The earth is flat. Money buys happiness. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not real; it is just in your head. Some myths carry greater consequences than others. Myths about what PTSD is, who it affects, why you might have it and what can be done are unfortunately, common and harmful. Not being able to distinguish between fact and fiction can be the difference between living with hope and promise and living with despair for someone with the diagnosis.

Myth: Only Weak People Get PTSD Identifying truths about PTSD is challenging given that it is not easily understood either by someone experiencing the related psychological symptoms or by their family and friends. Being uninformed contributes to numerous misconceptions about the disorder, such as having PTSD means you are not mentally tough. That plays particularly well in the military culture where standards of toughness are high and implemented with rigor. Stress reactions to combat situations such as having nightmares, increased anxiety and reliving a traumatic event, are not necessarily indicators of PTSD but if they persist beyond a short-term period it could result in a diagnosis. Some service members may be reluctant to acknowledge these symptoms for fear of being considered weak in character or unreliable, two further myths which keep them from seeking treatment and benefiting from support.

WASHINGTON Veterans Affairs officials said they are on pace to fill all 45,000 spots in the new Veterans Retraining Assistance Program in the coming weeks. The program is available to veterans aged 35 to 60 who need new or updated work skills to find employment. It offers a $1,473 living stipend starting July 1 to participants enrolled in college or technical school classes, as a way to help them make ends meet while they are retrained. The initiative was a key piece of the veterans employment legislation passed last year, one of the few bipartisan measures to come out of the highly partisan Congress.

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The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs wants veterans to know about their benefits, from job and education opportunities to home loans and programs for those who are disabled, a VA official said yesterday. Veterans caught in todays high rate of unemployment likely can find a job in one of the more than 200 high demand careers that have been identified by the Department of Labor, said Curtis Coy, VAs deputy under secretary for economic opportunity. Those occupations are listed on the VAs website. The U.S. Department of Labors most recent figures from last year show 900,000 veterans out of work, averaging 7.7 percent of Americans, and 12.1 percent for veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. The high demand jobs list is not a narrow one; in fact, it is a very broad list, Coy said, adding that the 2011 legislation, VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 was enacted for veterans looking for meaningful employment in high-demand jobs. Overall, the VOW to Hire Heroes Act would lower the rate of unemployment among the nations veterans, and combine two Congressional provisions from the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act and the Hiring Heroes Act, VA officials said. The act also would provide veterans tax credits in an all inclusive jobs package to fight the veteran unemployment rate. The act has more than 20 provisions, including tax credits for businesses that hire veterans, Coy said.

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The VA has started a pilot program to provide new, personalized Veterans Health Benefits Handbooks. The handbooks are tailored to provide enrolled Veterans with the most relevant health benefits information based on their own specific eligibility. In essence, each handbook will be written for the individual Veteran. These handbooks will give Veterans everything they need to know and leave out everything that doesnot apply to them, said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. Our Veterans will now have a comprehensive, easy to understand roadmap to the medical benefits they earned with their service. In addition to highlighting each Veterans specific health benefits, the handbook also provides contact information for the Veterans preferred local facility, ways to schedule personal appointments, guidelines for communicating treatment needs and an explanation of the Veterans responsibilities, such as copayments when applicable. Enhancing access is not just about expanding the kinds of services VA provides. It also includes making sure we do everything we can to ensure Veterans have a clear understanding of the benefits available to them so they can make full use of the services they have earned, Shinseki said. The new handbooks will initially be available only to certain Veterans in the Cleveland and Washington, D.C., areas. Following the pilot phase, full implementation is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2011 for across the county. VAs toll-free number at 1-877-222-VETS 8387

For more info on VA Health Eligibility click here.

Supplemental-spending and Afghanistan veterans can receive the support they need to help their wounded relatives. President Obama Fox news:Obama-adminstration signed a law signed a law in May of last year that provided a monthly stipend, mental health help and health insurance to family members who provide around-the-clock care to these veterans. But when the VA announced earlier this year how the caregivers program would work, advocates and congressional members said it helped fewer families than they had expected. Among those who likely were not eligible were Sarah and Ted Wade, who stood with Obama at the bill signing. Ted Wade lost his right arm and sustained a traumatic brain injury in a roadside bombing in Iraq in 2004 while serving with the 82nd Airborne Division. The VA now says about 3,500 families will be eligible, which is how many Sen. Patty Murray Fox news: Patty Murray, the chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, has said Congress wanted. Under the earlier plan, the VA said about 10 percent of the critically wounded from the recent conflicts would be eligible, which was about 850 veterans. The plan will cost about $770 million over five years. Under the new plan, veterans eligible are those who sustained a serious injury who are in need of personal care services. But, families no longer have to show that the veteran would go to an institution without the caregivers help. The VA says it will begin taking applications on May 9 and the Monthly stipend will be ready by July. To participate, the caregiver must agree to a home visit and some other requirements. Deborah Amdur, the VA chief consultant for care management and Social work, said VA officials considered feedback in making decisions on how to implement the program, and she feels confident in how it will be rolled out. We have worked very hard to make this a success, Amdur said. Murray said she had been so concerned about the original plan that she had taken up the issue with Obama. She said she is pleased that the administration changed its eligibility requirements. The VA correctly has responded in a positive way, Murray said. The enhanced benefits are only for caregivers of veterans from the recent wars. But the VA has said it is improving other existing programs for caregivers of veterans from all eras. In February, it created a national caregivers support hotline that has received about 5,000 calls. Veterans service organizations had wanted additional support for all caregivers of veterans, but Congress was not able to come up with enough money to do so. The law instructs the VA to report to Congress within two years about the possibility of providing the enhanced benefits to all caregivers.

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Men and women serving in the U.S. military who become disabled while on active duty on or after Oct. 1, 2001, regardless of where the disability occurs, receive expedited processing of disability claims from the Social Security Administration. Service members can apply for and receive benefits even while receiving military pay.

Click here to visit the Social Security (Disability Benefits For Wounded Warriors) or visit your local Social Security office.

The Army Warrior Transition Command has launched a new website designed to be a comprehensive source of information on Army warrior care. The website contains information on: (1) the Army Physical Disability Evaluation System; (2) the Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2) program, (3) the Comprehensive Transition Plan; (4) career and education training options; and (5) resources for families and caregivers. WTC also provides additional information on warrior care on the WTC blog.

Visit the website here.

The VA has recently announced a new program designed to provide enhanced services to low-income veterans and their families who are at risk of being homeless. The program, called the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program, will provide grants to agencies that will provide direct financial assistance for daily living, transportation, childcare, rent and utilities and other expenses. Eligible veteran families will include those who are homeless and scheduled to become residents of permanent housing or those who have left permanent housing and are seeking other housing. The VA will provide local agencies with the instructions necessary to apply for grants under the program by mid-December.

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This week the Senate approved legislation, S. 3447 to upgrade and expand the historic GI Education Bill for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. It was then sent to the House which passed the bill on Thursday. It has now been sent to the President for his signature. The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act makes a number of modifications to the education assistance legislation. It opens educational opportunities for National Guard and Reserve members and includes opportunities for uniformed servicemembers of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who had been inadvertently left out of the original bill. The measure also streamlines the program making it less complex and expands the program to include on-the-job and vocational training opportunity for veterans interested in developing a career in skilled trades. In an effort to assist in moving this legislation NAUS sent a letter to House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA).
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