Inclusion Daily Express -- Important Case Against Veterans Affairs Goes To Trial

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Important Case Against Veterans Affairs Goes To Trial
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
April 23, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA--An important legal case that could impact hundreds of thousands of veterans went to trial this week in San Francisco.

The nonprofit legal firm Disability Rights Advocates filed the class action last July on behalf of Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth.

It accuses the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs of discriminating against veterans that have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It claims that between 15 and 50 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan experience PTSD.

Because of a huge backlog of claims -- estimated at 600,000 veterans -- many go months or years without the necessary medical or psychological treatment. This has led to such problems as severe depression causing many to give up, turn to alcohol or drug addiction, or commit suicide.

The suit asks U.S. District Court Judge Samuel Conti to order the VA to stop the practices that keep these veterans from receiving the benefits they deserve in a timely manner. It does not ask for monetary damages, but asks the court to order to VA to immediately provide the necessary treatment for troops returning from battle, and to screen them for their risk of suicide.

The federal government has argued that Judge Conti does not have the legal authority to order the VA to comply with his rulings.

The case is expected to last through next week.

Related:
"Department Of Veterans Affairs Sued For Gross Mistreatment Of Disabled Vets" (Disability Rights Advocates)

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