Hello, online friends. Please support this IAVA petition http://iava.org/sign-open-letter-va-secretary-shinseki . Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) says, "DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY for military troops who need and deserve timely mental health care." See the letter below from Paul Rieckhoff, founder and executive director of IAVA asking us to please help mentally challenged veterans have the care they need. Do not let our soldiers come home to become prisoners of war. Many of America's 1.25 million mentally ill inmates are veterans who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some inmates did not get timely mental health care to avoid behavior that led to their incarceration. Too many mentally challenged Americans, including veterans, endure homelessness and imprisonment. Avoidable deaths by suicide and murders also result from untreated mental illness. The IAVA ask you to help them to DEMAND CHANGE. Whether or not you agree with wars is irrelevant; please agree that our veterans deserve full support getting proper health care.
Mary,
The VA is clearly broken—and our vets deserve answers. For years, we’ve heard from IAVA members that the VA is not delivering timely mental health care. This week, the VA’s own Inspector General confirmed it. What’s worse, the Inspector General found that the VA’s own records of wait times “had no real value.” Less than half of vets received a full evaluation within 14 days of seeking mental health care—despite VA claims that rate was 95 percent. [Six links and one embedded video in this article.]
Sign IAVA’s open letter to VA Secretary Shinseki demanding accountability for our nation’s veterans.
Mary,
The VA is clearly broken—and our vets deserve answers. For years, we’ve heard from IAVA members that the VA is not delivering timely mental health care. This week, the VA’s own Inspector General confirmed it. What’s worse, the Inspector General found that the VA’s own records of wait times “had no real value.” Less than half of vets received a full evaluation within 14 days of seeking mental health care—despite VA claims that rate was 95 percent. [Six links and one embedded video in this article.]
Sign IAVA’s open letter to VA Secretary Shinseki demanding accountability for our nation’s veterans.
It’s estimated that 18 veterans commit suicide every day. VA Secretary Shinseki owes our community straight talk and a bold plan outlining how the VA will improve care for veterans of all generations. [Six links and one embedded video in this article]. As suicide rates skyrocket, delays at the VA should outrage every IAVA supporter —and the entire country. If you had a chest wound or broken leg, you wouldn’t tolerate waiting to see a doctor. Yet, an Afghanistan vet seeking care in Spokane, Washington faces an 80-day average wait for an appointment to see a VA psychiatrist.
Watch a quick video from the Inspector General’s Senate hearing this week. Then add your name to IAVA’s open letter demanding answers from VA Secretary Shinseki.
Watch a quick video from the Inspector General’s Senate hearing this week. Then add your name to IAVA’s open letter demanding answers from VA Secretary Shinseki.
Every day we hear from IAVA members at local events and across Twitter and Facebook about the bureaucratic delays that they face. But IAVA refuses to let vets slip through the cracks in their toughest moments of need. All veterans deserve a dynamic 21st century VA system that is responsive to their needs from the first day they get home through the rest of their lives.[Six(6) links and one embedded video in this article]
Stand with us to demand answers and accountability.
Paul Rieckhoff
Founder and Executive Director
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
PS – Every year IAVA sends dozens of new vets to Storm the Hill. This past March, we met with over 140 Congressional offices to outline concrete solutions for improving VA care. Read our recommendations in IAVA’s 2012 Policy Agenda.
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Thank you for reading and sharing this advocacy post from Mary Neal, director of Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/aimi - I implore our representatives and everyone who reads this article to please show some gratitude to people who voluntarily served in the military at great risk to themselves. See the video embedded below. "Gratitude" is also on YouTube at this link: http://youtu.be/MSfFYxSdKdo . Thanks for signing the petition to support Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. It would be terrific if you help gather more signatures by sharing this article, which has six(6) links and one embedded video. Thank you!
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