Veterans’ Mental Health a Focus

According to a recent NY Times article, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs “…plans to hire about 1,600 additional psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and other mental health clinicians in an effort to reduce long wait times for services at many veterans medical centers.”

It is not just recent war veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq who are in need of services, but also “…aging veterans from the Vietnam era,” according to the article.

“’As more veterans return home, we must ensure that all veterans have access to quality mental health care,’” states Eric K. Shinseki, the secretary of veterans affairs, from an official statement.

The department has faced heavier criticism recently for delays in providing mental health service. But, it “…says that it has worked hard to keep pace with the tide of new veterans needing psychological care, increasing its mental health care budget by 39 percent since 2009 and hiring more than 3,500 mental health professionals.”

Here is more information about U.S. Veterans’ Affairs mental health services.