U.S. Senate: Questions and answers
Here is something to think about. "Here are the complete answers to a series of questions placed before U.S. Senate candiates Rep. Tom Udall and Rep. Steve Pearce. Both candidates were asked to give yes or no answers to the following questions with the option of explaining their answers.
Should a psychological evaluation be required for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan?
Pearce: No
Udall: Yes. We should ensure all of our soldiers receive full medical examinations when they return from war, including psychological evaluations. Although not every medical condition can be immediately identified, such examinations help identify the signs of serious injuries to our service members and open the door to needed medical care and treatments. Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan should be evaluated for behavioral health conditions and post-traumatic stress disorder, but prior to that they should be tested for traumatic brain injury. If veterans are treated with pharmaceuticals for PTSD, it could permanently complicate treatment of TBI. Further, we should ensure that there is mandatory health care funding for all veterans so that every man and women who served in uniform receives the care they were promised.
In Congress I co-sponsored several bills to increase funding for veterans with PTSD and TBI and to address some of the core issues that are preventing our veterans from receiving the best care possible when they return home. The Veterans TBI Act of 2007, for example, created a long-term care program for veterans with traumatic brain injury and created a transition office to ensure no veterans slip through the cracks.
