Comments on: Vet Kills Himself After VA Turns Him Away

Jonathan Schulze Suffered From Post Traumatic Stress And Was On A Waiting List

[hunter10039]

TO HIGH-UP PEOPLE IN CHARGE OF THE VA:

WAKE UP AND "SMELL THE COFFEE"!!!

IF YOU DON'T DO SOMETHING "MORE-BETTER"... TO TAKE BETTER IMMEDIATE CARE OF OUR VETS.....YOU WILL LOOSE YOUR JOBS.... JUST LIKE THE
WALTER-REED HOSPITAL FOLK DID !!!!

[garvin54]

Our husbands, brothers, sons, daughters, wives are fighting for something to keep others free in a country where they will always be fighting and the civil war within the country will never end. I am thankful for those who gave their lives to keep American free. I am thankful that I was born and raised in a country where I can speak my mind and not end up in jail for my opinion. I thank God to have the freedoms that we have, but I do not appreciate our families loosing loved ones to get involved in a war that will NEVER end. I am so sorry that this family and many others are loosing their loved ones. I do not look forward to the day that my "son" will be entering the Army and then the day that he calls to tell me he is going to Iraq! I know that we as a society do not do enough for our veterans who give of their all for our safety and the freedoms that I value.

[kaseyus]

I feel sad for all veterans who didn't receive the care they needed. The blame should fall on the VA office. They are shortstaffed but it is not because no one wants to work for them. The real reason is because they are "picky" about whom they want to hire. I know because my husband applied for a position as a Clinical Psychologist at some of the VA Hospitals. Unfortunately, they told him that he didn't meet the requirements. He is a licensed, Ph.D., but just because he didn't meet some outdated pre-doctoral internship requirement, they rejected him. What is important? That the person has 10 years of experience working with people who are suffering from PTSD and have mental health as well as substance abuse issues? Or that the person didn't complete his pre-doctoral internship at an APA accredited college? Hey! he graduated from an APA accredited college but that doesn't count!! I guess the VA Office have their priorities all screwed up and who suffers because of that? Our veterans!!. It's time that changes are made to the system.

[miggyinct]

Musty2U & like-minded folks: 1)I'm shocked, appalled,amazed, pick-your-adjective by your lack of empathy for this young man & his family 2)Medical service-related disability has always been "easier" to obtain than psychiatric, unless you have Gulf-War Syndrome or another illness the government does not recognize 3)Durham, NC isn't St. Cloud, MN - last I knew there were 2 major hospitals in your immediate community, one of which is a University-affiliated medical center (Duke) compared to the 66 bed Hutchinson Medical Center. I guess he and his parents didn't have many choices of where to seek treatment, or maybe b/c he didn't have insurance and the VA was the only place he could be seen 4)Blaming his parents and friends for his suicide is unconscionable. 5) But, at least we agree that his death was needless...

[musty2u]

Jc, all finance bills originate in the Senate. Bush is not there. Blame the right source.

[musty2u]

I'd have to see the admission/intake documents. There are some pretty feeble sick-bay commando stories I could relate were we able to go get a cup of coffee. The hemorrhage scenario wouldn't end the way you guessed. Most conditions have a protocol (imagine that) and the ol' bleeder is going to get taken care of. Nut cases, on the other hand are going to require the duty shrink to evaluate - not just a regular MD. I say the guy didn't present as a credible suicide/psychiatric patient. Happens all the time. We just have to wait and see the full play.

[teeus]

Musty, I did read the entire article, thank you.

"The guy went to the VA, got a little miffed over the line (my God, he had to wait to be seen!), aborted his own trip there, and left. It is a wonderful system to just complain about, so he did."

I wouldn't be so hard on the young man's critical thinking skills, my self. I don't think you should required to be super-sharp and ready to combat a bureaucracy
when you%u2019re feeling suicidal. I think the two are mutually exclusive.

Let's put this another way. Guy walks up to the VA. Says "my leg has become severed and I think I may bleed to death." VA admitting clerk says: Come back tomorrow.

So, nice young man puts on a make shift tourniquet and manages to make it through the night. Next day he's told have a seat--your number 26.

Ummm, no. That's a pretty ****-poor response. If you are triaging mental health issues, and someone says I'm going to bleed to death/I'm feeling suicidal YOU ADMIT THEM NOW. NOW. And if your little clinic is set up to take emergency admits, you get him to a hospital that can. You DON'T let him wander away.

[everrea104]

Another needless war, just like Veit Nam it is a no win situtation, The care for our vets haven't change much either, and Bushey wants to send more money and more troups with out taking care of our owen . They ask why is our military not getting men and women to join? Well it doesn't take a rocket scienctist to know why, You get all these promises only to come home to nothing, Promises are put on hold or either you don't come home alive. I support our troups now get them the hell out of there if you don't want to take care of them. No miliary soldier should have to wait and go thur tons of paper work before getting taken care of. They are the heros,and should get what they deserve

[roger_inkart]

Another tragic casualty in a pointless, stupid war.

[zahrabrooks]

Bush really infuriates me. Veterans should be treated well after they have been placed in harms way. The Iraq's who work as translaters should be given asylum in the U.S. I can't believe the coldness of our government.

[sharonw7]

My heart is saddened by the loss of Jonathan and I pray for Mr. & Mrs. Schultz.
Same exact incident in the VA Hospital in San Antonio with our son Johnathan. He was in the war in 1992 and came back with physical & psychological problems. He went to the VA hospital they took his vitals he told them that he felt he could harm himself or someone. They told him to go to pharmacy to have meds refilled from prior stay on the psychiatric ward.
He has been in prison for seven years now because the very night he was ignored he shot thru the bedroom and killed his love.

[gunfighterfr]

how about this you tell your congress man and senetors you want to see more support going to the VA, and to quit adding in thier pork just fund the VA so they can have the facilities and funds so they dont have to say we can't take you atm.

[musty2u]

J, don't let the VA Claim rest. Have hubby get the help of his regional/local Veterans Services Officer (VSO). They are paid for by your county, and granted, work hand in glove with the VA, are a tremendou fit for the vet filing the claim. There is a right and wrong way to go about your husbands Agent Orange Exposure and Hearing Loss. His service in coutry is all the evidence he will need for exposure; his diagnosis of related diseases will cinch it. The hearing test he had early on is the reference audiogram. Hot doogle, if he has a copy of that. Check out the Agent Orange site, study up a little on it and drag, pull, or push hubby to the VSO and he will get compensated. I will agree, the backlog is now quite long. Last week, I heard it was about nine months, with all the documentaion. If he has to have a VA physical that may prolong things to 15 months. Sorry, it is a matter of sheer numbers

[snuggles1983]

I feel much sorrow for this family, and many others who are experiencing much of the same thing. I think it is sick, that we allow our men and women to go fight for our freedom, yet when they need our help, the healthcare providers say there is nothing they can do. We as Americans should be able to help these military officers. You are all in my prayers.

[jbuckcp]

My Husband is a Vietnam Vet, and has NEVER had any support from the VA - even with his Agent Orange exposure, or the hearing damage he received, which could not be proved, as there was an intake test, but none done when he left the service.

[musty2u]

Saigel, how true. There is generally over 80 suicides in the U.S. daily (outside of prison). That is daily. Think about it. If we could get the prison system to replicate this figure, we wouldn't need to keep building new facilities. Have you seen the designs and how much goes into them? What about the sweetheart deals the governors, and their ilk, end up making to get the things constructed. And, this does not even touch the surface for the outsourced prison systems.

[musty2u]

Teeus, If you continue with the Examiner piece you cited, we further can read:

"In the Schulze case, the St. Cloud VA's investigation has been completed, but the results are protected by data privacy law, Vincent said. The inspector general of the Department of Veteran Affairs will look further into allegations that he was turned away from VA hospitals in Minneapolis and St. Cloud before he killed himself."

"An investigation by the Office of the Medical Inspector, an independent agency established by Congress, has been finished. Its findings will be released to VA senior officials and elected federal officials with oversight of the VA system, Vincent said."

So its not really a done deal. Don't be pointing fingers at the VA until everything has been settled. Having dealt with several PTSD cases while I was active duty, as well as other wack-jobs; here would be my scenario. The guy went to the VA, got a little miffed over the line (my God, he had to wait to be seen!), aborted his own trip there, and left. It is a wonderful system to just complain about, so he did. Then he went even further and found a flippin' rope and said "goodbye cruel world". End of story as far as I see until the results of further investigation proves otherwise.

[gunfighterfr]

First off my prays go out to the family. Please excuse my spelling I am bad at that. I served 8 years in the Corps myself, during the 80s. I ended up a disabled vet, and was medicaly discharged, but took 16 years to get any benifits due to what was a cleical snafu. But this is unaccetable of the VA to say go on a waiting list for that period. However, many of you just want to pass the buck. That is just shameful. We need to fix the VA system, This is what this thing is about. To show that the system is broken and needs fixed. They could have sent him to another place and worked out the payments later if they didnt have room for him. and for those of you that have never served you have no idea what you are talking about and I am glad you don't. I dont want any one to have to know what that is like. But this young Marine did what was ask of him by those of you that have no idea what you ask and then dont give a **** about what happens to those the fight in your place for you. Show this family some support and do your best to fix this system that throws away it veteran when they are done with them.

[nyckate]

This is what happens when you let a president who wasted whatever brain he had on years of booze and drugs abuse along with a severely delusional vice president and secy defense wage war - to Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld it was just a great photo op -- they have no idea of the disaster they caused and nor do they care.

[teeus]

"St. Cloud's VA facility near the Sauk River is practically in the middle of nowhere. It has only 15 psychiatric beds, the rest are surgical and general med..."

Well, actually, Musty2U, that's not correct:
"Joan Vincent, spokeswoman for the VA Medical Center in St. Cloud, said the VA has no waiting list. It has 133 beds for residential treatment for patients needing mental health care and chemical dependency services. About 20 people are being scheduled for admission at any one time, and it usually takes about five days to get in."

http://www.examiner.com/a-571048~St__Cloud_VA_says_it_s_ready_for_vets_with_mental_health_issues.html