Swords to Plowshares

Congressman Tom Allen of Maine’s 1st district comments on the first-rate aspects and unique capabilities of the VA system and why it is a great and necessary resource for veterans. However, he also addresses the many critical flaws that still exist, especially for rural veterans. Its it also important to note that these problems exist in many communities across the country.

Message to Maine: Health Care for Maine Veterans: Progress and Problems
Friday April 25, 2008
By U.S. Representative Tom Allen

Access to VA health care services is much better today than it was when I first entered Congress in 1997. Togus VA Medical Center in Augusta has more staff and services. The VA has probably the best integrated health information network in the nation, allowing the efficient distribution of patient information across the nation or down the street. Treatment plans are evidence-based and outcomes measured and monitored in a systematic way. The VA has established Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) in Bangor, Calais, Caribou, Lincoln, Rumford and Saco, and is using telemedicine services, home health care teams, Vet Centers, mental health clinics, and private contractors around the State to expand access to care.

But some problems persist…

Rural veterans: Despite the creation of local access points, the greatest barrier to getting health care continues to be distance. We have a relatively large number of veterans (the second highest proportion of veterans of any state) spread out over a very large territory with a limited transportation infrastructure. The rural veteran population, moreover, needs more care than ever. Veterans aged 85 and older have become much more numerous. Many young veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from severe medical problems and they still need care after returning to their rural hometowns.

Women: The percentage of women serving in the Armed Forces, their scope of responsibility and their exposure to danger have all grown dramatically. The VA must meet women’s unique health care needs and make more female veterans aware that the VA can serve their health care needs…

Currently, Maine has only one counselor trained for treating victims of sexual trauma inflicted while in the armed services. She counsels veterans—predominately women—only at the Portland and Sanford Vet Centers. Some clients must travel great distances to see her. Because effective counseling for this trauma depends upon understanding the military culture, more trained counselors are needed to staff other Vet Centers and CBOCs.

The lack of adequate resources for female veterans is especially alarming considering the rise in sexual harassment and assaults within the military.

Special Needs: This category of veterans includes those with chronic mental illness, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), the frail or chronically ill elderly, and the homeless.

Congressman Tom Allen has also recently introduced the Full Faith in Veterans Act which among other things seeks to remove the unnecessary and burdensome hurdles placed in front of veterans trying to establish service connection [that the disability was incurred or aggravated while on active duty in the military and in the line of duty] to their PTSD.