Earlier today, I read about a Veteran who regularly sought VA mental health care, but post-traumatic stress sometimes prevented him attending appointments. In some cases, expansive VA hospitals are a little much for folks seeking care—which might keep Veterans from going to appointments in the first place.
Fortunately there are a couple solutions to that issue that can be utilized fairly quickly.
The first, Vet Centers, are smaller clinics designed for combat Veterans in need of readjustment counseling, along with their families. They’re usually found in places like strip malls, far from bustling VA medical center hubs.
They’re also open later than most other VA facilities and can accommodate later appointments. To help put Veterans further at ease, Vet Center staff are typically Vets themselves. There are 300 across the country, so find one close to you.
The second resource is the use of telehealth for mental health appointments. Using video teleconferencing technology, Veterans can seek individual or group counseling from home instead of heading to a facility.
Counseling can be a lifelong mode of care, so this technology helps in those moments when a Veteran is unable to attend an appointment in a brick and mortar building. If you’re interested in using telehealth for your appointments, talk it over with your primary care physician.
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To Alex Horton,
Please contact me. I have a story about my acceptance into a veteran’s court diversion program, which was designed and agreed upon by the department of veterans affairs and my county in Texas to give a first offending veteran a second chance and a clean slate. I successfully completed the program, was written a sparkling report by my veteran’s liaison for the program recommending my case be dismissed and my record cleared, and the DA of my county refused to dismiss the case and is now placing me on another year of probation. At the end of this period, my case will be dismissed but the charges and arrest will still be on my record. The DA says “We don’t dismiss DWI cases just because someone’s a veteran”. He clearly has no clue what this program is about and why it was set up.
Please contact me via email. I would love to give you specifics and discuss possible recourse.
How many vets are aware that if they so much as mention having any depression, the govt can and will deny them their 2nd amendment rights, and they will be prohibited from owning or purchasing any firearms. This is the govts way of repaying them for their service to the country. In fact if anyone goes to any Dr and gives any sign of having feelings of depression their 2nd am rights can be denied to them.