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The officail number of U.S. war wounds in Iraq is 19,890The figure may be twice as high based on independent accounts.
The number with wounds of the mind is even harder to peg.
Last year,the Department of Veterans Affairs told Congress that 17 percent of veterans returning from Iraq met criteria for mental illness such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Many who deal with the problem believe thats a gross understatement.
They assert the rate is more like 30 percent of those in this war and in previous wars.
One of the Waco VA Medical Centers key mission is treating PTSD.
Last year,in a cost-cutting move the VA announced plans to review the claims of 72,000 PTSD cases from previous wars, a move that raised concerns among veterans org;s.
It's one thing to accurately diagnose a problem.
It's another to alter a clinical definition to save a dime.
Policymakers should not shortchange those who come with disabling wounds of the mind.
link to story
http://vawatchdog.org
