Tricare

Budget cutter tries to blame Obama for looming budget cuts:

The Wisconsin congressman is scheduled to appear at noon at a defense industry roundtable at the Partnership for Defense Innovation, which is in the All American Military Business Park just south of Fort Bragg. The nonprofit organization promotes economic development and supports research and development of technology with a focus on the defense industry. The roundtable is not open to the general public.

Of course it isn't open to the public. Fayetteville is home to thousands of combat veterans, who might have a few words to say about Paul Ryan's lack of support for victims of PTSD:

Because apparently they haven't sacrificed enough yet:

Republicans and Democrats alike are signaling a willingness — unheard of at the height of two post-Sept. 11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — to make military retirees pay more for coverage. It's a reflection of Washington's newfound embrace of fiscal austerity and the Pentagon's push to cut health care costs that have skyrocketed from $19 billion in 2001 to $53 billion.

We had no problem sending suitcases filled with cash to Iraq, signing billion-dollar contracts for mercenaries who earn 3-4 times as much as those troops, having families scrape up the money for body armor for their loved ones, and sending those troops back into the war zone for a 2nd (and sometimes 3rd) tour. But now honoring our promises to them costs too much to sustain? Bullshit.

Using a flawed study to deny effectiveness of therapy:

During the past few decades, scientists have become increasingly persuaded that people who suffer brain injuries benefit from what is called cognitive rehabilitation therapy — a lengthy, painstaking process in which patients relearn basic life tasks such as counting, cooking or remembering directions to get home.

But despite pressure from Congress and the recommendations of military and civilian experts, the Pentagon’s health plan for troops and many veterans refuses to cover the treatment — a decision that could affect the tens of thousands of service members who have suffered brain damage while fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This is a very in-depth story, centering around the plight of a Chapel Hill couple:

I received this earlier today via e-mail from a Governor's Focus member:

U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) yesterday cosponsored a bipartisan bill to help service members access mental health care services...

“Our service men and women put their lives on the line for our country, and they now face an unnecessary, administrative hurdle to accessing mental health care,” Hagan said. “As a U.S. Senator from North Carolina and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am focused on ensuring our veterans, active duty military and their families can access the services they need. Mental health care for our returning troops is so critical, and I will work with my colleagues to ensure this important bill is signed into law.”

As I mentioned in a previous diary, I've been attending the monthly meetings of The Governor's Focus on Returning Combat Veterans and their Families for the past several months, and after Wednesday's meeting, I figured it was time to give you a brief update on some of the issues at which we've been looking.

In a nutshell, the Governor's Focus is tasked with making sure veterans and their families have ready and easy access to existing mental health programs and services, and to identify real or potential gaps in these services and develop solutions for such.

To give you an idea of the sheer scope of this venture: