DAV’S VA HEALTH CARE SURVEY:
ENDING JUNE 30, 2012

DAV began offering an informal, anonymous survey late last year asking veterans about their experience in seeking and receiving VA mental health care services. We have received responses from 1,047 veterans as of April 26, 2012, and the results have provided an important snapshot that we have shared with Congress and VA, and which will be part of DAV’s Testimony before a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing on May 8 that will be discussing ensuring the quality and quantity of VA Mental Health Care staffing.

Last summer Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs’ Committee, asked VA clinicians to perform a similar query after receiving continued reports that VA has inadequate resources and staff to manage caring for the mental health needs of our veterans, coupled with the alarming suicide rates among veterans and our military service members. Sen. Murray provided the results at a hearing on November 30, 2011 examining the gaps in VA mental health care. During that hearing Dr. Michelle Washington, a VA Coordinator of PTSD Services & Evidence Based Psychotherapy testified on behalf of AFGE and said that her VA facility lacks the adequate mental health staff to allow her to treat patients in a timely fashion or provide more intensive long-term PTSD therapy.

DAV feels it is important to round out the data and analyze the situation from the veteran’s point of view, with the goal of ensuring that veterans receive the quality mental health care they need and deserve.

Please take the survey if you are a veteran and have experience with VA’s mental health care services. It is available on DAV’s official Facebook page (click icon to your left) or here: http://bit.ly/rM5nmh. We plan to update Congress and VA again after the end of the survey period.

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