Veterans For America

Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, plans on using his committee’s powers to ensure that members of the National Guard and Reserves are adequately screened and treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), the “invisible wounds” of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Akaka was referring to a recently released report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that found that 47 percent of servicemembers in the reserve components are referred to Department of Veterans Affairs facilities after completing the post deployment health reassessment (PDHRA).  This assessment, which takes place 90 to 120 days after the servicemember returns from deployment and is often conducted by phone, is meant to determine if any issues such as PTSD or TBI have manifested since coming home.  Akaka is concerned that the general and cursory nature of the PDHRA is resulting in many reservists and guardsmen not getting the help they need. Along those same lines,  pre-deployment cognitive screening is becoming standard practice for troops deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.  These screens are meant to establish a baseline of the brain so that TBI can be easier to detect.

Bobby Muller, president of VFA, points out today that the US military is in “critical condition.”  This assertion is supported by the fact that the Army fell short of its goals for retaining captains by thirteen percent.  Despite all of the incentives offered to reenlist, one out of three Army captains chose to leave the service.

For the rest of today’s news, please visit the Our Troops Newsladder.