Widespread 'Isolated Incidents'

VA Watchdog.org has linked a couple interesting articles from Salon.com about a stunning admission of a military doctor that they are being pressured generally to avoid diagnosing PTSD in returning soldiers... caught on tape:

The recorder in Sgt. X's pocket captured McNinch in a moment of candor. (Listen to a segment of the recording here.)

"OK," McNinch told Sgt. X. "I will tell you something confidentially that I would have to deny if it were ever public. Not only myself, but all the clinicians up here are being pressured to not diagnose PTSD and diagnose anxiety disorder NOS [instead]." McNinch told him that Army medical boards were "kick[ing] back" his diagnoses of PTSD, saying soldiers had not seen enough trauma to have "serious PTSD issues."

"Unfortunately," McNinch told Sgt. X, "yours has not been the only case ... I and other [doctors] are under a lot of pressure to not diagnose PTSD. It's not fair. I think it's a horrible way to treat soldiers, but unfortunately, you know, now the V.A. is jumping on board, saying, 'Well, these people don't have PTSD,' and stuff like that."

What's noteworthy about this is that such a general diagnosis can lead to reduced benefits, or in worst case scenarios, no benefits at all from the DoD or the VA. The second article from Salon describes the "internal investigation" where the government has found itself free of wrongdoing. Nothing to see here, move along...

In a statement to Salon, Col. Catherine Abbott, an Army spokeswoman, reiterated Gilman's defense of the Army's internal investigation of Sgt. X's tape. "They did do an investigation into it," said Abbott in a phone interview. "There was indeed no pressure and no coercion to make any diagnosis other than the correct ones,."

"This story," Abbott said, "is over and done with."

Someone please help ensure this bureaucratic sock-puppet eats her own words some day.

Why?

Because this isn't a new story. It's yet another dreary sequel to previous stories. Remember the "isolated incident" of the VA employee telling doctors not to diagnose PTSD but rather other conditions with lower benefits. Or perhaps the "pre-existing condition" scam they pulled with combat vets with PTSD... instead diagnosing them with a personality disorder (assumed to be pre-existing) to deny all or many benefits.

Until some real accountability is demanded it seems that "this story," sadly, seems far from being "over and done with."


Following up on these older posts:

Dr. Phil on VA Failings: Dr. Phil puts the spotlight on veterans and the bureaucracy that regularly fails them while the bureaucracy responsible pulls the 'isolated incident' routine.

Bombshell: The VA Shredder Scandal reveals a depressing peek into what lows the bureaucracy will sink at the expense of disabled veterans.

Pentagon Disorder Update: Finally some action to tackle the personality disorder scam to defraud veterans of their earned benefits.

Pentagon Disorder: Part II: More of the personality disorder scam stories and a PBS special giving the issue more public attention. Still no action.

Shhh...afting Veterans: VA employee caught red handed suggesting that her staff misdiagnose PTSD patience in order to save money.

What's More Disgraceful?: New stories of the military misdiagnosing service connected ailments as a pre-existing Personality Disorder, and the denial of benefits that result.

Psychological "Friendly" Fire: Veterans struggling with the VA claims backlog and bureaucracy and how the misconceptions and deceptions pushed by the Pentagon are making it even harder for returning veterans to deal with the VA bureaucracy.

Pentagon Disorder: The Personality Disorder Scam. The DoD takes service connected disabled vets and says they have pre-existing mental problems that get the government off the hook for paying for benefits for their war time and service connected disabilities. A real travesty.

More Vet Funding But...: Some good improvements on Vet funding, but still no movement on the Personality Disorder scam being used to deny benefits to veterans.