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In spite of what a previous mid-level Cabinet Secretary may claim, he effects of war on both those attacked and the soldiers engaged in battle can be devastating. Now false bravado is taking its toll on the many military veterans scarred by battle as the Veterans Administration is limiting many services to the men and women who served our Nation. No matter whether we agreed with the policies that got them there, many need help.
In response to the limitations on mental health services at the VA, some providers have resigned, feeling their professional expertise has been seriously compromised, taking their skills to private mental health services which, of course, charge for their services.
As CNN reports, some providers have been given a little flexibility to extend care, but there has been a “draconian effort to move patients out of individual therapy” since January. The VA Secretary Doug Collins, a former Congressman from Georgia and a military chaplain, was endorsed by many veterans’ groups, some of which now wonder why he has taken such a turn. Shameful.
Prayer for the Day
Trembling, we know we cannot stand before you, O God,
For we are convicted by our indifference to suffering;
Reluctant to share our good fortune with others,
We mask our selfishness with false patriotism.
Open our minds and hearts to your justice and mercy
And empower us to work for the promise of your kingdom
In the name of the One who shows us the way,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen
Thoughts for the Day
It felt like it was a moral failing on my part, even though it wasn’t my fault. It’s re-traumatizing for the veteran. It almost feels like I’m a perpetrator of that, having to carry out those orders.
VA mental health provider (name withheld)
We’ve got veterans with severe PTSD, drug and alcohol issues. And that requires continuous maintenance. Once that crisis happens, so — we have to wait ‘till veterans threaten to kill themselves before they get care?
Jack Parnell, former VA behavioral health counselor
Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts.
But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways,
The Lord will lead away with evildoers.
Psalm 125: 4-5