Keeping Faith with our Military Community

Barbara Van Dahlen, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder and president of Give an Hour

Special to Veterans Advantage

On May 5, President Obama signed into law the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010. This law—the first of its kind—includes provisions to support the caregivers of seriously injured Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. It also improves services for our nation's 1.8 million women veterans and expands the availability of health care for all veterans. The following overview of the scope and vision of this new and extremely important legislation shows how focused the Obama administration is on caring for our military community. The new law

• Provides veterans' caregivers with training, counseling, supportive services, and a living stipend; provides health care to the family caregivers of injured veterans under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA); requires independent oversight of the caregiver program.
• Requires VA to report to Congress on its comprehensive assessment of the barriers in providing health care to the 1.8 million women veterans' currently receiving VA health care and requires VA to train its mental health providers in the treatment of military sexual trauma. It also mandates that VA implement pilot programs to provide child care to women veterans receiving medical care and provide readjustment services to women veterans.
• Expands VA's authority to provide incentives so that VA can recruit and retain high-quality health care providers; provides travel reimbursements for veterans receiving treatment at VA facilities and grants for veterans service organizations transporting veterans residing in highly rural areas.
• Authorizes the Secretary to utilize non-VA facilities for the care and treatment of veterans suffering from TBI when the Secretary: (1) is unable to provide such treatment or services at the frequency or for the duration necessary or (2) determines that it is optimal to the veteran's recovery and rehabilitation.
• Establishes and increases eligibility for Iraq and Afghanistan service members, including National Guard and Reserve members, to receive readjustment counseling; requires VA to conduct a study on veteran suicides.
• Emphasizes VA's commitment to provide medical care for certain Vietnam-era veterans exposed to herbicide and Gulf War–era veterans who have insufficient medical evidence to establish a service-connected disability. • Eliminates copayments for veterans who are catastrophically disabled.

At the signing President Obama stated, "as we all know, keeping faith with our veterans and their families is work that is never truly finished. As a nation, as the beneficiaries of their service, there's always more we can do and more that we must do." The Caregivers and Omnibus Health Services Act mandates an expansion of services for veterans and their families to be provided by governmental agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs. And yet our president's remarks suggest a deeper sentiment—one that is shared by many of us working to care for those who serve and their families. The responsibility to care for our military community falls to all of us and not only to our military, not only to our government. As the President noted, we are all the beneficiaries of the service these men and women provide and regardless of one's position on the war, we can and must work together to assist the men, women, and families of our armed forces. To do otherwise would be unacceptable and shameful. We are a compassionate country with tremendous resources. Perhaps we are now a country that is ready to step up and assume responsibility for those that bear the burden of a nation at war.

At a recent appearance in West Virginia, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Mike Mullen, expressed similar sentiments about the need for community involvement in efforts to care for those who serve: "There is a huge list of needs, growing needs. It cannot be met by the Pentagon. It cannot be met by the VA. It can only be met, I believe, by the community groups throughout the country joined together with the Pentagon and the VA to get it right for those who've sacrificed so much." He has also noted that most returning troops "want what every other American wants: to lead productive, independent lives; to provide for their families, and to raise their children to a higher standard of living. The government helps with all that, to be sure, but it cannot – and should not – try to supplant the millions of ways in which a soldier's family or neighborhood or hometown can make those dreams come true." The sea of goodwill "is out there," Admiral Mullen said, "I am just trying to find ways to better connect our veterans to it."

For those of us working to build a comprehensive, integrated system of care for our returning troops and their families, the Chairman's comments were indeed welcome. So many individuals, corporations, and organizations are eager to do their part. So many communities are willing to organize services and support, and yet there is little coordination of efforts and initiatives. There are, moreover, many dedicated leaders and numerous professionals in the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs who recognize the need and are willing and able to work with community-based resources, but official support for such efforts has been lacking. As a result of the poor coordination and collaboration, service members and their families consistently fall through the cracks and many are suffering. Admiral Mullen's comments signal a new era of greater cooperation between the military and community-based resources and give much hope that we can effectively care for those who give so much and ask for so little in return.

Some in the military support community, however, responded with sharp criticism to Admiral Mullen's comments. For example, David Gorman, executive director of Disabled American Veterans, expressed concern about the Chairman's statements (Army Times, 5/6/10). While Mr. Gorman stated that there is nothing wrong with asking community-based groups to help, he expressed the belief that the primary responsibility for wounded warriors rests with the federal government. According to Mr. Gorman, "It is the exclusive responsibility of the federal government because it creates disabled veterans. It is the government's solemn duty to care for and treat all veterans who are wounded and disabled in America's wars. It is unfathomable that Admiral Mullen would suggest such a plan, asking charities to provide the care now given so compassionately by the VA."

If indeed Admiral Mullen had suggested that community leaders, nonprofits, foundations, and corporations take over the primary responsibility for returning troops and their families, then many who are working in this arena would express concern and outrage. But I don't think he is saying that. Having had the honor and pleasure of meeting Admiral Mullen, having worked with many fine individuals on the Chairman's staff, and having heard the Chairman speak on so many occasions, I know his commitment and dedication to those who serve is clear and unwavering. That he is inviting—indeed, inspiring—us all to step up and do our part for those in the military community is commendable and greatly needed. As one wise mental health professional at the Pentagon told me many years ago as we discussed the role of community-based efforts, sadly, there is and will be plenty of work to go around for many years to come.

Give an Hour, providing free mental health services to military personnel and their loved ones, at www.giveanhour.org.

Editors Note: Give an Hour is a strategic partner of Veterans Advantage. Learn more about our partnership with Give an Hour.

Veterans Advantage is also hosting a special online PTSD Transition Center for its members, with customized news and resources to help in this vital area.