TROUBLE ‘ADJUSTING’ TO SEXUAL ASSAULT MAY BE GETTING U.S. MILITARY MEMBERS BOOTED WITHOUT VA BENEFITS

TROUBLE ‘ADJUSTING’ TO SEXUAL ASSAULT MAY BE GETTING U.S. MILITARY MEMBERS BOOTED WITHOUT VA BENEFITS

Are dodgy diagnoses being used to save the military money on mental health care? That’s the charge from some legislators and activists, who say U.S. service members with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are being diagnosed with and discharged for “adjustment disorders” instead, and that this is especially true for those who report being sexually assaulted.

What’s to gain from the latter diagnosis? The question is probably better phrased, “What’s to lose?” For the U.S. military and government, adjustment disorder diagnoses provide a way to lose benefit obligations.

Because adjustment (and personality and mood) disorders are considered preexisting conditions, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) isn’t required to cover veterans’ treatment for these conditions as it would be for veterans’ discharged with PTSD. Under a law enacted in 2008, veterans with PTSD get an honorable discharge and medical care.

Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) introduced a provision to the annual defense authorization bill—passed by the House May 22—that would have given service members discharged with mental illness an opportunity to appeal the military’s diagnosis.

“As a Marine Corps combat veteran, I cannot accept the fact that combat veterans have been discharged who were clearly suffering from PTSD,” Coffman said in a statement. “They were not only denied treatment before being discharged, but because of the type of discharge they received, did not have access to mental health care after they left the military.”

But Coffman’s provision was one of 136 defense bill amendments that were rejected by the Rules Committee, including several sexual assault and mental health-related provisions from Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.). One would have required the inspector general of the Department of Defense (DOD) to review all personality and adjustment disorder designations given to service members who report sexual assaults.

“The personality disorder designation often is used as a tool to retaliate against survivors for coming forward,” Speier’s amendment said. She also says that the adjustment disorder diagnosis is used in the same way.

Full article:
http://www.infowars.com/trouble-adjusting-to-sexual-assault-may-be-getting-u-s-military-members-booted-without-va-benefits/