Monthly Archives: April 2012

VCS ED on BBC News Hour

This weekend in addition to a Friday live interview VCS ED Patrick Bellon was featured in an interview on the BBC Newshour. This interview was only the latest round in our efforts to bring attention to the plight facing our … Continue reading

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VCS Spring Membership and Fundraising

Thank you for visiting our website.  Please feel free to look around. Perhaps you heard or saw one of our recent  interviews on NPR, the BBC or in the New York Times, regarding veterans mental health.  Were you wondering how … Continue reading

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Army warns doctors against using certain drugs in PTSD treatment

BY BOB BREWIN 04/25/2012  From NEXTGOV.com The Army Surgeon General’s office is backing away from its long-standing endorsement of prescribing troops multiple highly addictive psychotropic drugs for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and early this month warned regional medical commanders against using … Continue reading

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A warrior unbowed: Captain’s wounds will never heal, but he’s a better man because of them

A very inspiring story. —   Is Army Capt. D.J. Skelton a wounded warrior? It sounds like a trick question. Insurgents attacked him in Iraq with a rocket-propelled grenade in 2004. His face and body were permanently damaged. The loss … Continue reading

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Unemployment is a special challenge for veterans

They say that civilian employers don’t always appreciate their skills and maturity, and that a focus on PTSD and brain injuries has stigmatized those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. By David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times April 25, 2012, 4:54 … Continue reading

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Obama cracks down on schools targeting troops

VCS has  worked hard to stop these school from taking advantage of our military and veterans. Thank you POTUS. —- By Rick Maze – Staff writer Posted : Thursday Apr 26, 2012 21:50:12 EDT President Obama is wrapping up a week of … Continue reading

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Veterans’ mental health treatment not as timely as contended

By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY An internal investigation at the Department of Veterans Affairs released Monday says tens of thousands of veterans waited far longer last year to receive mental health treatment than what the VA contends.   An inspector general found … Continue reading

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A Lagging Indicator

Time Magazine credits VCS-VUFT Lawsuit with decision to increase mental health staff.   —–   By MARK THOMPSON From Time’s Battleland Blog Even as the pace of war, and the number of Americans waging it, is falling, their need for mental-health … Continue reading

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Army’s new PTSD guidelines fault Madigan’s screening tests

  By HAL BERNTON The Seattle Times The Army Surgeon General’s Office has issued new guidelines for diagnosing PTSD that criticize an approach once routinely used at Madigan Army Medical Center. The policy, obtained by The Seattle Times, specifically discounts tests … Continue reading

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Legislation to strengthen veterans’ protections introduced

  From the WAPO Blog By Steve Vogel Legislation to strengthen a law protecting the employment rights of veterans and military servicemembers has been introduced in the Senate. The legislation, called the Servicemembers Rights Enforcement Improvement Act, “will help force … Continue reading

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