VVA Lauds VA Sec. Shulkin for leading on OTH, Urges Support of Congress

[boardman]

VVA Lauds VA Sec. Shulkin for leading on OTH, Urges Support of Congress

(Washington, D.C.)--"VA Secretary Shulkin leads with the heart of a physician, and takes seriously his oath to 'do no harm,' " said John Rowan, national president of Vietnam Veterans of America. "That's why he's working to correct the VA's self-imposed policies, which have denied care to our most vulnerable veterans for decades. We are heartened that as of July 5, every VA emergency room will be prepared to receive veterans with a 'bad paper,' OTH administrative discharge, who are experiencing a mental health crisis, and that they are now eligible to be treated for an initial period of up to 90 days, which can include inpatient, residential, or outpatient care."

Previous VA Secretaries have allowed the problem of denying healthcare to veterans with so-called "bad-paper" discharges fester. By law, the term "veteran" is a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable. By VA regulation alone, the VA has denied access to healthcare for hundreds of thousands of veterans who meet the definition of "veteran."

A Brown University Study, released June 20, "'Bad Papers': The Invisible and Increasing Costs of War for Excluded Veterans," by Ali R. Tayyeb and Jennifer Greenburg, finds, "one of the most invisible and devastating costs of the post-9/11 wars for our nation's veterans is the denial of benefits and services to a growing portion of former service members who are most in need of support ... six percent of the entire veteran population of this era.... And that most of these military discharges result from minor disciplinary infractions which are actually symptomatic of trauma sustained during military service."

VVA, in partnership with Swords to Plowshares and the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Harvard Law, have developed a legislative proposal called the Leave No Veteran Behind Act to ensure that Secretary Shulkin's initiative is as successful as possible. "Secretary Shulkin can't solve this problem alone," said Rowan. "That's why VVA is calling on Congress to introduce and pass the Leave No Veteran Behind Act.