PTSD Compensation and Military Service (2007) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
7 General Observations
7 General Observations
Pages 204-210
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From page 204... ...
n optimal assessment of a patient consists of a face-to-face interview in a confidential setting with a health professional experienced in the diag nosis of psychiatric disorders. It is critical that adequate time be allocated for that assessment.
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From page 205... ...
The VA may well incur increased up-front costs by implementing more consistently detailed examinations for all veterans who present for initial and review C&P evaluations for PTSD. It is not possible, though, to make an informed estimate of what the additional costs may be because the total will depend on many variables whose values are not available or are difficult to derive from public sources -- notably, the time currently spent on examinations and the costs associated with those examinations.
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From page 206... ...
The committee is also aware that a policy change of this type may present challenges for the administration of exams conducted on a contractual basis, where specificity in the time spent, tests to be performed, and the like is desirable. The committee observes that the conscientious application of clinical judgment in the face of a diverse claimant population does not easily lend itself to standardization.
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From page 207... ...
The report identifies a number of instances where there are gaps in the data and in the research literature regarding PTSD disability compensation issues and offers some specific recommendations to address them. However, some data sought by the committee were not available because they were in various cases not collected, not coded, collected but not retained, annotated only in hardcopy files rather than placed in a database, or spread among the VBA and the VHA databases in ways that made retrieval and integration difficult or impossible, or due to a combination of these conditions.
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From page 208... ...
The VA offers a range of other services to veterans with service-related disabilities that is unmatched by civilian benefits systems. These veterans services include compensation, pension, comprehensive medical care, vocational rehabilitation, employment counseling, education and training, home loans, housing assistance, and other supports to veterans and their families.1 It is beyond the scope of this committee to make recommendations regarding the general conduct of the VA benefits and services program.
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From page 209... ...
The VA already offers some veterans access to their services without seeking or receiving a service connection2 and should evaluate the feasibility of expanding such access -- decoupling the seeking of PTSD disability through the C&P system from some form of priority access to VHA-provided mental health services. To be sure, there are already capacity constraints on this system, but the committee believes that if it were possible to provide a path to treatment that did not involve C&P review, it would enhance opportunities for recovery and wellness.
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From page 210... ...
2006. VA Health Care: Spending for Mental Health Strategic Plan Initiatives Was Sub stantially Less Than Planned.
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