Iraq War Veterans Call for Increased Funding for Veterans’ Mental Health Services
New Army Study Shows Hundreds-of-Thousands Will Seek Help

NEW YORK – A new study has found that one-in-three Troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will seek treatment for mental health problems within one year, and the Executive Director of the nation’s largest organization representing these Veterans said today that the VA Health System is drastically unprepared to deal with the influx.

“Too many Veterans come home suffering the psychological wounds of these wars, only to be told that they have to wait months before seeing a counselor at the VA hospitals,” said Paul Rieckhoff, the founder and executive director of IAVA: Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America -- the nation’s largest organization for the Troops and Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The study, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that one-in-five Troops will show signs of mental trauma during post-deployment screening, and one-in-three will seek counseling within one year.

“One Veteran from Virginia who returned from Iraq late last year needed psychological counseling, but he was told the next available appointment was months away. When he asked why, he was told ‘Because all of you guys are coming back now’.”

“From hotlines that never get answered, to VA centers threatened by closure, to medical claims that get lost in the shuffle, the system designed to care for our Veterans needs a drastic overhaul,” said Rieckhoff.

Rieckhoff says that IAVA plans to lobby Congress to increase funding for mental health services for the more than one-million Veterans who have already served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“There has been too much empty rhetoric in Washington when it comes to ‘Supporting the Troops’,” Rieckhoff said. “As our Legislators consider the 2007 VA budget, the results of this study should be first and foremost in their minds.”

IAVA is the nation’s largest Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans’ organization, representing more than 800 Troops and Veterans in all 50 states, and over 50,000 civilian supporters. For more information, or to arrange an interview with Paul Rieckhoff, please contact Will Coghlan at (212)-982-9699 or .