“Addressing the shocking increase in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder is an urgent moral issue. I believe in restoring the sacred contract between our country and America’s veterans and military families. We must stand by those who stand by us. When our service men and women sacrifice so much to defend our freedom and secure peace around the world, we have a moral obligation to take care of them and their families.”

-- John Edwards

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in an enormous human cost for America’s service men and women and their families. A recent study found the number of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the Department of Veterans Affairs increased nearly 20,000—almost 70%—in the year ending in June2007. PTSD is also one of the causes of the alarming rate of homelessness among our veterans—26% of veterans today are homeless. The PTSD crisis is one of the most egregious results of the Bush Administration’s mismanagement of the war in Iraq, where accelerated deployments and inadequate battle plans have put our troops and their families at risk. And it is another reason we should avoid another so-called “preventive war” in Iran, which will make force an option no longer of last resort, at a time when we can ill afford to place our troops under even greater stress. [USA Today, 2007; New York Times, 2007]

Senator John Edwards strongly believes we must restore the sacred contract we have with our veterans and their families, and that we must begin by reforming our system for treating PTSD. As president, Edwards will enact the following five-point plan for PTSD:

• Give service members more time at home. The ideal “dwell-time” between deployments is twice as much time at home as on tour. Inadequate dwell time leads to higher levels of PTSD, as soldiers have too little time to recuperate, aggravating any mental stress from service in the field. The Bush Administration has extended tours to 15 months, with troops given too little time at home in between deployments. Troops have also been redeployed with PTSD—a problem even the Bush Administration has described as “daunting and growing.” As president, Senator Edwards will avoiddeployment patterns likely to lead to higher levels of PTSD. He will also avoid reckless military decisions like a so-called “preventive war” with Iran that could hurt our troops and their families. [Veterans for America 2007; DOD Task Force on Mental Health, 2007].

• Improve resources, training, and outreach: We must refocus our attention on PTSD and remove the stigma that too long has been associated with the disorder. A warrior should not be ashamed to get treatment for the personal consequences of the experience of war. Too often, however, veterans have a difficult time getting counseling because there are not enough trained counselors in the TRICARE and VA networks. Veterans also sometimes avoid getting care within the networks because of the stigma associated with PTSD. Edwards will act to remove the stigma from PTSD, increase counseling resources within theTRICARE and VA networks and will permit veterans to access counseling outside of the networks. Edwards will also improve training for health personnel to recognize and treat PTSD and establish uniform standards for mental health care. Finally, he will ensure outreach is extended to family members, who can help recognize symptoms of PTSD and help their loved ones get the help they need.

• Aggressively resolve the claim backlog: The VA currently has a backlog between 400,000 and 600,000 claims, and wait times for initial determinations of up to 6 months. This means that veterans with PTSD have to suffer longer. Edwards will adopt an aggressive, goal-oriented approach to processing the backlog. As president, he will process the entire backlog that exists when he takes office by Memorial Day 2009, and will cut the average processing time in half. [CNN 2007].

• Provide a comprehensive medical examination: Too often, veterans receive their first medical examination months or even years after they leave the service, which makes it difficult to ascertain whether an injury is service-related, creating difficulties and inefficiencies later. As president, Edwards will create a new system providing each service member with a comprehensive, standardized medical examination immediately upon leaving the service, and will link that examination with the disability rating. Both will be included in a new “Homefront Redeployment Plan” every veteran will receive.

• A national chain of care: Once our service members become veterans, we have to make sure the system doesn’t fail them. As president, Edwards will create a new national chain of care to ensure that no veteran again falls through the cracks. Because many veterans receive treatment outside the VA system, this chain will coordinate treatment and benefits in outreach centers and clinics in every county where a veteran resides, both within and outside the VA network.