Real Effects of War After a Tour of Duty in Iraq
 David Lord - PVNN
| | At Walter Reed, Michael (right) sees Brent, a fellow sergeant in the 1 - 5's Charlie Company, for the first time since they were in Iraq together. Four months earlier, Michael had watched Brent's mangled body loaded into a medevac helicopter outside Mosul. Brent's mother, Kathy Pearce (left), and sister Shilo Sessions invited Michael to lunch to ask what he remembered about that day. (Deanne Fitzmaurice/SF Chronicle) |
Frequency of Possible Diagnoses Among Recent Iraq and Afghan Veterans
• Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (001-139), Frequency*: 13,816, 9.6%
• Malignant Neoplasms (140-209), Frequency*: 998, 0.7 %
• Benign Neoplasms (210-239), Frequency*: 4,055, 2.8%
• Diseases of Endocrine/Nutritional/Metabolic Systems (240-279), Frequency*: 22,631, 15.7%
• Diseases of Blood and Blood Forming Organs (280-289), Frequency*: 2,217, 1.5%
• Mental Disorders (290-319), Frequency*: 46,571, 32.2%
• Diseases of Nervous System/Sense Organs (320-389), Frequency*: 40,227, 27.9%
• Diseases of Circulatory System (390-459), Frequency*: 18,995, 13.2%
• Disease of Respiratory System (460-519), Frequency*: 23,976, 16.6%
• Disease of Digestive System (520-579), Frequency*: 43,621, 30.2%
• Diseases of Genitourinary System (580-629), Frequency*: 12,273, 8.5%
• Diseases of Skin (680-709), Frequency*: 18,951, 13.1%
• Diseases of Musculoskeletal System/Connective System (710-739), Frequency*: 57,570 39.9%
• Symptoms, Signs and Ill Defined Conditions (780-799), Frequency*: 43,680, 30.2%
• Injury/Poisonings (800-999), Frequency*: 22,863
* Hospitalizations and outpatient visits as of 1/30/2006; veterans can have multiple diagnoses with each healthcare encounter. A veteran is counted only once in any single diagnostic category but can be counted in multiple categories, so the above numbers add up to greater than 144,424.
SENATE VOTES DOWN MANDATORY FUNDING FOR VA HEALTH CARE
The Veterans who serve America in war, deserve to know they will have medical care, they are not being supported by the U.S. Senate or Congress for their most basic health care as of March 16, 2006. Senator Stabenow said in part:
"The amendment I am offering today provides full funding for veterans medical care to ensure that the VA has the resources necessary to provide quality health care in a timely manner to our Nation’s sick and disabled veterans. The problem we face today is that resources for veterans health care are falling behind demand, and we know this because every year we are trying to address the shortfall."
In 1993, there were about 2.5 million veterans in the VA health care system. Today there are more than 7 million veterans enrolled in the system, over half of whom receive care on a regular basis.
Despite the 160-percent increase in patients over the last decade, the VA has received an average of only a 5% increase in appropriations during this administration. Over the last 2 years, we have seen a 500-percent increase in the number of veterans seeking care from the VA who have been serving in Iraq and serving in Afghanistan.
But the administration’s budget projects that the VA will treat 109,191 veterans next year, and this falls over 35,000 veterans short of the number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans the VA currently treats.
This should not be a year-to-year debate and commitment; this should be an assured commitment that the dollars will be there. Just as it is for Medicare, for Medicaid, our veterans ought to know that every year, their funding for critical health care services will be assured.
Today’s soldiers are tomorrow’s veterans. America has made a promise to these brave men and women to provide them with the care they need - not based on a debate on how much we want to spend, or calculations year to year on the numbers that folks think may or may not seek care.
This ought to be about making sure that every one of our brave men and women coming home, whether it is from the current wars, or our World War II vets, or any other war or conflict in which our soldiers have been serving. When they need health care as veterans, we will fulfill our promises to make sure it is there for them.
I urge my colleagues to support this very important amendment, supported by all of the major veterans organizations in this country. It is time to get this done and get it done right!
The Vote Counts: YEAs 46 Democrats - NAYs 54 Republicans — BILL DEFEATED
The double standard of the Administration is alive and well. Veterans are expendable once they have served and return home with health issues. Our elected officials should have to send their own children to war and then see if we have mandatory funding for healthcare at the VA.
NOTE: Larry Scott has provided chart information above from his watchdog site on Veterans issues. The comments are mine, and in fairness to political parties, neither Democrats nor Republicans serve Veterans. They both talk of the great courage and service to our Nation, but when they need medical care, they are just a burden undeserving of funded medical care.
I will be out of town, attending National Service Officer Training in U.S., provided by The Military Order of the Purple Heart, and I should be back by April 3rd.
 David Lord served in Vietnam as combat Marine for 1st Battalion 26th Marines, during which time he was severely wounded. He received the Purple Heart and the Presidential Unit Citation for his actions during the war in Vietnam. In Mexico, David now represents all veterans south of the U.S. border all the way to Panama, before the V.A. and the Board of Veterans Appeals. David Lord provides service to veterans at no fee. Veterans are welcome to drop in and discuss claims/benefits to which they are entitled by law at his office located at Bayside Properties, 160 Francisca Rodriguez, tel.: 223-4424, call him at home 299-5367, on his cell: 044 (322) 205-1323, or email him at mophmx@@yahoo.com or david.lord@yahoo.com.
Click HERE for more Veteran Affairs with David Lord »»» |
Vallarta Weddings
Vallarta Living | Veteran Affairs | March 2006 
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us