I need every resource you have

[w8liftinglady]

I had a patient think about killing himself today.
He has a head injury after a blast in Iraq...no "documented" history and a short loss of consciousness. He has been mind-fked since he's been home.He states he had a " less than honorable" discharge 6 months prior to his actual discharge date.The VA refused to give him any service related disability rating...despite him being completely normal before basic training. He os jomeless and hopeless.I see my son in him and am determined to help.
Any advice is appreciated.

[NYC_SKP]

1. No help but have to K/R and wish him and you good luck. nt

[TexasProgresive]

2. Contact the DAV

They may be able to help. They can often be a great help in getting the VA to see the light.

Dallas, Texas
VA Medical Center
4500 S. Lancaster, Rm. 1E-202
Dallas, TX 75216

Houston, Texas
VA Regional Office
6900 Almeda Road, Rm. 1033
Houston, TX 77030
713-383-2715

San Antonio, Texas
VA Contact Office
5788 Eckhert Road, Rm. 2A112
San Antonio, TX 78240
210-699-5064

Waco, Texas
VA Regional Office
1 Veterans Plaza, 701 Clay St.
Waco, TX 76799
254-299-9932

Transition Service Officers for Texas
TSOs help with transition to civilian life.

El Paso
VA Health Care Center, Rm B203
5001 N Piedras
El Paso, TX 79930-4211
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Ft. Hood
Copeland Soldiers Service Center
Building 18010, Rm A308
Ft. Hood, TX 76544
Telephone: [phone], ext. 222

Ft. Sam Houston
Brooke Army Medical Center
3851 Roger Brooke Dr, Ste 313-7
Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-6200
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Texas (cont.)

Goodfellow AFB
Airman and Family Readiness Flight
171 Valiant Street, Bldg 145
17 MSS/DPF
Goodfellow AFB, TX 76908-4402
Telephone: [phone]

San Antonio
VA Contact Office, Rm 2B136
5788 Eckhert Road
San Antonio, TX 78240
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

[sarisataka]

3. You can try this

http://veteranscrisisline.net/
The Veterans Crisis Line connects Veterans in crisis and their families and friends with qualified, caring Department of Veterans Affairs responders through a confidential toll-free hotline, online chat, or text. Veterans and their loved ones can call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, chat online, or send a text message to 838255 to receive confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Support for deaf and hard of hearing individuals is available.

or

National Call Center for Homeless Vets
877 4AID-VET (424-3838))
part of the National Alliance on Mental Illness

Often this first call leads to another number then another and so on. It takes perseverance but you can reach help.

Good Luck and Best Wishes to both of you.

[Victor_c3]

4. I'm going to have to get back to you later on this after I've done some looking around

although the VA might not provide any assistance to him based on his discharge, other veteran organizations/charities might provide something to him. I just have to look up some information.

The biggest problem might be the lack of documentation. I would assume that they would want to verify that this person was at least deployed to Iraq/Afghanistan, but a copy of his deployment orders shouldn't be that hard to dig up and might be all that some of these other organizations might want to see.

[Victor_c3]

5. Article I found regarding a veteran with a "Less than honorable" discharge and his fight for bennies

[url]http://www.americanhomecomings.com/news/2012/07/13/veteran-fights-for-benefits/[/url]

I'm still digging around. If I find something, I'll post it.

[Victor_c3]

6. I'm sure it's a long and drawn out thing, but there is a chance that he could upgrade his discharge

[quote]Each of the military services maintains a discharge review board with authority to change, correct, or modify discharges or dismissals that are not issued by a sentence of a general court martial. [/quote]

I believe the important thing here is so long as it wasn't issued as part of a sentence by a general court martial.

[url]http://www.vets4veterans.com/Discharge.htm[/url]

With an upgraded discharge, he might have a much easier time applying for and receiving VA bennies.

[Victor_c3]

7. Another story at link

http://www.publicinsightnetwork.org/2012/12/18/for-veterans-with-other-than-honorable-discharge-no-benefits/

This article was written a year ago, but at the end of the article the author is reaching out to make contact with veterans who are in this situation. Although it might not directly help and nothing might actually come out of it, getting his story out there might lead to some other opportunities. I do realize it is a long shot.

[Victor_c3]

8. Link to the form requesting an upgrade in a discharge

http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/infomgt/forms/eforms/dd0293.pdf3

The major "meat" of the form would be block 6. For the reason of requesting an upgraded discharge, I'd state something along the lines of "The PTSD symptoms the Soldier experienced upon returning from Iraq/Afghanistan resulted in behavioral issues that ultimately lead to the Soldier's discharge" and go into as much detail as you possibly can and attach as much pertinent supporting data as you can including letters from friends and family members noting a change. Be specific as you can on dates or months that changes were noted. Really really really try to develop this as much as you can.

I never filled out this form before, but as a person who filled out plenty of evaluation reports and other forms like this I will tell you that you need to fill up these blocks as completely as possible. Don't provide a single sentence in block 6 - fill it in its entirety if you can.

----

I was former military member and I have my own PTSD issues. I really take this personally. I was a junior officer and I saw plenty of guys come back from Iraq and Afghanistan with obvious issues that resulted in a host of behavioral problems that ultimately got them discharged. For the VA to refuse them assistance is a huge disservice.

Please keep us updated. If you and your patient need any help filling out the form, please don't hesitate to ask or PM me. Taking care of Soldiers means a lot to me.

[w8liftinglady]

9. Thank you for all your help. He's getting help now.

Poor guy. ...

He totally rejects the VA. I put him in touch with NCHV rep here in Dallas.

[pinboy3niner]

10. That's a shame about the VA

It's not clear whether they rejected his healthcare eligibility or just his disability claim, but he might try going to a Vet Center for immediate help, if he's reluctant to go to a VA hospital. The VA has forced the Vet Centers to be more clinical, but they're still more laid-back and approachable than the hospitals. They also can help with referrals to other resources in the community to help address his immediate needs. And other vets there--individually and in support groups--can be an invaluable part of a support system.

If he doesn't have a good claims rep from one of the veterans service orgs, he should get one. Both for upgrading his discharge and in appealing his disability claim. The rep will handle all of the communications with the VA and take a lot of that stress off the vet. Some in the local vet community will have a good sense of who the good and not so good reps are.

For a discharge upgrade, supporting statements from mental health professionals can make a big difference. If he isn't getting that support elsewhere, Vet Center psychologists and counselors can help provide that as well as ongoing counseling.

If he has a legitimate disability claim that isn't documented in service records, another way to document it is to get affidavits from battle buddies who witnessed the event. Service org claims reps usually have a lot of experience tracking down those vets, obtaining their testimonies, and putting together disability claims and appeals.

Pursuing eligibility and disability claim issues can take time, and the first concerns obviously are his suicidal ideation and his immediate daily living needs. NCHV is a good place to start.

You are also now an important part of his support system. A caring, compassionate caregiver who really takes an interest and follows through is worth her weight in gold.