Monday, July 25, 2005

House Committee Slots $2.2b for Vets' Mental Health Article at BlackEnterprise.com - "The members of Congress who decide how money is spent are focused on the mental health care of veterans, particularly those returning from combat who may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. In an unusual move, the House Appropriations Committee has fenced off $2.2 billion in the Department of Veterans Affairs budget for specialty mental health care 'to be assured that funding for mental health care will not be siphoned off for other purposes,' committee members said in an explanatory report on their budget recommendations for fiscal 2006. VA officials have estimated they will spend at least that much on specialty mental health programs the next fiscal year, and up to $10 billion for health care spending for all veterans who have mental illnesses. The committee's version of the 2006 defense appropriations bill also directs the Pentagon and the VA to jointly study mental health care, including PTSD, panic disorder and bipolar disorder. " See also Mental health study showsstrain of deployment, combat (Army Times) and two Seattle Times stories, VA straining to treat post-traumatic stress and Soaring PTSD disability payments scrutinized.