Veterans groups want push from Congress to update disability ratings

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Veterans groups want push from Congress to update disability ratings
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, January 26, 2008

WASHINGTON — Congress must keep pressure on Veterans Affairs and Defense Department officials in order to overhaul the outdated disability claims system, veterans groups told lawmakers on Thursday.

“We’re very concerned that many of these recommendations will just be put on a shelf to collect dust,” said Todd Bowers, director of government affairs for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “You’ve got the rifle, you’ve got the ammunition. Squeeze the trigger.”

In a hearing before the Senate Veterans Affairs panel, members of the Congressional commission charged with examining the system said officials still don’t have up-to-date criteria for evaluating traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and a host of other mental health issues.

“We found 47 percent of codes have been revised since 1990 but 35 percent have not been revised since 1945,” said retired Lt. Gen. James Scott, chairman of the veterans disability benefit commission.

“We’ve just been paying people with PTSD to go away. We haven’t made adequate efforts in the past to actually treat it.”


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=51928