Another Voice / Veterans’ care
State must provide treatment for post-traumatic stress
Updated: 07/19/08 6:52 AM
All the flag waving and patriotic speeches do not amount to much for combat veterans and their families living with the dreadful aftermath of war. Full access to the health care services they need for recovery should be paramount in the hearts of a grateful nation.
The pain and suffering endured by tens of thousands of our troops and their families has been well documented by media organizations across New York. The large number of service men and women returning from combat with post-traumatic stress disorder is a clear call to policymakers and health care providers that more needs to be done for soldiers and their families.
The State Legislature recently had an opportunity to improve the health care services we provide to the more than 75,000 New Yorkers who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Unfortunately, it was an opportunity lost even though we have all the evidence we need to require health insurance coverage for PTSD treatment. News accounts of sharp increases in domestic violence, child abuse cases, suicide rates and substance abuse cases impacting our veterans and their families outline a clear call for action.
On July 9, a federal judge in San Francisco demanded that Justice Department attorneys representing Veterans Affairs explain why an e-mail written by a top VA official asked staffers to diagnose fewer cases of PTSD. The judge was ruling on a case brought by veterans suing over the VA’s failure to treat veterans with this disease. In New York, where thousands of National Guardsmen have been deployed but lack the full services of the VA, it is essential that we expand Timothy’s Law, the landmark legislation that created parity for mental health care, to include treatment of PTSD.
Earlier this year, the RAND Corp. released a study that documented the mental health needs of returning combat troops. Some 300,000 are suffering major depression or PTSD, and 320,000 have suffered traumatic brain injuries. With more than 1.6 million troops deployed and redeployed, combat stress and traumatic events have increased the need for insurers to cover PTSD. For the 180,000 women who have been deployed, there is deep concern that our VA system and health coverage will not help them recover from war wounds and combat stress they suffer from witnessing the horrors of war firsthand.
With Gov. David A. Paterson scheduled to call the Legislature back to session this summer, we will once again have an opportunity to do the right thing. The Assembly and Senate must expand Timothy’s Law. Treatment of PTSD is successful at both helping troops recover from this disease and the substance abuse they experience to escape their psychological injuries. It will be shameful if elected leaders fail to ensure our combat veterans and their families are better served by our health care system.
Peter M. Rivera, D-Bronx, is chairman of the New York State Assembly Mental Health Committee.
