The US Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that starting on May 1, they will begin reaching out to nearly 570,000 recent Afghanistan and Iraq combat veterans to make sure they are aware of all the VA’s medical services and other benefits for which they are entitled.

The veterans will be contacted from a “Combat Veteran Call Center” operated by a contractor. The outreach program is scheduled to have two phases. The first phase will contact the estimated 17,000
veterans that were sick or injured in Iraq or Afghanistan. Each of these veterans will have the opportunity to have a care manager appointed to their case to help ensure that they receive the proper care and are aware of all of the VA benefits. The second phase will contact the estimated 550,000 discharged combat veterans that have not contacted VA regarding benefits or services.

“We will reach out and touch every veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom to let them know we are here for them,” said Dr. James B. Peake, Secretary of Veterans Affairs. “VA is committed to getting these veterans the help they need and deserve.”

This seems to be an admirable and very important program considering the ever growing number of veterans returning home from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. However, it does bring up the question of why has it taken so long for the Department of Veterans Affairs to reach out to help our veterans and is it enough?

With recent reports reporting that veterans are attempting suicide over 1,000 per month and a Rand Corp. study reporting that 320,000 troops who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are suffering from traumatic brain injuries while another 300,000 are suffering from some sort of PTSD or major depression, this outreach program looks like a public relations campaign.

To read the complete VA press release please see VA Calling All Recent Combat Vets.