Disabled Veterans And Their Participation

Over the course of this past year the Veterans Success Center (VSC) has made huge strides in being more visible and more involved with other areas across campus. I wanted to concentrate on reaching the incoming student-veterans so that when they encountered the veterans program it appeared to be far more established than it was, and interaction with it being perceived as a daily opportunity. This meant that we would need to be far more involved with the early processes of becoming a student such as: Premiere Night, SOAR/TSOAR/Preview Day/ Veteran specific orientation and Veteran campus tours. We also wanted to be much more accurate in speaking to our student-veteran population, so we worked directly with the Admission Office to create an

Veterans are heroes in the eyes of many citizens of the United States. There are over 20 million veterans that have risked their lives at young ages to help give the nation a fear free life. They serve and protect the land for their children, spouses, parents, family, and neighbors. Yet they are not treated with the love and respect they truly deserve. The veterans took a devastating loss when the “House Appropriations Subcommittee marked up the 2016 Veterans Affairs funding bill, and slashed more than $1.4 billion from the presidents requested budget for America’s Veterans” ( ask mrs. Pyle 8). Today, the veterans are treated worse than prisoners who have committed murder or rape. While these criminals have a safe and warm place to stay,

“The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is home to the United States’ largest integrated health care system” (Mason e.t. al 2016). Because of technological and medical advancement, surviving injuries from war has lead to a greater need for post deployment and discharge care. I often hear the phrase “Freedom is not free”; the mental health of our active duty soldiers and veterans is one area that ends up costing America. Some lose time with their families, some are injured physically and mentally, and some lose their lives.

Once reviewing the following policy, I have conducted that this policy wishes to give disabled veterans or their spouses, if they have passed away while on duty, a property tax relief. For a disable veteran to be qualified, the veteran must have been honorably discharged at the end of their military career, while also being determined having become permanently disabled. The Property Tax relief from what I have seen also has no age cap for the veterans or spouses who try to receive the Exclusion, which is good for the people applying so they are unable to be phased out by age. For the spouse to receive the benefit they must either be the spouse of a disabled veteran or the surviving spouse of a veteran who has unfortunately died as a condition of service while in the line of duty. However this is one of my biggest problems with the Property Tax relief, it states that only spouses of deceased emergency personal officer are allowed to qualify for the Exclusion if they have not remarried. I understand this could seem that it is fair, however I do not consider it right to forbid someone to remarry especially after they have lived through the traumatic experience of losing their spouse. In this it appears as if they remarry, they are no longer truly connected to their former spouse, which for some could be farther from the truth. If someone had lost a person who they had loved and marry, I believe it is their right to claim this Exclusion even if they have become remarried. Yes, some

The Vietnam war was one of the most publicly hated wars in American history. The amount of people killed and the amount of people declared MIA is unfathomable. These troops were never liked, never supported, and to this day are over looked because no one wants to remember the years of the Vietnam war.

Mittal et al. (2013) identify some U.S. military veterans that can agree there has been much improvement from the demoralizing diagnoses of combat/battle fatigue to PTSD. More army veterans believe the negative stereotypes of PTSD to be less stigmatizing than the assortments of other mental health disorders in the DSM-V. In essence, this is a legitimate issue that community members must rectify to eliminate the stigma associated with PTSD to increase the quality of life for our

military who understand the difficulties of readjusting to civilian life after being conditioned into service. Although some have the support of family friends, it’s not always the case for those who undergo extended service for the United States. After serving a certain amount of time for the United States, it only seems fair that veterans should be able experience an easier transition and at least be provided with easier access to care for possible psychological trauma and other behavioral needs.

Veterans are the individuals that by practicing their beliefs in freedom, have unintentionally rewritten history. They exist as our dads, moms, uncles, brothers, sisters, and grandfathers. Americans honor these veterans that are willing to offer the ultimate sacrifice in order to honor and protect their country. Yet, society constantly overlook their desire and passion for this country. Veterans Day is the day that society set aside every year to honor those who have served. Veterans submit themselves to a long journey filled with life changing events in order to defend their countries’ values and deserve further appreciation.

In the past, veterans who disclosed suffering from signs of PTSD encountered a great deal of ignorance and bias. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (n.d.), veterans who had the illness were often considered weak, were rejected by comrades, and even faced discharge from military service. In fact, even physicians and mental health specialists often questioned the existence of the disease, which of course led to society’s misconception of PTSD in general. Sadly because of this existing prejudice it appears even today soldiers are still worried to admit having PTSD symptoms, and therefore they do not receive the proper support they need. While individuals are assured that their careers will not be affected, and seeking help is encouraged, most soldiers see it as a failure to admit having a mental health illness (Zoroya, 2013). Educating military personal of this illness, and making sure no blame is put on the veterans who encounter this disease is therefore vital.

The United States has the most inclusive program with roots that can be traced back to 1636, that assist all veterans of all nations throughout the world. This program is known as the Department of Veterans Affair and is a federal cabinet-level agency that delivers healthcare services to qualified military veterans at VA medical centers and outpatient clinics throughout the country (Rose, Bisson, Churchill, & Wessely, 2002). This type of service and assistance can be crucial to veterans suffering not only from physical disorders, but also from mental disorders brought on by the traumatic events experienced through active duty. Mental health disorders in veterans can be more difficult to diagnose and treat than physical disorders, because their

Veterans are one of our nation’s most cherished assets. They have put their lives on the line to protect us at home and abroad, but for many veterans, the battle doesn’t end when they leave the combat zone. Fortunately, there are programs in place to assist veterans who are suffering from physical or mental disability, such as lost limbs and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from their service.

We live in a time where war, armed conflicts, hate crimes, foreign and domestic terrorism are on the rise. Historically there has been a population of individuals that served their country however, when they returned home they were under-served. Many combat veterans returned home only to face new challenges with adjusting to the dynamic environment around them. United States Armed Forces Veterans are confronted with evolved challenges such as; the advent of social media, and increase in news outlets which can keep a steady stream conflict flowing into the veterans home, impairing a veteran’s ability to reduce vigilance. When I separated from the military in July 5, 2007, after 9 years of service, despite my best efforts and all the experience I had acquired I was unemployed. Upon gaining employment, my income was been cut in half, my position of authority was removed, I was now disabled and dealing PTSD, I was having marital problems and struggling to adjust to civilian life. In essence I was struggling fulfill some of my basic needs discussed in Reality Theory. The encouragement and support I received from those with share experiences was monumental factor in my positive progression. Being connected to other veterans, either via family or friends that could empathize, encourage, and confront destructive thinking was a key factor throughout that process. Therefore, therapy in the form of small closed groups called fire teams in therapy can be beneficial in

I've always attempted my best to help my community. One way I contributed to my community is through participation in the 11/11 Club at our high school. The club is in charge of planning the Veterans Day ceremonies at our school. One of the main reasons that I joined this club is that both of my parents are veterans and I felt it would be a way to return the favor, even if it was just a bit. In earlier years, parents and teachers planned and organized the Veterans Day activities. However, this year my high school is trying something different by having the students run it. The activities will begin with a presentation in the school auditorium with a video of students expressing their gratitude to all the veterans. Then, we are going to have

The impact of the lack of access to care when it comes to veterans starts off by Murray (2012) stating, “It is estimated that as many as 20% of service members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have screened positive for PTSD or other behavioral health symptoms such as depression and anxiety (GAO, 2008a; Gham & Lucenko, 2007)” (p. 178). Even with their policies that Murray (2012) mentions, when healthcare providers evaluate the medical records to find a condition when screening they were found inconsistent (p. 278). Essentially saying, that with these findings through the screenings they are unreliable. Even another statement mentioned by Committee on the Assessment of the Readjustment Needs of Military Personnel (2013), “One finding was that veterans living more than 25 miles from a VA facility were less likely to receive the recommended PTSD treatment compared to veterans living within 25 miles of their treatment” (p. 13). “TBI is one of the most frequently reported injuries among service members in Iraq and Afghanistan abs may account for as much as 20% to 30% of battlefield related injuries (GAO, 2008a)”

My project is on the adaptive technologies provided to disabled veterans that have lost a limb or have lower extremity injuries. We have seen an increase in the numbers of disabled veterans throughout the past decade in a half due to prolonged wars and military tactic’s used by the enemy. Our soldiers escape the ultimate price only to come back with missing limbs and scars of the hell they faced on foreign soil. Their fight will continue as they muster the energy and patience to conquer their disabilities on the painful road to recovery. The commonality of war in this generation is the social trend that has resulted in these traumatic experiences. There has been lots of headway concerning adaptive technology for the disabled over the years. Prosthetics and Dynamic Exoskeletal Orthosis (IDEO) are only a few of the many technologies offered.