01/16/2019
The Department Of Veterans Affairs-
The Department of Veterans Affairs is here to provide assistance to veterans and caregivers for service members who have fought for this country. Yet the veteran Community and their families are plagued with divorce, homelessness, substance abuse, unemployment, and issues that are left untreated that lead veterans to either self medicate or spend months even years with ailments.
Shortly after being medically retired i had lost my second job, due to ailments i had been dealing with for many years. Chonic pain, and ptsd. During this time the VA still hadnt even acknoweledged that i had been struggling with PTSD, going as far as saying that PTSD wasnt related to the two wars i had fought in. My experiences with the VA and local hospitals has truly made me realize that the Department of Veteran Affairs has no real obligation to assist our veterans and their families that have been affected by war.
If a local hospital refuses to treat pain or mental illness, or simply provides poor treatment, their reputation would have patients ( Consumers) seeking hospitals that are wililing and able to provide timely and quality care. The Va has no real obligation to provide quality care to the people that have fought for this country. Local hospitals would treat patients, i will call them consumer for this topic with the hopes of receiving great reviews that would lead to more patients, which would lead to a growth of the hospital. Negative treatment of patients would leave the hospital in a position that no business or hospital wants to be in. So the standard is set high, some set standards higher than others, leaving us, patients/consumers to decide what is best for their ailments and their loved ones.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has no real obligation to provide timely and quality care. If a veteran is affected by an ailment and recieves poor care at a VA facility, it has no affect. The VA employees will still get paid, and the facility will continue to receive funding from the government. For those that insist that their are standards, i would simply suggest taking a look at the number of veterans that are being lost to divorce, substance abuse, homelessness, and ultimately su***de.
Poor and delayed treatment has forced many members of the veteran community to struggle with things that affected them during their time in service to this great nation. It honestly angers me and sadenns me. I contemplate the children that will go to sleep tonight without a goodnight kiss from their father or mother. How many children will ask their mother where their father is at? Leaving many families to wonder what if? What if someone reached my husband or wife? what if my husband or wife received care that helped? What if?
I say that those individuals that have been lost to substance abuse, su***de, divorce, or homelessness. If they received the right care, or treatement, maybe the su***de rate wouldnt be as high as it is. Maybe veterans divorce rate wouldnt be as high. Maybe, just maybe a father would be their to tuck in his children at night. This is the part that saddens me. Men and women that have demonstrated strong work eithics, are currently unemployed, men and women that showed loyalty going as far as willing to put their life on the line are loosing thier families.
This problem isnt something new. The Department of Veterans Affairs took a few years to say that i had PTSD. I had a battle to be ok with allowing people to know that i was suffereing from PTSD. But the battle with the stigma attached to this was something that would become very confusing to me, since the VA took years to even acknowledge i had PTSD. I was medically retired and my paperwork stated my claim for Post Truamitic Stress wasn't related to my military service. It was confusing because i had fought in two wars, in iraq and Afghanistan. I had even received a Purple Heart, yet i was looked at and told that my struggles that had begun to affect my life werent related to the wars i had fought in.
I paint that picture because its neccessary. So many veterans and their familiies sacrifice so much in service to this great nation, then to have the Department of Veterans Affairs operate with what seems like a standard so low that you will see so few veterans that are my age. Yet still see issues plagueing our veteran community.
It makes me truly gratefull to the organizations that truly demonstrate on a consistant basis their care and desire to assist veterans and their families affected by ailments that stem from the wars. Organizations like the Elizabeth Dole Foundation that provides assistance to Caregivers. Wounded Warrior Outdoors that provides Theraputic outdoor adventures to wounded warriors. After loosing my second job i was in a depressed state. The things that gave me hope and encouragement were Organizations like this. Being a part of the Wounded Warrior Project, i would constantly receive emails about date nights, or outings i could take with my kids, even regular packeges of beenies, or hats, simply thanking me for my service. Socks for Heroes provides socks to many of our veterans that are deployed. These organizations, and organizations like them are the ones positively impacting our veteran community.
To the men and women who struggle with pain, mental health, or any ailment. Know that their are many who do care. To the person who feels like giving up, giving up to substance, divorce, su***de, stay in the fight. Eventhough i beleive this fight is something we are unable to take on alone, i know that people will be along the way to help when needed and deserved.
