Follow-up: Walter Reed - "The War Inside" - Anne Hull and Dana Priest - Washington Post

Troops Are Returning From the Battlefield With Psychological Wounds, But the Mental-Health System That Serves Them Makes Healing Difficult

Byline: Anne Hull, Dana Priest; 2007-06-17; The Washington Post; pages A1

Report: "The Other Walter Reed" - Dana Priest and Anne Hull - Washington Post

Tags: Walter Reed investigation

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Veterans Affairs will spend $2.8 billion this year on mental health. But the best it could offer Cruz was group therapy at the Bronx VA medical center. Not a single session is held on the weekends or late enough at night for him to attend. At age 25, Cruz is barely keeping his life together. He supports his disabled parents and 4-year-old son and cannot afford to take time off from his job repairing boilers. The rough, dirty work, with its heat and loud noises, gives him panic attacks and flesh burns but puts $96 in his pocket each day.

Description:Part of The Washington Post's "The Other Walter Reed" series. This article focuses on Army Spec. Jeans Cruz, a decorated soldier who came back from Iraq with PTSD. Through his story, the reporters address the mental-health challenges faced by wounded soldiers and the difficulty they have receiving disability benefits for conditions like PTSD.

Rights: Copyrighted, used with permission.

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A photo of Army Spec. Jeans Cruz, the focus of the Washington Post article titled, "The War Inside."

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Washington Post article titled, "The War Inside." Written by Anne Hull and Dana Priest.