Veterans Issues

Veteran Suicide: Can Policy Solve the Problem?

/ Christopher Moritt / Leave a comment

A few weeks ago I wrote about the growing problem of veteran suicide. I have since been asked to follow up and talk about ways in which the problem could be solved and the policies that are in place to help struggling vets. I have done a little bit more research and have found some interesting facts about vet suicide. According to a VA study vets are killing themselves at a rate of 22 per day, which equates to 8,000 deaths a year. Around 69 percent of these suicides are individuals over the age of 50, a statistic that surprised me at first read. What this tells us is, as our older veterans begin to age, the problems associated with their service do not simply go away. As the combat winds down in Afghanistan and with operations finished in Iraq the veteran population is going to continue to rise as incentives to stay active start to dwindle we will soon be dealing with much larger group of people, many of whom may suffer from mental problems.

 
The question obviously becomes “what to we do about it?” As I write this, I find myself thinking I am not sure there is a policy directive or program that can really make progress. Many programs are already in place. The VA has health clinics and a 24-hour hotline that is designed for veterans to be able to call and work through their problems. Stop Soldier Suicide (SSS) is a veteran-led nonprofit with a mission of reducing vet suicide. There are many of these organizations all throughout the country. SSS believes one of the major problems is identifying the actual reasons for suicidal thoughts. These reasons run the entire spectrum of emotional issues from disability, depression, joblessness, and PTSD. The problem with identifying these issues is one must first have a chance to evaluate the veteran, which means they (the veteran) actually have to call and ask for help. When vets seek mental help from the VA they can wait an average of 50 days before receiving treatment, which may be just too long to wait. Such is the case with many VA services; there are just simply too many veterans and not enough providers for care to be rendered quickly. One step the VA has taken to help with this problem is the added chat and text functions to the Veteran Crisis Line system which may aid in helping some vets talk out problems before its too late.

 
As I mentioned in my previous post about suicide I know several Marines that I served with who chose to end their own life. Some of these guys I knew pretty well, others not as much. But I cannot name a single reason why any of them actually followed through an committed suicide, which is perhaps why coming up with policies for prevention is almost impossible.

 
Some ideas include throwing money at the problem through congressional bills and legislation designed to help the VA and other programs. I am not going to sit here and say that’s not going to help; I just can’t reason exactly how it will. Another solution is to encourage more people to get involved but again, when a crisis line has answered nearly a million calls since 2007 adding a couple more phone lines isn’t going to make a huge of impact either. One of the better solutions is to do everything we can to reduce the stigma associated with asking for help. In the military and particularly the infantry feeling sad or depressed is a sign of weakness. We have an annual safety briefing in which we talk about suicide but most of us laugh it off and wait for our commander to release us for the weekend. When I was getting out we had to go through a program talking about the transition from military life to civilian life, but one thing that might have been helpful for those struggling is mandatory counseling session prior to leaving active service. Granted, having to this would have made me mad and wasted my time, but if there is a chance that a young military person can have some issues identified before they become civilians it might just be worth it.

 
For some further reading the Huffington Post has an ongoing series called “Invisible Casualties” that is worth checking out; this series will explain these issues with much more depth.

Vocational Rehabilitation: Debunking Some of the Myths

/ Jason Niemetz / Leave a comment

The Department of Veteran’s Affairs does many things well, but disseminating information is not one of them.  Information pertaining to education benefits, other than the G.I. Bill, is very hard to come by and always surrounded in lore.  This became very apparent when I applied for vocational rehabilitation.

As a law school student, I am always looking for ways out of paying for my education.  As a veteran, I have grown accustom to having my education paid in full with a little extra to live on.  This was an excellent setup until I exhausted my Post 9/11 G.I. Bill benefits at the end of last semester.  You never realize how much you appreciate something until it is gone.  It was hard breakup, but we had a good run.  I used the Montgomery G.I. Bill to fund part of community college when out of the Marines in 2006.  I say part, because the Montgomery G.I. Bill would not cover my $2,400 annual tuition.  I graduated to the Post 9/11 when I enrolled at a four year school, which was more than adequate. It even took me through the first year of law school.  Those were good times.

In anticipation of exhausting the G.I. Bill, I called the VA to see if there were any other programs that I may qualify for.  They told me that if I have a service connected disability, I may qualify for vocational rehabilitation.  I am rated at 10%, so I figured I would give it a shot.  As I tried to research the specifics of “voc rehab” I found very little information on the VA website.  After a few phone calls to the VA, which provided even less information than the website, I turned to the internet for answers.  Among the many veteran’s chat rooms and discussion boards I found many answers, ranging from the greatly exaggerated to the obviously wrong.

With virtually no idea if I qualified for the program or what kind of benefits it offers, I decided to apply for vocational rehabilitation in he hopes that the Federal Government would pay for the rest of law school (or at least some of it).  After eventually finding and filling out the correct form on the VA’s website, I pressed submit and waited.  Roughly four short months later, I received a letter which told me to report to the vocational rehabilitation office for orientation. 

After watching a 15 minute video and shuffling the stack of pamphlets and papers that were handed out, I was scheduled to come back the next week to meet with a counselor who would determine my fate.  My original meeting was postponed due to the government shutdown, but few weeks later I found myself sitting in an office while a counselor looked through my transcripts, aptitude/vocational preference test results, and medical paperwork.

After a thorough examination of my qualifications, the counselor explained the purpose of the vocational rehabilitation program is to assist disabled veterans with finding a career that would suit them based on their aptitude, interest, and (most importantly) their medical limitations.   He also explained that although technically veterans with a 10% disability rating can apply for the program, 20% is usually the minimum rating needed to actually qualify for the program.  In addition, the VA looks for evidence, specifically work history, that shows a veteran’s disabilities have made it difficult to maintain employment.  Once they find a veteran who meets these criteria the VA will assist the veteran with pursuing the proper training to pursue a career that suits their needs and abilities.  This assistance can range from paying for college or graduate school to paying for a professional license and training.

Although I am slightly disappointed that I did not qualify for the program, I was more disappointed with the VA’s inability to provide veterans with basic information.  I understand that eligibility for programs like vocational rehabilitation are highly specific to the person applying, but it would have saved everyone time and money had someone told me what the scope of the program is and what the qualification are.  Instead, it took months for me to find this information through a counselor.  Had I known that this program was not designed for a person in my situation, I would not have applied.

Despite the frustration with the VA keeping tight lipped about their policies, it is good to know that this program exists and it is being reserved for those who are truly deserving.  Fortunately this experience was not a total loss; the counselor told me that he had heard a rumor that the VA will, on occasion, extend a veteran’s G.I. Bill benefits from 36 months to 42 or 48 months.  Hopefully I will be able to find out the truth before I graduate from law school.

Veterans and Suicide, an Unsolvable Problem ?

/ Christopher Moritt / Leave a comment

Well the shut down is over, meaning all the doom and gloom that would have affected the veteran community did not happen. As of a few days ago, the VA website announced it would be resuming normal operations.
While looking for something to write about this week, I stumbled upon a fairly old announcement on the VA website; September was Suicide Prevention Month. For those that are unaware suicide is a major problem for the veteran community particularly with large numbers of vets coming home after having sustained both physical and mental losses.

To combat this problem there are prevention coordinators at all 151 VA medical centers and a hotline people can call when they feel they need help. Typically when someone talks about veteran suicide, PTSD is inevitably mentioned. This of course is for good reason as depression can be a symptom in someone suffering from PTSD, but I have always believed there is more to it than that.
I got out of the Marine Corps in 2009, each year since then someone I served with has committed suicide. Some of them were pretty good friends; others I only knew in passing. In the military, and especially the infantry units, the bond between brothers-in-arms is close. One guy who committed suicide, I think I only spoke to once or twice, but it still stung. The reason it stings is because, I would argue, the hard part is over. These vets have made it through enemy fire, IED’s , and all the other stuff that can kill you in Iraq or Afghanistan and yet they come home can cannot cope.
I am not going to get into deep medical or psychological evidence as to why any of this happens because, quite frankly, I am not convinced the experts even know much about the problem. What I do know is that for those of us who have been in combat, life back home is often not the same. A young infantryman returning home often finds friends have either moved away or are not the same people they were when you left. Wives and girlfriends in some cases are also not there anymore, and it can be difficult if they are getting used to being around them again. A friend of mine got drunk and angry because his wife wouldn’t let him hold his child. He promptly killed himself with a pistol. Nobody that knows him really knows why. He just did. There is no policy that can be put in place to prevent that. Out of all the people I know who have committed suicide, not one of them asked for help from their loved ones. To my knowledge none of them called a help line at the VA. Each year I was in the Marines I sat through hours of mandatory depression and suicide prevention classes designed to make us aware of the emotional problems that befall so many.
War is difficult, being in the military is difficult, and life after can be even more difficult. These are just facts of life. The solution is not an easy one. For those of us where depression is not an issue, all we can do is wait for the call for help, look for the signs, and hope our friends come out OK.

The Shutdown Continues !!

/ Christopher Moritt / Leave a comment

I have been debating nearly all week about what to write in this week installment of the blog on veteran’s issues. I had originally thought that another article on the government shutdown would be boring considering the media talks about little else. However, less then 24 hours after my last post veteran’s issues became a hot topic. The VA has to furlough several thousand more employees thus causing the backlog of claims entering the system to continue. Many veterans will soon be without disability checks, education benefit checks and other services that their sacrifice for this country granted them.
I had fully intended of doing a “where are we know? “ type piece today but instead was inspired to do something different. While doing research about where exactly the shutdown has put the veteran community I realized that nobody actually knows the answer. I assume that in a few weeks I will not be paid, but in reality I don’t actually know. The VA has published that certain benefits and services will continue, which I mentioned last time. That list is more than likely to change as more employees get furloughed, especially the longer the shutdown continues.
Then of course there is the proposal of a partial reopening of the government that would allow for veterans services to resume. But in todays political climate that sounds almost to easy and naturally it didn’t pass. Which brings me to my next point an what I wanted to focus on primarily for todays post. I watched the news and read around on the internet and, as I am sure most people reading this are aware, a group of veterans protested in DC this weekend carrying “Don’t Tread On Me” flags, and American flags and proclaiming that Congress should of course open the government and pay them what they are owed.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I will try to be fairly neutral when writing, but it isn’t always possible. At some point and on certain issues an opinion is all that will suffice. Personally, even as a veteran I admired the protest, I find it hilarious that an open-air memorial would be closed and while I’m not going to pretend that I understand the logistics of a “shutdown” I can be pretty confident that wasn’t necessary. Particularly when a week or so early the park was opened for another kind of rally, this could have been for any number of reasons, but at first glance seems somewhat fishy to me. Even though I admire the enthusiasm of the protesting veterans, I find protesting a poor way of getting things done in today’s political world. Even looking back to a year or so ago with the Occupy movement, nothing was accomplished, clear goals weren’t met, and quite frankly I think most people flat out forgot that it even happened. In a few weeks I can only presume that the shutdown will be over and a few years from now no one will remember or care that the WWII memorial was closed, unless of course it happens again. My point  in writing all of this is that if paying the active duty military can pass with 100 percent approval, why doesn’t paying for our veterans feel the same? The answer of course is because it isn’t the same, and the people that fought for this country are expensive to keep around.
On a side note, as I was reading news articles on the various news websites I noticed that the way we can receive and comment on news has changed our society, and quite frankly I’m not sure its for the best. I am not a big internet or social media person, but the comments section of a particular new story caught my eye. An anonymous commenter on the Washington Post, in response to the article about this weeks protest, posted that people who are out of work because of the shut down “have lost more than you silly veterans are capable of imagining.”. What’s odd about this is that there was a serious of responses in agreement with this post. And just to clarify on a personal level I can imagine A LOT. I know people that have been turned into confetti because they stepped on a land mind. Someone I know is either killed in combat or kills themselves at least once a year. I have other friends that can’t hold jobs or be around their children because the have to be medicated due to PTSD. Now, I don’t want to take anything away from someone who lost their job, and will struggle to buy food, pay rent, or whatever else it is they need, but to be completely honest, unless you were already in some financial trouble odds are you will be fine when this is all said and done. (Obviously I can’t know that for sure, but its my opinion). Where as many veterans will have a lifetime of problems that will never go away, legs don’t grow back unfortunately.
On a final note, and I apologize for this being fairly long post, is that I also saw a commenter exclaim that unless we were drafted veterans do not have a claim against the government. We volunteered he said and any damage we sustained while fighting for this country was by choice and we shouldn’t complain. I’m not entirely sure how to respond to this but I will quickly give it a try. That’s like saying the 8-year-old girl who volunteered to ride her bike and was maimed by a drunk driver shouldn’t complain or be upset. Riding bikes is dangerous, and anything can happen I suppose. I volunteered, specifically to fight in a war, I was infantryman, our job is tough and bad things happen, I knew all of that going in. I am actually lucky to be alive and in one piece. I didn’t ask for free education or health care, it was given to me and I am grateful for it, but you can be sure that I and many of my fellow veterans earned every penny that comes our way.

Our Heroes Deserve Better than a “lapse in appropriations”

/ Christopher Moritt / Leave a comment

For this weeks addition of the veteran’s blog I thought it only fitting to discuss the federal government shutdown and the effect it will have on vets around the country. Many Americans who served our country have become dependent on the government for a variety of services. These services range from counseling services to healthcare to education benefits. Fortunately, the Veteran’s Administration has provided us with a two page cheat sheet to guide through what services will be available and what will be impacted by the shutdown, or as they refer to it, “a lapse in appropriations.”

The good news is all medical facilities will be fully operational. Also, not impacted are counseling services, and centers that process home loans and insurance. Nearly everything else that the VA does is either delayed or completely halted. The primary service that will see an impact is payments and processing for education benefits. The official position of the VA is that funding for education is sufficient to last until late October, after that my guess is that it will get suspended. This of course is only relevant in the event of a prolonged shutdown, but given today’s political climate a long shutdown is a possibility and will affect a fairly large number of veterans including myself.

In order to understand how a shutdown impacts those veterans using education benefits it is necessary to briefly explain how the GI Bill works. Several years ago a new GI Bill was put into place referred to as the Post 9/11 GI Bill. This essentially replaced the old education plan that was established decades ago. Essentially, how it works it that any enterprising veteran that wants to go to school can apply for educational benefits so long as you have served at least 36 months of service and have a favorable discharge (this is in order to get 100% of the benefits). Once accepted to a college, university or vocational program the VA issues a check to the school to cover the full cost of the highest public institution in the state. If you are attending graduate school, or a private school, the Yellow Ribbon Program can cover the balance.(This is an agreement between the institution and the government to cover the cost of expensive schools). On top of covering the cost of tuition each veteran receives a housing allowance based on the geographic location of the chosen institution. For example, in the Washington DC area the monthly allowance is around $1800 and in Syracuse area is approximately $1100. For someone like me who lives alone, these amounts generally cover what it cost for me to pay rent, bills and maybe a few other things, but not much on top of basic living. These allowance payments are disbursed at the end of the month to compensate for the previous month. I never understood why it was this way, but have just assumed its to make sure that people are still in school, however, there really isn’t a mechanism for them to know what you are doing unless the school reports failing grades.

In a nutshell that outlines what most veterans are using to pay for their education. The problem with a shutdown is that come October 30th if there is not a resolution many of us will not be able to pay our rent for November. Someone like me, for example, can probably pay my rent because I have money saved, but I’m not sure if I could pay my other monthly expenses. Then there are those veterans who have not had the opportunity to save much money, and will be faced with financial problems. What exactly are they supposed to do? While congress debates, many veterans will be faced with compiling late fees for bills owed. To be fair, some creditors may be sympathetic, but some will not be. When the government finally decides to get everything together some folks could already be on the road to serious financial problems that can be difficult to recover from. I am not going to pretend to have a good solution, in fact I’m not even sure there is one, just the hope that those responsible for leading this country will find a way to take care of those who have sacrificed for it. For more information, you can check out the VA website. www.va.gov