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More VA centers, counselors needed for Wisconsin clinics
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Story posted Thursday at 6:59 p.m. 4/30/2010 |
Wisconsin federal lawmakers are asking the Veteran's Administration to consider more vets centers and counselors to better provide services for the state’s veterans. Danielle Kaeding reports.
U.S. Senators Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl—as well as Wisconsin congressional representatives Gwen Moore and Dave Obey, say the state has a disproportionate number of vets centers compared to other states like West Virginia or Hawaii. Congressman Dave Obey of Wausau says many of the state ‘s veterans find it difficult to access counseling services.
“The fact is while you have vets centers in the southeastern part of the state and in Green Bay and soon to have one in La Crosse….there is a huge hole in service in central Wisconsin.”
Obey says there’s the added pressure of large numbers of returning vets who may need counseling services for mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
“We need to recognize that these people have given a good part of their lives in service to the country. If they have developed problems in doing that, they deserve to have those problems dealt with by the most qualified professionals you can find.”
Jim Gausmann is a Veterans Service Officer for La Crosse County. Gausmann agrees that there needs to be more VA services in rural areas. However…
“The downside is we have more veterans. As you move south in Wisconsin, you have greater population density, and the VA has to assign their vets centers, their medical centers, their clinics based on numbers.”
Congressman Dave Obey says with 11,000 vets in Marathon County, 6,000 in Wood County, 5,000 in Portage County and so on –there are enough vets to warrant an additional vets center and more counseling services.
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