me,"
Capt. Edward McMichael, who was Goldsmith's company commander in
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hEeLmTzmN7IQMD7wILoZGEf0wxVgD919D1GO0
By KIMBERLY HEFLING – 2 days ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Health care for female military veterans lags behind the care offered to male vets at many VA facilities, an internal agency report says, even as women are serving on front lines at historic levels.
There are clear needs for more physicians trained in women's care and more equipment to meet women's health needs, said Friday's review by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
It did add that strides are being made, such as creating onsite mammography services and establishing women's clinics at most VA medical centers. The department also is attempting to recruit more clinicians with training in women's care.
For now, female veterans aren't getting the same quality of outpatient care as men in about one-third of the VA's 139 facilities that offer it, the report said. That appeared to validate the complaints of advocates and some members of Congress who have said more emphasis needs to be placed on women's health.
Women make up about 5 percent of the VA's population, but that is expected to nearly double in the next two years.
Paul Rieckhoff, founder of the
"There's a definite feeling of isolation," Rieckhoff said. "There's a definite feeling that they're a minority and that big Army and big VA are still trying to understand their issues."
Any discrepancies in care are unacceptable and the agency is aggressively addressing the issue, said Dr. William E. Duncan, associate deputy undersecretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"We're striving to understand the reason for these health disparities and to
eliminate differences in veterans health care based on personal
characteristics,"
Delphine Metcalf-Foster, 65, an Army veteran from the Persian Gulf War, still laughs when she recalls the first day she stepped into a VA waiting room in 1991 and the physician called out for "Mr. Metcalf."
"I knew he was talking about me, but I wouldn't move," said Metcalf-Foster, a
member of the nonprofit Disabled American Veterans in
Despite that, Metcalf-Foster said, she thinks the VA has listened to the concerns of women like her, and has adapted as more women have sought care.
Silva Royer, 64, a Vietnam-era veteran who volunteers at the VA center in
"I still think they still look at the VA as, that's where my grandpa went," Royer said.
Overall, women make up about 14 percent of the U.S. Armed Forces. Of the 1.7
million troops who have deployed in support of the wars in
The VA's review noted that other studies have found better surgical outcomes and decreased mortality for women at VA hospitals compared to women who receive care under the Medicare Advantage Program or under private care. And, performance of breast and cervical cancer screening exceeds that of commercial and some government plans.
Data were not available to compare the inpatient quality of care between men and women.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who is on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said in a statement that the findings confirm what she has been hearing from women veterans for years.
She encouraged passage of legislation that would, among other things, force the agency to do comprehensive studies of women veterans' care and conduct a pilot program providing child care for veterans seeking mental health care.
Among the other findings of new report:
_Older and younger veterans appear to be receiving the same quality of care;
_About 86 percent of homeless veterans seen by VA received primary care, mental health care and/or substance abuse services;
_About 98 percent of appointments were completed within 30 days in primary care clinics and about 97 percent were completed during that period at specialty clinics;
_Overall quality of care appears to be good when reviewed using commonly accepted health care benchmarks;
_Minority veterans surveyed were generally less satisfied with inpatient and outpatient care than white veterans, but it wasn't clear if the quality of care offered was different. A more comprehensive study of care for minority veterans is expected to be complete this summer.
http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008/06/15/news/iowa/doc485574db17e70152843003.txt?sPos=3
By Times Staff
| Sunday, June 15, 2008
Regularly scheduled clinics and elective surgeries and
procedures have been canceled for Monday and Tuesday at the
The medical center took the action because of flooding in the area.
The VA will continue to operate an access clinic for urgent care, and the
outpatient dialysis unit, chemotherapy and emergency services will operate
normally.
The medical center remains open, but the clinics and elective procedures were
canceled for patient safety and as part of the
The VA said that employees should report for duty as scheduled.
Michael Victorian
American Federation of Government Employees
Communications Specialist
202.639.6405 (p)
202.639.6441 (f)
