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I agree PTSD is not a joke. And I especially feel that PTSD is nothing to be
ashamed of. The illness is open to the general population. This year alone, between the huge
storms, earthquakes and tsunami, there are many new people around the world learning about PTSD for the first time...
PTSD can happen to anyone.
Jack
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2006 5:43 PM
Subject: Desk of Viper -- PTSD
no joke -- 01-07-06
From The Desk Of Viper
01-07-06
HOUSE VETS' COMMITTEE HEARS AMVETS SLAM VA'S NEW PTSD REVIEW
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TELLS REP. STEVE BUYER: IF YOU'RE GOING TO REDUCE COMPENSATION,
"STOP SENDING OUR YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN INTO COMBAT!"
AMVETS fired first with testimony before Rep. Steve Buyer's House Committee
on Veterans' Affairs. The testimony was given by James W. Doran, National Service Director for AMVETS.
You can download the complete testimony as a PDF file here...
Here's a little taste...quote of note: On
Veteran’s Day, the Secretary of Veteran Affairs announced that a pending review of 72,000 approved disability claims
for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder had been cancelled. This announcement was highly publicized and joyfully received by the
veteran community.
On 27 November we found out that only six days after this announcement, the
Secretary of Veteran Affairs requested that the Institute of Medicine conduct a review of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosis
and treatment within the Department of Veteran Affairs. Is the IOM a recognized authority on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
Looking at the members of the IOM Committee that may be assigned this task, I found that there are NO Military Physicians,
NO DVA Physicians, not one individual with an apparent background in combat related PTSD. One member of the Committee did,
however, serve on the Task Force that wrote the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV).
He specializes in eating disorders.
A 27 member Task Force worked five years to develop the DSM-IV manual in a process
that involved more than 1,000 psychiatrists and other mental health professionals. Now Secretary Nicholson wants the IOM to
re-examine, and repudiate, the validity of the DSM-IV. Why?
A second committee will review, among other items, the compensation practices
for PTSD and the criteria for establishing the severity of PTSD as published in the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities. Again,
I ask why? Isn’t this part of the mandate you’ve given the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission? If the goal
is to find ways to reduce the amount of moneys spent on Veterans Disability Compensation, all you need to do is ask us. I
can tell you, without reservation, that the only way to effectively reduce that expense is to stop sending our young men and
women into combat!
URL: http://www.vawatchdog.org/old%20newsflashes/newsflash12-29-2005-1.htm
Editorial: PTSD no joke
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Waco Tribune
If there is fraud and abuse in the current system
for diagnosing and treating veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, then it should be uncovered and eliminated.
But just because there has been an upswing in the number of PTSD cases treated by the Department
of Veterans Affairs does not mean they are the result of fraud and abuse.
Not only does the increase in the number of veterans seeking and receiving treatment for
PTSD fail to prove a correlation with an upsurge in fraud and abuse, it also must not be used as an excuse by VA officials
to cut back on the government's commitment to fully fund mental health care to veterans suffering from PTSD.
Supporters of the Waco Veterans Affairs Hospital are concerned that the growing debate
in Washington on rooting out fraud and abuse in the VA's system of providing PTSD care could undermine efforts to expand PTSD
services at the Waco hospital, which has been providing excellent mental health care to veterans since 1932.
According to a Dec. 29 news story by Tribune-Herald staff writer Dan Genz, recent investigations
in PTSD-related spending revealed that costs have skyrocketed from $1.7 billion annually in 1999 to $4.3 billion in 2004,
and patient demand spiked by 80 percent to 215,000 veterans.
An inspector general review of 2,100 patients receiving the highest level of treatment
reported that about a quarter of the veterans did not have adequate records of a service-related incident to justify their
claims.
Extrapolating those figures to cover VA PTSD treatment nationally, the report said the
cost for such cases produces $19.8 billion in questionable expenses over the veterans' lifetimes.
As a result, the VA began examining all 72,000 cases involving the highest level of PTSD
treatment. That examination was curtailed in the fall after more evidence indicated that fraud was confined to only a few
PTSD cases.
The overriding issue is the recognition that PTSD is real and that veterans who suffer
from it need and deserve treatment.
“It's a devastating mental illness,” U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, said in
response to the investigations into PTSD-related spending. “The question is how many veterans have PTSD, and clearly
our goal should be to try to address the veterans' needs and help them deal with their problems and move on in life.”
The increase in PTSD claims could be attributed to more veterans now willing to step forward
and accept treatment, which is good. It also could indicate that the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq against insurgents and
international terrorists produces high rates of PTSD.
An Army study last year predicted large increases in soldiers suffering from PTSD.
The elimination of waste, fraud and abuse is a separate issue from the need to provide
quality mental health care to veterans.
URL: http://www.wacotrib.com/opin/content/news/opinion/stories/2006/01/04/20060104waceditorial4.html
Care for the traumatized
By Boston Herald editorial staff
Monday, January 2, 2006
It’s popular
these days for politicians, no matter their stance on the Iraq war, to line up on the side of support for veterans. But if
that aid stops at supporting veterans’ physical and financial health, not their emotional health, it will amount to
just more empty rhetoric out of Washington.
A report in last week’s Washington Post caught our eye starting with this headline: “A
Political Debate on Stress Disorder.” It seems the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and its overseers in Congress
worry that disability benefits for veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are becoming a budget buster.
A report from the VA found a total of 215,871 veterans received PTSD benefit payments last year
at a cost of $4.3 billion, up from $1.7 billion in 1999 — more than a 150 percent increase. Analysts indicate these
numbers don’t even account for the needs of many soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan but reflect more Vietnam
veterans belatedly seeking help.
Sure, it’s far easier to summon the political will to do whatever it takes to support
soldiers suffering physical wounds. But just because you can’t see the effects of trauma in the way you can see the
results of a missing limb doesn’t make veterans with PTSD any less debilitated.
The public has gained a deeper understanding of the ramifications of PTSD since 9/11 when many
Ground Zero workers, survivors and witnesses reported symptoms ranging from depression, anxiety or paralyzing dreams. For
soldiers in the battlefield, absorbing horror while pressing on with the task at hand is part of the job description. PTSD
is often the result.
Experts believe that the sooner treatment starts, the more PTSD symptoms can be alleviated for
the long-term. Re-stigmatizing admission of emotional distress by making it harder for veterans to qualify for benefits will
mean higher, not lower, treatment costs in the future.
VA spokesman Scott Hogenson told the Post: “The debate is over how to provide the best
medical services possible for veterans.” Congress and the Bush administration had better hold them to this goal.
URL: http://news.bostonherald.com/opinion/view.bg?articleid=119537
Hand of Hope
What you are about to read and see here is truly the work of Gods hand.
While it may be the hand of a surgeon I firmly believe it is God who is guiding his hands. When you see something like this
it makes all the fighting and bickering and stupid posturing that is going on amongst grown ups seem so trivial and mundane.
I am sure you will enjoy this article, no, I am POSITIVE you will enjoy this article, especially you ladies.
Read the following note then look at the picture .... absolutely moving!!!!
The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is
being operated on by a surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed
from his mother's womb. Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr. Bruner's remarkable
surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations
while the baby is still in the womb.
During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small
incision to operate on the baby. During the surgery on little Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed,
hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect
clarity.
The editors titled the picture, "Hand of Hope." The text explaining the picture begins,
"The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph
Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life." Little Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the
picture.
She said, "The photo reminds us my pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's
about a little person." "The Hand" of the fetus. You can see the actual picture, and it is awesome...incredible. The world
needs to see this one.
FBI Has a new way of tracking Terrorists
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STAND
WITH A PROUD VIETNAM VETERAN
We are nearing 13,000 total supporters and nearing 11,000
petition signers.
End this Political Abuse of Power now...
We, the undersigned
People of the United States, are deeply concerned how the State of New Jersey has denied a decorated, combat veteran of the United States, his due
rights as the plaintiff against a corrupt state government lawyer, Robert Correale, his former law
firm, Maynard & Truland and all state government politicians and state officials who have protected them.
We ask that you give John "Jack" Cunningham his Due Process that the State of New Jersey has denied
him for over a decade.
( Please press the next link for Details: http://www.americans-working-together.com/the_real_chris_christie/id13.html ) "
Signed,
Jack Cunningham
 TYRANNY starts when court officials judge the citizens based on the laws,
yet ignore these same laws for themselves and friends.
Here's a great example of
TYRANNY starting in a State's Supreme Court.
Why did the New Jersey Supreme Court
attorney ethics authority insist Supreme Court Ethics Attorney Robert Correale be judged for violations
by the same ethics committee that he was Vice-Chairman of...
More details at: https://www.causes.com/actions/1746185-american-war-veterans-petition-to-governor-chris-christie
Attorney Corruption Starts At The Top Of The Federal Department Of Justice In this state, attorney corruption starts in the Supreme Court A taxpayer voting for Barack Obama is like a chicken voting for Colonel
Sanders
"A man good enough to shed his blood
for his country, is good enough to receive a square deal afterwards . . ."
-- Theodore Roosevelt
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall
be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation."
Exposure to
traumatic events~such as natural disasters, abuse, crime, accident, rape, war etc.~ millions of people develop PTSD with symptoms raging from nightmares
to headaches, flashbacks, withdrawing from people, profound sadness, anxiety, anger, guilt, fatigue, pessimism, sexual problems
and emotional numbing.
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| WEBMASTER |
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| WEBMASTER |
"The American
Indians found out what happens when you don't control immigration."
"A true friend is someone who thinks you are a good egg
even though he knows
you are slightly cracked."
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THE LIFE COVER FOR A LARGER COPY |
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----- Original Message -----
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PLEASE PRESS THE CARTOON FOR A LARGER COPY |
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| Watch the man in the picture! |
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| Watch the man in the picture! |
| GOD
BLESS AMERICA |
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"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be
directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." -
George Washington
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HONORABLE VETERAN MOCKED FOR HIS PTSD
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Webmaster, Former CAP Marine and Disabled Veteran Jack Cunningham and his
wife, Joan
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John Forbes Kerry Timeline
TODAY'S BRAVE AND HONORABLE MILITARY
IS TOMORROW'S VETERANS
WITH THE HELP OF INTERNET
SUPPORTERS, Former CAP Marine, Veterans Advocate
And Webmaster Jack Cunningham, Takes On New
Jersey's Office Of Attorney Ethics' Corruption...
FOR THE NEW JERSEY SUPERIOR COURT SYSTEM TO LOSE A COURT TRANSCRIPT,
BEFORE IT CAN BE TYPED AND RELEASED AS EVIDENCE IN A FOLLOW-UP ETHICS CASE AGAINST A STATE OFFICIAL IS A DISGRACE AS WELL
AS A CRIME.
After reviewing the clear evidence for yourself, please support Jack in his battle against
New Jersey State Corruption by emailing or calling New Jersey State Officials on his behalf.
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The picture immediately below is the picture from the above newspaper
article.
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Above is Jack Cunningham with one of the boys from the
Duc Duc Resettlement Village.
Below is the full picture of the same scene.
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WHY GOD MADE PETS
MORE PET PICTURES
WILD ANIMAL PICTURES
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PLEASE PRESS
THE NEXT LINK TO LEARN ABOUT A MASSACRE THAT THE AMERICAN
NEWS MEDIA DID NOT COVER.
PLEASE PRESS THE PICTURE
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