![]() What I believe happened as a result was the VA actually outsourcing the initial checkup for claims to a third party, VES (veterans evaluation services). A few years back, there was a large lawsuit taken to the VA for patients not getting the help or care they needed. I imagine over time the VA becomes more lenient with its decisions on disability. I’m not a doctor, but I have to believe there is a larger concern for mental health in today’s military than there was 100 years ago - or its at least being talked about more. May have nothing physically wrong, but struggle internally with different things. ![]() There has been a slow change in the outlook of invisible wounds. We’ve all heard the stories of Vietnam vets sustaining bullet wounds but refusing medical care. What could be leading to such a strong increase in disabled vets? I have some speculation on legitimate drivers of the rise and some anecdotal information that raises my eyebrow.ĭue to generational differences, there likely is more willingness amongst those serving in today’s military to talk about their issues with a medical provider. I’ve been thinking about this statistic for months. In comparison, the total number of veterans in the VA healthcare system has risen 85% over the same period of time (not shown). This graph shows that the population of veterans in priority group 1, veterans considered over 50% disabled in the eyes of the VA, has risen 390% since 2000. I mentioned there’s 8+ priority groups - I’ve deliberately left off 4, 6, the other 7’s, and other 8’s because the numbers are so low they distort the graph. Priority Group 1 consists of vets with greater than 50% disability and it tiers down from there.ĭuring my research, I came across a dataset from the VA showing the number of veterans in each priority group that stopped me dead in my tracks. There are 8 priority groups (with a few sub groups) that indicate a disability percentage and a certain amount of other benefits based on each group. If your claim is approved, you’re granted a disability percentage that puts you into a priority group. The process is getting better, but there’s still work to do. This is often what the VA is associated with - denying claims and wounded vets spend years in litigation trying to receive help. The scope of the claims process is very large and so there’s an evaluation process where you’re seen by a third party doctor (that’s another long story), you provide documentation from your medical record that supports it, and a decision is made. What you’re told is that you can be compensated via a combination of financially and with medical benefits for any medical condition that came as a result of your time in the military or was a previous condition exacerbated by your time in. If you’re unfamiliar, when you exit service, you’re given the chance to make a medical claim. It was here I found something staggering. In order to get her to care about it more, I spent a large amount of my time painting a picture with other data about VA Healthcare and challenges of medical care post military exit. Our teacher only required that the project be something that we care about. ![]() The objective was to find the effectiveness of certain drugs in clinical studies to combat PTSD in veterans and how that stacks against civilian population. Last term, I conducted a research study about the prominence of PTSD in veterans. This is oldish news, but the Navy plans to reopen Subic Bay, the Naval base in the Phillipines, likely to combat the growing Chinese threat. If you haven’t listened to my conversation with Bill and are a fan of military history, this would be a great listen. It’s no secret the Navy fleet is light on ships without signs of change in light of budget changes. When someone writes in a way that gets you interested in something you normally aren’t, pay attention.Īre we prepared for a war in the Pacific?Ī great article on Navy readiness written by former guest of the show, Bill Toti. I’m not especially interested in drill, but I was floored with the quality of which it is written. This article is written by Kayla Haas, a recent follow of mine on Twitter who writes here on Substack. I try to keep a wide aperature because you find interesting things, for entertainment or educational purposes, in unsuspecting places. It’s important to not read or learn in a bubble. “But factual accuracy is not the mark of moral solvency.” “I wonder whether distance from mortal danger adds gravity to one’s moral responsibility.” It offers takes on finding moral injury in different places. An interesting article written from the perspective of an Army judge who is looked to for approval to engage with enemies from a legal perspective.
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