No veteran left behind.
That’s the message Victor Polito, Veteran Certified Peer Support Specialist at
St. Clair County Community Mental Health (SCCCMH) has been trying to push for years.
Though the National Library of Medicine reports that about
41% of veterans are in need of mental health services, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recognizes that only
half of returning veterans receive the help they need.
The reason so many veterans don’t receive the mental health care they need varies. For some, the stigma of mental health keeps them away or they view mental health struggles as a weakness, and for others, the hoops they need to jump through to receive care seem too great. They feel alone in their struggle and self-medication keeps their trauma at bay, at least for a time.
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Victor Polito, Veteran Certified Peer Support Specialist at SCCCMH.
“When I was in the military, I was taught that whether I was in the shop, whether I was on the firing line, or whether I was out in town, if I was with another service member, we always had one another's back,” says Polito, a Marine veteran. “They had this saying in the Marine Corps, ‘No Marine left behind.’ Well, now I say, ‘No veterans left behind.’ We were so quick to always take each other's backs while we were in the service; we need to do that now. We need to do that as veterans.”
However, as cuts to certain VA programs are being recommended at the federal level, some veterans are finding that they are left behind when it comes to their mental health care.
The cuts of most recent concern are those being made to the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP). Since being signed into federal law on June 6, 2018, as part of the VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act, the VCCP has sought to provide
“Care to Veterans through community providers when the VA cannot provide the care needed.”
The need for the VCCP has been demonstrated by the continuously increasing numbers of veterans receiving care through the program. According to a March 2024 report titled “The Urgent Need to Address VHA Community Care Spending and Access Strategies - Red Team Executive Roundtable Report,” the number of veterans referred for community care has risen by 15% to 20% per year.
However, that same report goes on to state that, as a result of the increasing number of referrals, the cost of the program has risen to nearly $30 billion in FY 2023.
“[The costs] may now threaten funding needed to support VA’s direct care system… VA urgently needs to take action to control community care utilization and spending,” the report says.
This is already being felt by local veterans, says Wendy Martindale, Veterans Navigator at SCCCMH.
“Veterans that we have been providing services for through Community Care when it comes time for their renewal to continue services, they're being denied and forced back into the VA system,” says Martindale, a Navy veteran. “That’s significant because we have built therapeutic rapport; they've been making progress. Now the VA is just telling them to come back to the VA if they want to receive these services or pay out of pocket or with private insurance if they have it, which a lot of them don't.”
Martindale says she is hearing feelings of frustration and desperation from local veterans.
The
Community Care Eligibility requirements state that veterans may be eligible for Community Care if they need a primary or mental health appointment, but one can’t be scheduled at a VA facility within a 30-minute drive; additionally, if an appointment can’t be scheduled within 20 days, the veteran may be eligible for Community Care.
The closest VA Medical Center for those living in St. Clair County is in Detroit, which is an hour's drive.
“We have some older veterans and it's difficult for them to drive that far. And we have people with severe PTSD or anxiety, where it’s very difficult to go to a big facility like that,” Martindale says.
“The Yale VA, which is here in St. Clair County, is the community-based outpatient clinic that’s like a detachment of Detroit. They only have one clinician, and then they do a lot of virtual appointments,” she adds. “A lot of people don't want virtual appointments. They want to be in-person and they want to feel that connection.”
In addition to concerns about the access to care for local veterans as a result of this policy change, there are also concerns about the quality of care.
The March 2024 report shows that community care is often no more timely or otherwise accessible nor of superior quality to the care offered by the VA.
However, Deb Johnson, SCCCMH CEO, adds, “Many of our staff are trained in very specialized, evidence-based practices to address PTSD with veterans.”
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Deb Johnson, CEO of St. Clair County Community Mental Health
Despite the concerns about recent cuts to the VCCP, SCCCMH continues to strive to carry out Polito’s message of “No veteran left behind.”
“We'll do whatever we can to keep people in treatment with us, but we have rules that we have to follow, too. We make every effort to keep veterans in care especially those with the most severe circumstances,” Johnson says.
Furthermore, SCCCMH offers programs to help veterans that do not require authorization from the VA. Among other services, there’s a Veterans Walking Group that meets on Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. at the Thomas Edison Parkway in Port Huron. The group is open to all current and former service members and their families and does not require registration or authorization.
Peer-to-peer Veterans Groups are also offered, and those interested can contact SCCCMH for information about meeting locations and times. These groups are open to all veterans, regardless of whether they receive services through SCCCMH.
“We can assist veterans and military family members with accessing treatment, navigating the whole VA system, and linking up with other community resources,” Martindale says. “We provide these services regardless of age, type of insurance or no insurance, income level, or type of discharge.”
If you are a veteran in need of Veterans Services, don’t hesitate to reach out to SCCCMH, Martindale at 810-966-3755, or Polito at (810) 966-3508.
Johnson also wants veterans – and all community members – to remember that there are additional options for help. SCCCMH offers a free, 3-month trial membership to Talkspace, an online therapy platform. To learn more visit scccmh.org/talkspace.
SCCCMH also has a Crisis Unit available 24/7.
“You don't need authorization for that either. If you're in crisis, anybody in this county can call our crisis unit,” she says. “They're available 24/7, and they will answer the phone. Just call 810-966-2575.”