More Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are receiving mental health care from the Veterans Affairs Department, but officials in a recent report still cited barriers that may be preventing some from getting the care they need.
According to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office, only a little more than 8 percent of those who served in those wars sought help from VA from 2006 to 2010.
The number of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan getting treatment increased from about 34,500 in 2006, or 4 percent of the total, to just more than 139,000 in 2010, the GAO reported. That means 12 percent of the 1.2 million veterans who sought mental health care last year are veterans from the latest wars.
The report states that some veterans are hindered to receive care because they’re concerned about their privacy, they may not know the services exist, or they simply cannot get to a treatment center if they live somewhere rural, the report stated. VA officials also believe younger veterans may have a perception that the system caters to older veterans, the report said. Plus, veterans just starting out in their civilian lives are often balancing priorities such as school, family and work, and seeking help doesn’t always make the list.
There are an estimated 2.6 million living veterans from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, and 23 million total veterans dating back to World War II, according to the GAO.
But the two most recent conflicts are different when it comes to diagnosis and treatment for mental health issues, the report states. Since the VA has changed how it screens for mental disease, more troops may have their conditions recognized, the report said.
Now, troops are screened for PTSD, depression, substance abuse disorders and sexual trauma when they visit a primary care clinic, the report said.
Veterans were most commonly diagnosed with adjustment reaction, depressive disorder, episodic mood disorder, neurotic disorder and substance abuse disorder.
Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were most likely to be diagnosed with adjustment reaction, which includes post-traumatic stress disorder. In those five years, 96,916 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were diagnosed with PTSD.
But VA is making changes to accommodate more patients, the report said.
Is it enough?
From 2008 to 2011, the VA opened 60 Vet Centers to offer free counseling, bringing the total of these outlets to 292, and it plans to open eight more by the end of this year. It has also increased the number of mental health workers by nearly 7,000 to 21,000 this year, the GAO reported.
The VA redesigned its websites for the Office of Mental Health Services and the National Center for PTSD and uses sites such as Twitter and Facebook to get the word out about mental health help.
View the highlighted page from the GAO or View the entire report from the GAO
The assistance in mental health is crucial as suicide among our military has been increasing each year. Nearly a decade after the United States went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the suicide rate among soldiers and veterans – though lower than the civilian rate – is rising sharply, leading to criticism that the military leaders aren’t doing enough to help service members. President Obama acknowledged the severity of the problem this year when he finally began sending condolence letters to families.
One suicide is too many and one soldier suffering from PTSD or depression is also too many.
Soldiers and families in need of crisis assistance can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or by visiting the organization’s website at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
As it stands now, students returning home after completing their freshman year in college are eligible to play Legion Baseball. But come 2015, that will all change - American Legion Baseball will become a junior-high and high-school age program.
Participants in all other American Legion youth programs, such as Boys State/Boys Nation, Shooting Sports and the Oratorical Contest, are limited to those attending high school. Thus, in effort to create uniformity amongst Legion youth programs, the National Executive Committee of The American Legion passed Resolution 46, restricting Legion Baseball player eligibility to junior high and high school students.
As foreseen by the NEC, the restriction will allow more high school athletes the opportunity to play Legion ball, because it will free up the limited number of places on team rosters, which are currently held by college-eligible players. The restriction to high school students will also help increase college coaches and scouts attendance at games and interest in players, allowing the young men a chance to display their skills and talents.
Recently, American Legion Post 764, located in Springdale, PA hosted our 15th annual event. Sunday, June 12th, we will held our annual Flag Retirement ceremony for the citizenry in our community with the assistance of the Boy Scouts and the Cub Scouts. Soon will be the Independence Day Parade. Much to share. Here is some info if you need it.
On Sunday, May 15th, American Legion Post 764 of Springdale met to hold their 15th annual Harry C. Leftwich Bike/Helmet Safety Day. Attending were over 50 children, police officers, paramedics, Legion officers, local businessmen, the Mayor and other individuals. Each child was presented a free, new helmet and the helmets were professionally fitted. 6 bicycles were raffled off to boys and girls alike. Gift bags were given to each child attending. The rain held and it was a great day for all.
Start making plans for your National Convention. Please note the documents announcing our Legion Night at Target Field with the Minnesota Twins and American Legion Family Nights with the Minnesota Vikings.
You may at any time visit our website, www.legion.org/convention/resources, to obtain this information as well. Thank you for your time and look forward to another successful national convention.
Click here for the flyer for the Minnesota Twins
Click here for the flyer for the Minnesota Vikings
What did your American Legion Post do for Memorial Day? Did your Post send any boys/girls to the Pennsylvania American Legion Keystone Boys State program? Does your Post “Adopt-a-Highway” and your members help clean up the community? Well, we want to know!
American Legion Post 290 in Scott Township celebrated Memorial Day with a local parade down Lindsay Road. The members of the Post invite the fire departments of Kirwin Heights, Glendale and Carnegie to participate in the day events. Scott Twp. Athletic Association supports our veterans and remembers the sacrifices ot those who died while serving our country. Even “Scottie” the dog, a representative of the Scott Twp. Library, gets involved with the community as he marched through the heat of the parade. The route ends at Scott Park and the memorial ceremony begins. Boy Scout Troop 834 assists the veterans by raising the ol’ glory and the salute of colors. With many dignitaries at hand, the Legionnaires recognize those who have died protecting our country and offer the residents of the township to do the same. Everyone is given the opportunity to say the name aloud or in silence; they then can recognize their loved one by placing a flag in their honor.
Do what Scott Township American Legion 290 did and tell your story!
Send your Posts in Action pictures, information and/or article into Department Headquarters to have your Post showcased in the Department newspaper the Keystone News or published on Department’s website. It’s time to have your Post recognized for the work they do in the community, with our youth and for our veterans!
Send all correspondence to Shannon Kyle by email at skyle@pa-legion.com by mail: 2072 Rockfield Road Pittsburgh, PA 15243
65th Annual Golf Tournament
For more information see the flyers below
Pennsylvania American Legion 66th Annual Bowling Tournament.
Pennsylvania American Legion Post Robert P. Hite 257 is hosting the event this year at the Terrace Lanes Bowling Center in Somerset. The event will be two weekends only - April 16 & 17 and April 30 & May 1.
Entery Fee per event
Five Member Team… $100
Doubles Team……….$40
Singles………………..$20
Advance reservations must be completed by midnight April 1, 2011.
Important: All bowlers must be bonafide members of The American Legion, The American Legion Auxiliary or Sons of The American Legion, with the exception of one social member per team. Post Adjutant must certify membership. All participants must check in at Post 257 brior to bowling.
Send entries/inquires to: Pennsylvania American Legion Bowling Tournament
ATTN: SAMUEL F DONIA
AMERICAN LEGION POST 257
PO BOX 556
STOYSTOWN, PA 15563
For more information -
WASHINGTON (Jan. 3, 2011) - As more women serve in the armed forces, the number of women veterans - currently about 2 million - will also grow. Yet only about 25 percent of that population is using the VA health-care system.
The American Legion is launching a two-month, worldwide online survey Jan. 5 to find out why.
“Conducting this kind of survey is very important to us,” said Jimmie Foster, national commander of The American Legion. “After analyzing the data we’ve collected, the Legion will be better qualified to make specific recommendations for congressional appropriations, VA programs and facilities, and to increase public awareness of issues facing women veterans.”
Verna Jones, director of the Legion’s division of veterans affairs and rehabilitation, added, “In order to strengthen our advocacy role, we need to conduct a comprehensive survey of women veterans about their experiences and attitudes concerning health care provided by VA, private practitioners, and other health-care providers.”
Jones said that results from the survey will be used to refine The American Legion’s outreach methods, enhance its written and oral testimony to Congress and federal agencies, and to ultimately improve the delivery of women veterans’ benefits, programs and services.
“The survey will also help to identify unmet needs among women veterans, and guide the Legion’s development of specific remedies and recommendations,” said Denise Williams, the organization’s assistant director of health policy. “Then we can offer them to VA as specific actions to eliminate specific health-care problems faced by women veterans.”
The survey will be conducted by ProSidian Consulting in Charlotte, N.C., which specializes in strategic business issues. Its list of clients includes the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and other federal agencies.
Survey questions will cover ten aspects of health-care service quality: reliability, responsiveness, competence, access, courtesy, communication, credibility, security, tangibles and understanding the customer.
The survey was developed by American Legion specialists on women veterans issues. “We understand the sacrifices of women and their role in serving America,” Jones said. “We recognize that women, like their male counterparts, are returning home with illness, disease, injuries and the invisible wounds of war.”
Jones said The American Legion believes the survey’s results “will be a major component in being able to understand the needs of women veterans, and allow us to assist in providing the services needed.”
Women veterans are encouraged to participate in the survey by visiting www.legion.org. It becomes active on Jan. 5 and will remain online until early March, after which analysis of the results will begin.
WASHINGTON (Jan. 19, 2011) - Jimmie L. Foster, national commander of The American Legion, met with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki in Washington on Jan. 18, getting a VA progress report on several vital issues. Foster said the meeting, which lasted more than an hour, was “relaxed, informal, warm and friendly.”
The state of VA’s disability claims process was a chief item of discussion. More than a million benefits claims are reportedly awaiting VA approval. Compounding the backlog is a significant increase in the frequency of claims filing. This is due to an influx of Iraq and Afghanistan campaign servicemembers now coming home, and the recent addition of several medical conditions related to Vietnam-era exposure to toxic chemicals.
“It’s a great challenge,” Foster said. “Secretary Shinseki says VA processed about 900-thousand claims this past year, but received 1.1-million more - with 1.45-million expected this year.”
But Foster reported that VA is attacking the problem aggressively. “The Secretary says they’ve instituted a ‘training the trainer’ program - as the Legion encouraged some time ago - and is adopting the VA regional offices (ROs) that process claims right the first time as models of efficiency for the remaining ROs.”
Electronic medical records that facilitate “instant” and secure transfer of patients’ medical data from the military to civilian world (and from one facility to another) are cutting-edge health-care technology being pioneered by VA. Foster said that Shinseki sounded a little disappointed with progress in this area.
“He’d like the technology to be perfected a bit faster, but says VA and the Department of Defense are working together diligently to make a seamless, universal electronics records system fully operational,” Foster said.
During The American Legion’s 2009 National Convention in Louisville, Shinseki announced his department’s vow to end homelessness among veterans within five years. As to the state of this ambitious project, Foster reported, “Secretary Shinseki eagerly accepted the Legion’s offer of support in this area. I told him that, for instance, a local Legion post can be of great aid in identifying and tracking a homeless veteran, getting him or her the health care they need and leading them, literally, home. The Secretary indicated that the Legion’s involvement in helping end the homeless veteran crisis could be invaluable.”
Matters of Post 9-11 G.I. Bill education for veterans and the greater than average incidence of joblessness among veterans were also discussed. “Secretary Shinseki said VA itself now employs two percent more veterans than it did when he took office and he intends to increase his department’s veteran hiring rate much more,” Foster said.
At meeting’s end, Foster said the Secretary expressed gratitude to The American Legion for its ongoing role in improving the lives of America’s veterans, in partnership with VA. He also “thanked us for what he knows we will do in the future.”
Past National Commander Geiger
Past National Commander John H. Geiger, an icon in The American Legion for decades, passed away early this morning after a lengthy battle with an illness. He was 85 years old.
Geiger, elected national commander on the closing day of 53rd National Convention in Houston, led The American Legion during the 1971-1972 year. A resident of Des Plaines, Ill., he was a member of Hiram J. Slifer Post 135 in Chicago. He was a member of the Legion for 66 years, first joining Minden, Iowa, Post 437 in 1945 while serving overseas.
A retired architectural engineer, Geiger was a World War II U.S. Army veteran, serving in the 11th Armored Division. He was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge.
The American Legion was founded on four pillars: Americanism, Children and Youth, National Security, and Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation.
But Department of New York Adjutant Richard Pedro says there is a fifth pillar that was just as important to the organization – Past National Commander John H. Geiger, who passed away early Monday morning in Illinois at age 85.
“People always talk about the four pillars of The American Legion,” said Pedro, whose friendship with Geiger spanned five decades. “But he was a pillar himself. He meant that much to The American Legion.”
Pedro served on the National Commander’s Advisory Committee with Geiger from 1978 to 1999; the pair roomed together during numerous national conventions and other meetings. “His love, outside of his family, was The American Legion,” Pedro said. “He was very astute when it came to Legion history and Legion programs. But beyond that, he was just a brilliant guy. He was an exceptional person, and his word was solid. It was his bond.”
Pedro and Geiger were rarely seen outside of each other’s company at national events, joined by Past National Commander Jake Comer. The Legion’s national commander from 1987-1988, Comer said the loss of Geiger is difficult for several reasons.
“He was a great friend to me,” Comer said. “But we have lost a major leader of our organization. It will take a long time before someone steps up to the plate like John did. Here was a guy who would walk down the hall after a (National Executive Committee) meeting, and he would stop and talk to anyone who had a question or needed help. He would try to help in any way he could. (Pedro) and I depended on him tremendously.”
Comer said when he first started participating in the Legion on the national level, Geiger already was an icon. “I would see him, and I was in awe of him,” Comer said. “He already was up on a pedestal, as far as the way I saw it. He was The American Legion, from as long as I’ve been involved in the organization.”
Geiger served as national commander from 1971 to 1972. During his tenure, he traveled to Europe and the Far East, receiving briefings from U.S. and South Vietnamese military leadership during a stop in South Vietnam. He testified in front of Congress on several issues, including not dismantling or absorbing the Veterans Administration into a national health-care plan, and not granting blanket amnesty to Vietnam War draft dodgers. Geiger called for no amnesty to be granted while the war was ongoing, and then for a case-by-base review following the war.
Geiger also urged every Legionnaire to write three letters – one to their U.S. representative and one to each of their senators – calling for improvements to the GI Bill for Vietnam War veterans.
Even after leaving the office of national commander, Geiger, continued to have a strong presence in the NEC for years. It was that presence that stood out to Past National Commander Ronald F. Conley.
“As you became involved in the NEC, you saw John as a man who always maintained a level head, and who looked at every situation with an open mind,” Conley said. “He always said that if you were making a decision, was it for the good of The American Legion? He was able to steer you, not tell you want to do.”
Geiger urged Conley to seek out young people within the Department of Pennsylvania who would benefit the Legion. He advised Conley to always keep his suit coat buttoned in order to maintain a strong personal appearance.
“When I first walked into the Resolutions Subcommittee room (after longtime committee chairman and Past National Commander E. Roy Stone had passed away), it was strange not seeing Stone there,” Conley said. “It’s going to be that way going into the NEC room and not seeing John there.”
Past National Commander William E. Galbraith, who led the Legion from 1967-1968, said Geiger had an energy about him that “made him want to continue to improve things within The American Legion. He was one of the great leaders of this organization. It’s a tremendous loss.”
Past National Commander Marty Conatser, also an Illinois Legionnaire, said Geiger was a mentor to everyone in the department. “He was the one who prepared me to be national commander. He always told me to ask the question, ‘Is it good for The American Legion, above all else.’ That’s what he cared about. Not if it was good for John Geiger, not if it was good for someone else. That’s a rare quality in today’s world. He always put the organization first.”
Geiger felt that love of the Legion for decades. In a 1971 interview with The American Legion Magazine, he said, “I was so raised in veterans work and Legion work that I felt at home. I was just born to do it.”
Longtime Utah National Executive Committeeman Bill Christofferson met Geiger in 1959 at a meeting in Indianapolis when both were department commanders. “He and I just hit it off, for some reason,” Christofferson said.
The friendship continued for 52 years. When Geiger worked for United Airlines and was sent to work in Salt Lake City while a terminal was added to the airport, he and Christofferson used to visit Christofferson’s Legion post together. There also were trips together to the Green River in Utah, as well as Geiger’s seat next to Christofferson’s in the NEC room.
“When people from my department asked me why Geiger was sitting next to me, I told them, ‘We’re buddies,’” Christofferson said. “I could write a book on the things that John and I worked on together. I think we sowed a lot of good seeds for the Legion.”
Longtime National Adjutant and Past National Commander Robert W. Spanogle remembers his first meeting with Geiger, who was a candidate for national commander at the time. Spanogle was one of 10 Vietnam veterans that Geiger invited to National Headquarters for a meeting.
“He asked questions; we responded,” Spanogle said. “We asked questions; he listened. There was no generation gap between he, a World War II veteran, and we of the Vietnam generation, because he had been there: a World War II GI Bill student veteran earning a degree in architecture and an active member of the Legion. His love of country, his love of family, his dedication and his firm commitment to the four pillars of the Legion were clearly evident during our discussion. The values of America. This is what I remember.
“He was a senior member of the National Executive Committee and a friend. I shall miss his counsel, his mentorship, his integrity and his firm handshake. John Geiger was a man of his word. Like so many others that knew John, his legacy of leadership will serve us well as we continue the work of The American Legion. We shall miss him.”
Condolences can be sent to 758 Laurel Ave, Des Plaines, IL 60016. Memorials may be made to The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206 or online here.
Donations also can be made to Pepper Family Hospice, 405 Lake Zurich Road, Barrington, IL 60010 or online.