VA, DoD Wrap Up Successful Mental Health Summit

Last week, VA and DoD hosted the first joint summit to discuss military and veterans' mental health. AMVETS leaders were on hand alongside leaders from the nation's top military and veterans' organizations, health care practitioners, and other public interest groups to discuss an issue that affects veterans of all conflicts, past and present.

AMVETS Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof took part in the summit and viewed it as a critical first step in addressing a broad range of issues facing today's war fighters, but acknowledged that both VA and DoD have a long way to go on issues such as suicide-prevention and disclosure procedures.

"It was easy to understand all points of views on medical treatments and disclosure information to superiors," said Roof. "On one hand you want service members to feel comfortable reaching out for help and not worrying they will be deemed non-deployable or discharged, but on the other hand you could see the validity in DoD’s concerns about mentally unstable individuals not being ready for a combat zone, or posing a danger to themselves or others in their units."

During the week, summit participants heard from a variety of experts on the topic presenting a variety of potential solutions and candid commentary on the problems facing today's affected service members.

One of the most memorable presentations during the week came from IAVA Chief Legislative Counsel Patrick Campbell, who for the first time publicly shared his personal struggles with combat stress. Campbell acknowledged that it had taken him years since returning from Iraq to come to terms with many of his experiences, and he pulled no punches in criticizing VA and DoD processes for handling situations like his.

From the week's symposium, VA and DoD plan to compile a comprehensive report that will outline critical issues that remain within the military and veterans' communities and new ways to address these challenges in an effort to develop a public health model for mental health care throughout all communities.

This week, VA is hosting another summit outlining the department's plan to eliminate veterans' homelessness, which will once again touch on the topic of mental health and mental health care. American Veteran will be on hand tomorrow during the summit. Check back for updates.

This Week at American Veteran

This week at American Veteran, we will highlight last week's VA/DoD summit on mental health. The summit wrapped up late last week and AMVETS leaders were on hand to participate in the first-of-its-kind discussion.

We will also discuss DoD's retroactive stop-loss payments, which took effect Oct. 21. To date, reports show that more than 4,000 service members have sought to take advantage of the payments.

On Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will host a round table discussion for military and veterans' organizations to discuss military retiree issues. AMVETS leaders will be on hand for the special meeting and American Veteran will offer coverage, as well.

Last week, VA announced it will hire a contractor to assist with Post-9/11 G.I. Bill claims processing. This week, American Veteran will discuss the announcement and how the new contractor will affect the claims process for student-veterans.

The next print issue of American Veteran is down range and should show up in mailboxes shortly, in addition to being available online.

With the fall issue closed, American Veteran is now looking for content from posts and departments nationwide for the winter issue. We're always eager to hear what's happening around the country, and, as always, we're eager to hear what you think on this blog.

VA, DoD Host Summit to Discuss Mental Health

Yesterday VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and Defense Secretary Robert Gates opened the first-ever VA and Department of Defense summit on mental health at the Capitol Hilton in Washington. The summit brings together leaders across both departments, medical practitioners, and military and veterans' advocates, including AMVETS, to discuss mental health issues related to military service.

Since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the invisible wounds of war have become a major concern for the veterans' community. A recent RAND report shows that up to twenty percent of all service members who deployed in support of the conflicts have exhibited some symptom associated with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury.

Pentagon and VA have come together in an effort to better serve those affected by service-related mental health issues at the summit, which runs through Thursday.

In his opening remarks, Shinseki tasked the summit with three goals: Build on current levels of mental health care; maintain advances by promoting psychological health, resilience and prevention; and establish a mental health care model that leverages national resources beyond the military.

AMVETS National Commander Duane Miskulin has made military and veterans' mental health his top priority since taking office in September, making this summit critical to the work of AMVETS and its partners.

AMVETS National Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof was on hand for the first day's activities, listening to a variety of speakers who brought a wealth of expertise in the mental health field to the summit.

American Veteran will be following the summit closely over the next three days. Check back regularly with American Veteran Online for updates.

(Photos: Top: VA Secretary Shinseki addresses the VA/DoD mental health summit at the Capitol Hilton. Hyperlink to official DoD story by Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden. DoD photo by Cherie Cullen, released. Right: Defense Secretary Gates addresses the summit. Photo by Christina Roof.)

This Week at American Veteran

This week at American Veteran, we will follow AMVETS National Headquarters staff at the first VA/DoD mental health summit, taking place this afternoon at the Capitol Hilton in Washington. The summit, hosted by VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, will be the first of its kind bringing together experts from various government agencies, the health care sector, and veterans' advocates such as AMVETS to discuss treatment models for service members, veterans and their families.

This week, we will also publish the latest issue of American Veteran magazine. We apologize for any delays, but we know you will enjoy the fall issue. As always, we're constantly looking for stories from posts and departments around the country. Though we're restricted in how many we can publish in our quarterly print issues, American Veteran is eager to publish more local stories on American Veteran Online.

Next, AMVETS leaders have started planning for the 2010 21st Century Veterans Symposium, which will take place at the AMVETS National Convention in Louisville. This symposium will be the follow-up to AMVETS' 2006 symposium on the needs of young veterans, bringing in veterans from across the country to discuss issues, potential solutions and to update the 2006 symposium report. More details will become available over the next few months.

Finally, American Veteran Online will continue to follow the FY2010 budget process for VA, which remains stalled in Congress. The VA budget has now been delivered late 20 out of the last 23 years. With last week's historic signing of the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009, authorizing advance appropriations, the veterans' community has shifted focus to ensuring that this year's budget passes quickly. The FY2010 budget will be the first to include advance funding for the following year's VA health care.

Check back throughout the week with American Veteran Online for updates.