On September 28, the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health heard testimony on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Subcommittee Chair Henry Brown (R-SC) said in a press release, “Veterans expect that wounds suffered in service, be they to mind or body, will be cared for by the nation they served…While the quality of veterans’ health care has come far, I find disappointing today’s GAO statement that VA last year used less than the full $100 million Congress allocated for mental health.”
Acting Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health for the Department of Veterans Affairs Gerald Cross presented the challenges in identifying PTSD and TBI, and reviewed the treatments and clinical support available from the Veterans Administration (VA). Regarding women veterans, he stated, “Because of women’s new roles in the military and subsequent combat experiences, VA and DoD [Department of Defense] are also studying the use of psychotherapy for treatment of PTSD in women veterans and active duty personnel. A randomized clinical trial, part of VA’s Cooperative Studies Program, has recently been completed and results are currently being analyzed, with a report expected in 2007. Those results will inform additional research and implementation activities across VHA [Veterans Health Administration]. VHA has an ongoing solicitation for research about women veterans, and is working closely with clinicians to build a robust portfolio of women’s health research, including combat-related topics.”
Also testifying were Colonel Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, psychiatry consultant to the U.S. Army Surgeon General, and Chief of Psychiatry and Behavior Sciences at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research COL Charles Hoge.
