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Arcadia Weekly Aug 19, 2015
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I have seen many of my fellow veterans homeless out on the streets with no support in sight due to lack of proper mental health care. This is a painful sight to see for a veteran who sacrificed their life to making this country better for all.
Veterans returning home from combat may have mental health issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Many of the veterans currently receiving treatment at a Veteran Affairs (VA) hospital may have appointment wait times of thirty days or longer or some may travel lengthy distances. These types of issues are occurring more often amongst the veteran community.
H.R. 3230 Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 was enacted to assist veterans being affected by longer wait times and those veterans living more than forty miles from a VA facility. In order for a veteran to use the Veterans Choice Card Temporary Program a veteran must live forty miles or further from the nearest VA facility or have an appointment at least 30 days away to be seen at a non-VA medical facility. A veteran can only be seen at an approved non-VA facility for the expenses paid by the VA.
On March 25, 2015 H.R. 1604 Veterans’ Mental Health Care Access Act was referred to committee to amend H.R. 3230. H.R. 1604 would expand the eligibility of veterans to receive mental health care at non-VA facilities (govtrack.us). H.R. 1604 not only helps the veteran it will also help families of veterans. When soldiers return home from combat with mental issues the families are also affected. More and more veterans are committing suicide on a daily basis partly due to not receiving the mental health treatment so needed for some veterans to become productive assets to a civilian life they no longer recognize.
Contacting the congressman/woman and informing them of concerns for our men and women returning home from combat needing mental health services would bring more attention to H.R. 1604. Receiving support from the community, aware and knowledgeable of H.R. 1604 will help this bill be enacted.
-Teresa N. Boyd is a University of Southern California School of Social Work graduate student, USN Veteran, and resides in San Gabriel Valley.
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