VA Puts PTSD/TBI Research Cart Before Care Horse

Yesterday the Veterans Affairs Department said  it and the Defense Department will pump $100 million into studies of post-traumatic  stress disorder (PTSD) and  mild traumatic brain disorder (mTBI) and today the House Veterans Affairs Committee reported that the VA lags woefully behind in hiring mental health professionals to treat these and other conditions.

VA said it will fund two groups -- the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD and the Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium -- to improve diagnosis and treatment of PTSD and mild TBI. In a joint statement VA Secretary Eric Shinseki  and Dr. Jonathan Woodson, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs said, “PTSD and mTBI are two of the most prevalent injuries suffered by our warfighters in Iraq and Afghanistan, and identifying better treatments for those impacted is critical.”

Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla, blasted the VA today for not following through on plans announced this May  to hire 1,600 mental health professionals by the end of this year, when so far it has hired less than 900.

Miller said he has “grave concerns about access to VA mental health care, which is clearly in crisis.”

I applaud the research effort but believe VA needs to put its emphasis on hiring frontline counselors to deal with today’s problems.