Durbin prods VA to add counselors for troubled vets [View All]

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http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-wvets22.html

Concerned that Illinois veterans are having to wait months to see a therapist, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has asked Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson to hire more family counselors and explain how the VA is responding to Iraq war soldiers returning with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"The feedback I get from veterans as I went around the state is that they were waiting anywhere from three months to a year to see a counselor -- which is terrible," Durbin said. "These people are going through difficult problems with their families, alcoholism and serious problems with their jobs. They can't wait. The VA has to be more timely."

Durbin's plea for more mental health professionals follows the defeat of a bill he co-sponsored last week that would have provided $2billion more this year for VA health care, including an added $525 million in mental health services.

A VA study shows that every year, the agency is treating more people for PTSD but with fewer visits per veteran.