VA Staffer To Testify Over PTSD E-Mail

Veterans Affairs Coordinator Suggested Staff "Refrain" From Diagnosing PTSD To Save Money

(CBS)  CBS News producer Pia Malbran wrote this story for CBSNews.com.

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A Veterans Affairs clinic coordinator is to face questions from lawmakers keen to determine whether a controversial e-mail she sent was simply misguided advice from an individual, or part of a widespread effort by the VA to avoid paying veterans benefits for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

CBS News has learned that Norma J. Perez, the former coordinator of the PTSD program at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Temple, Texas, will go before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs Wednesday morning in Washington.

On March 20, she sent an e-mail to the psychologists and social workers who were under her supervision at the VA's PTSD clinic in Temple. In it, Perez wrote: "Given that we are having more and more compensation seeking veterans, I'd like to suggest you refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out."

She went on to recommend that clinicians instead "consider a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder."

"It is outrageous that the VA is calling on its employees to deliberately misdiagnose returning veterans in an effort to cut costs," said Melanie Sloan, the executive director of the Washington-based watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, which obtained and distributed the internal e-mail last month, along with the veterans lobbying group VoteVets.org. (Click here to see the email.)

As soon as the e-mail became public, VA Secretary James Peake blasted it, calling it "inappropriate."

In a statement, Peake said the e-mail was isolated and that the VA is "committed to absolute accuracy in a diagnosis and unwavering in providing any and all earned benefits."

The e-mail sparked furor among both Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders, who've pushed for an investigation.

Lawmakers want to make sure PTSD is being properly diagnosed at every VA facility - and ensure Perez was not taking direction from higher management. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama also weighed in, calling for the VA's inspector general to look into the issue.

Sen. Daniel Akaka, a Democrat from Hawaii and the Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, described the e-mail as, "disturbing and disappointing." He said he hoped Wednesday's hearing would provide more answers on, "how VA is dealing with PTSD," so that all veterans truly get the health care and benefits they need.

Perez, who is not a licensed psychologist, was recently reassigned and now works at the VA hospital in Austin, Texas, as a "Mental Health Integration Specialist."

She will testify alongside the VA's Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Michael Kussman, and Dr. Ira Katz, the VA's head of mental health. Earlier this year, several senators and congressmen called for Dr. Katz's resignation after internal e-mails showed he withheld critical information about veteran suicides from the public. Dr. Katz apologized for the e-mails. He continues to oversee mental health for the VA.

[impeach_w]

It''s the same story: The VA won''t do anything for about 40 years. When they do, it will have a different name with different diagnostic critera. This is nothing new. There has been PTSD since the start of War. With each war the name is changed: shell shock, battle fatigue, combat fatigue, PTSD.

They will wait for you vets to die off before any problem is admitted or addressed.

This makes me Glad I never served. However, the Marine bases in Jacksonville, NC I was born and grew up knew it''s water supply was contamimated with Dry Cleaning Chemicals. They said and did Nothing until the decades later when they could not deny they were aware of the chemicals and these were known carcinogens. The only action was trying to contact those who lived there in the from ''68 on and may have been harmed by miscarrages, cancer etc.. NOTE the EXPOSURE STARTED IN ''57 SEEE BELOW!

Dad sprayed Agent Orange from a CH-46 and has Skin, bladder and Prostate cancer among others and a never treated PTSD.

It has taken the VA and Governnmet 40 years to admit there was any problem. I see no improvement. SEE BELOW!

[impeach_w]

There are an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people (MARINES AND FAMILIES) exposed to the chemicals tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethylene, known as PCE and TCE, between 1957 and 1985 in the water they drank, bathed in, and cooked with at Camp Lejeune, estimates Frank Bove, senior epidemiologist at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Two water treatment centers that served the Marine base were found to be contaminated with "probably some of the highest drinking water exposures ever seen in this country," said Dr. Richard Clapp, a professor at Boston University,

The contaminated wells were shut down in February 1985, but the Marine Corps did not inform all of the exposed residents until they were forced to in the passing of the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Amendment beginning in 2007. Starting in 1999, the ATSDR contacted the parents of 12,598 eligible children, or 80 percent of the estimated total, who lived at the Marine base between 1968 and 1985, for a study determining the rate of specific birth defects and childhood cancers.

So far, the ATSDR found at least 100 babies exposed in utero to the contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune that suffered from birth defects and cancer, including 29 cases of leukemia or lymphoma and 42 cases of a cleft lip or palate.

Marines living in Jacksonville, NC between 1957 and 1985 need to read this: http://www.local6.com/spotlight/16457727/detail.html

[jennjetta]

I had an uncle that committed suicide and did two tours of Vietnam. I think if he would have received help he may be here today. I find it very concerning the politics that are attached to the VA. I would hope this investigation would bring about some long awaited improvements to the mental health system and a recognition that is deeply needed for our veterans.

[ejschleicher]

It"s sad really SAD that even after all the ---- that all of us nam vets went through with agent orange and other illnesses that the VA would be up to par with whats going on in the current war. Knowing dam well that PTSD is a reallity that will not be sweept under the rug like so many other things that the VA likes to do.It''s all nice and dandy that they build and fix-up there buildings, then the say they don''t have the money to treat the vet''s that use there big and nice new buildings. Well guess what? How about treating the Veteran like a person and not worry about how much it''s going to cost to do it. God only knows they don''t care when it comes to HOW MUCH they spend on them selfs.

[killface7]

WHERE IS RUMMY?

[frankbowers]

I would laugh about this if it had not been happening to me for more than 20 years about frost bite and frozen feet. That is my problem and now nerve damage and they want to label that as just age and circulation of the blood. I am now 70 and this started when i was 22 in houston, tx. Now in Austin and none other than the big hospital at TEMPLE who are handling it i guess this lady told them to say my feet were just old after all I am 70. Shamne o n them and the farce the none military people put the veterans through. Shame on them for having to depend on such as the deserter gw bush and dic cheney the derferment kid (6) in 8 years. Yeah, these people like this norma perez have the best of leadership when you relize/think of those two as her/his/their leaders.
the best of good byes Frank Bowers.

[impeach_w]

It''s the same story: The VA won''t do anything for about 40 years. When they do, it will have a different name with different diagnostic critera. This is nothing new. There has been PTSD since the start of War. With each war the name is changed: shell shock, battle fatigue, combat fatigue, PTSD.

They will wait for you vets to die off before any problem is admitted or addressed.

This makes me Glad I never served. However, the Marine bases in Jacksonville, NC I was born and grew up knew it''s water supply was contamimated with Dry Cleaning Chemicals. They said and did Nothing until the 80''s when they could not deny they were always aware of the chemicals and these were known carcinogens. The only action was trying to contact those who lived there in the 60s'' and may have been harmed by miscarrages, cancer etc..

Dad sprayed Agent Orange and has Skin, bladder and Prostate cancer among others.

It has taken the VA and Governnmet 40 years to admit there was any problem. I see no improvement.

[michael0004]

%u201DIt is a stain on this nation''''s honor that the Department of Veterans Affairs has become a deadlier and more difficult adversary to the American veteran than any they have ever faced on a battlefield." -- VNVets.blogspot.com
The DVA is now doing to the current U.S.combat veterans what they did and still are doing to Vietnam veterans and vets of other conflicts. After granting medical and other benefits from 1991 - 2002 to all Vietnam veterans suffering from diseases associated with Agent Orange exposure after passage of the Agent Orange Act of 1991, in 2002 the DVA announced 11 years after the fact that they interpreted the AO Act''''s "service in Vietnam" requirement to mean having had "boots on the ground". Then in 2002, they proceeded to retroactively reverse their decisions of the 11 previous years and denied medical and other benefits to U.S. Navy Vietnam veterans who had these very same AO related conditions and whose ships came to within "spitting distance" of the Vietnam coastline while conducting naval gunfire support and other operations or while anchored in Vietnam harbors. And the DVA''''s decision was not based on any scientific evidence. In fact, they conveniently ignored scientific evidence that the Australian govt conducted that showed that their sailors had an equal or greater incidence of certain AO related diseases that their ground troops. For more info on the betrayal of U.S veterans by the DVA, please go to www.bluewaternavy.org and/or vnvetsblogspot.com.

[theadvocate3]

For everyone who has been given a diagnosis of PTSD or worse-no diagnosis at all-check out this Dr. in New Orleans...I met him in Louisiana at a Memorial Day Service in May-This guy is going to revolutionize modern medicine. He has been working with civilians and soldiers with all kinds of illness/injury and discovered that Hyperbaric Chamber therapy has worked miracles with patients. You have to question your soldier because so many are coming back and have no visible scars or marks from IED''s and other explosions they were exposed to, some over and over-causing brain injury but since there are no open wounds-soldiers are told to "shake it off and carry on...no harm done" etc. www.harchhyperbarics.com
This Dr. is not a quack and I cannot tell you how many parents were so relieved to meet him that afternoon and hear what he had to say...the coolest thing of all is there is no prescription medicine needed-just oxygen...Good luck to everyone reading this and may this horrible thing called war soon end. God bless our military men and women.

[michael0004]

However, it seems every other week another vet he knows has taken his own life. I wonder how many people know that suicide casualties from (and since) Viet Nam have surpassed the total number who were killed in action? Now that''''s a stastic the govt. certainly doesn''''t want you to know!


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Posted by makemyday2da at 04:38 PM : Jun 03, 2008

Yes. And the Department of Veterans Affairs denial of their conditions helps contribute to any suicidal tendencies. The pathetic and often disengenous way the way the VA has handled PTSD and other veteran''s health care matters borders on being criminal. At a minimum the leaders of the Department of Veterans Affairs should be forced to resign. Unfortunately, these leaders and the ones who would replace them are politically appointed and their agenda is often at odds with the support they are supposed to by law provide to veterans.

[makemyday2da]

deeperppl - EXACTLY and I can''t believe you had to wait two years, either. This is what my son is fighting for - and still hasn''t been treated. When he finally returned home after 14 months of confinement, within days his horrific nightmares woke me from a sound sleep to thinking someone must be in their killing my son! I''ll never forget the bloodchilling screams. Of course, I immediately ran to his room only to find him in the middle of the bed curled up with a pillow in front of him - fearing for his life. Another night, my younger son and I had to lie one on each side of him because he was too scared to fall asleep. We stayed with him all night while he told us some of the most horrific stories that took place while he was there. NO ONE should have to experience their child or loved one going through this! My son returned to CA for help and to be near others who are experiencing the same problems. Being around other vets has, literally, saved his life. However, it seems every other week another vet he knows has taken his own life. I wonder how many people know that suicide casualties from (and since) Viet Nam have surpassed the total number who were killed in action? Now that''s a stastic the govt. certainly doesn''t want you to know!

[deepperppl]

It may seem clinically correct to diagnose someone with adjustment disorder before PTSD, but it is only doing more harm than good to those who have it. Anyone who has PTSD (like I do) knows what they''re suffering. To have the army deny you have a problem is a slap in the face. Think about it. If you were ill with the flu and you had every classic symptom, would you like to seek medical help only to be told that you must be exaggerating your symptoms? Why seek help for PTSD if the doctors who are supposed to help them turn them aside and tell them that they are mistaken? The night terrors you''ve been having, the severe anxiety that keeps you locked in your home and unable to function in the workplace - the nightmares, the lack of sleep, the fatigue that eventually follows - every symptom you THINK you have -is all in your head. Adjustment disorder diagnoses are NOT a good idea. It''s irresponsible and criminal to turn a sufferer of PTSD aside and send them home with "adjustment disorder". What qualifies an individual for PTSD? Do they have to have a gun to their head to get help? No soldier I''ve ever known would run to a psychologist for anything unless he/she is desperate. I finally went to get help and was turned aside for TWO YEARS. No one WANTS to be mentally ill. When you have a legitimate complaint, then you need to be heard. Turning someone aside only increases the chances someone will stop seeking help. After a while, you start to question your own judgment.

[makemyday2da]

"Adjustment disorder"? What a crock of poop. Don''t forget to add in "pre-existing personality disorder" - another ''tool'' the govt. likes to use to get out of paying veteran benefits. The bureaucracy these men and women go through now due to PTSD and other disorders is disgusting. My own son sought help for his mental problems while in Iraq along with a few others I heard from later. Every one of them were rebuffed and told to get back to work - there weren''t enough Marines to spare for any time off. My son was eventually airlifted out of Iraq about 6 weeks later because they feared for their (and his) safety. For the next 14 months after that, he was held either in the psychiatric ward or the brig. Now, two years later (since his ''release'') he still hasn''t had his ''exit exam'' from Iraq used to determine if he has any mental impairments. They''ve FINALLY acknowledged he has PTSD but haven''t done much about it. Other doctors believe he may have TBI (traumatic brain injury) but he is STILL waiting to be tested for this - but they''ve acknowledged he has the symptoms. I should add he was in for FOUR years with meritorious promotions before Iraq. FOUR YEARS LATER AND WE''RE STILL TRYING TO GET HELP FOR HIM.

[penskeone]

I wonder how many tours she served in Iraq. I served one tour and I am diagnosed with PTSD. Its is not a Joke!

[randynason]

I heard about the redefinition of PTSD by the VA well over a year ago and think that it is about time to investigate the allegations. I know the "powers that be" would prefer to dump the millions upon millions into the Iraq embassy, but this just isn''t right to treat the veterans this way. I''ll bet the trail leads right to the Pentagon, and beyond that.

[antoniof123]

It always amazes me how the neo cons did nothing not one thing to fill their responisbility towards the American people. Now they think that by blaming others we are going to listen to them. They want to lead, yea right we had enough of their leadership to last a life time.

Hey neo cons you ever wonder why you lost power for 40 years it was because of Senator MaCarthy. That was for only a Senator, what do you think the price will be for a whole congress and Administration?

God they are dumber than dirt to belive that the swing voters will forgive them. Our parents didn''t forgive them what makes you think we will.

[newsjunky5]

Please, no talk about the downside of war. It''s unpatriotic. Those who support the war don''t want to be racked with guilt/disturbed over casualties. That''s why photos are banned from Dover AFB, and the system where people are listed as wounded psychologically is being tampered with, and why journalists are "embedded." That is why we must idolize the troops, even the ones who would be criminals if they were in another occupation.
Does this kind of talk bother you? Rather market the war differently?

[ricknuber]

"There''''s no call for you to lash out at anyone else expressing an opinion (and a calm, collected, non-agressive opinion, at that.) Sheesh."
Posted by Abigail70 at 02:11 PM : Jun 03, 2008

Nothing in that post was presented as opinion. It was presented as fact: "She is right." I was countering with an opinion.

The fact is, America has grown tired of the "special olympics" standards this government is held to, while everyone else is expected to have some form of personal responsibility. You can make all the excuses for them you wish. I choose to point out the hypocrisy and cowardice of the Bush government and their apologists like yourself.

[michael0004]

%u201DIt is a stain on this nation''s honor that the Department of Veterans Affairs has become a deadlier and more difficult adversary to the American veteran than any they have ever faced on a battlefield." -- VNVets.blogspot.com The DVA is now doing to the current U.S.combat veterans what they did and still are doing to Vietnam veterans and vets of other conflicts. After granting medical and other benefits from 1991 - 2002 to all Vietnam veterans suffering from diseases associated with Agent Orange exposure after passage of the Agent Orange Act of 1991, in 2002 the DVA announced 11 years after the fact that they interpreted the AO Act''s "service in Vietnam" requirement to mean having had "boots on the ground". Then in 2002, they proceeded to retroactively reverse their decisions of the 11 previous years and denied medical and other benefits to U.S. Navy Vietnam veterans who had these very same AO related conditions and whose ships came to within "spitting distance" of the Vietnam coastline while conducting naval gunfire support and other operations or while anchored in Vietnam harbors. And the DVA''s decision was not based on any scientific evidence. In fact, they conveniently ignored scientific evidence that the Australian govt conducted that showed that their sailors had an equal or greater incidence of certain AO related diseases that their ground troops. For more info on the betrayal of U.S veterans by the DVA, please go to www.bluewaternavy.org and/or vnvetsblogspot.com.

[abigail70]

"Are you an authority on the subject or a VA official? How do you know she is right? How do you know some will "work through it"?"

Are you so hostile that you cannot understand that some DO work through it? Do a little research before you jump up everyone''s rear end, Sparky. It''s a terrible situation, and any sane person of course wants our soldiers and their families to be taken care of. There''s no call for you to lash out at anyone else expressing an opinion (and a calm, collected, non-agressive opinion, at that.) Sheesh.