New studies are showing that contractors for the U.S. government are returning from Iraq with some of the same combat-related mental health problems that most of the soldiers are experiencing. These contractors are then forced to seek help from a PTSD treatment center on their own.
Currently there are more than 125,000 contractors working for the U.S. government in Iraq. While although most of them are working alongside soldiers, they don’t receive the same benefits as the military does when returning to the states. They aren’t eligible for treatment in the VA (Veterans Affair) or other military healthcare systems.
The resulting consequence is that contractors who have mental illnesses such as PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) are not properly diagnosed and treated. Furthermore, the United States government has not investigated the war’s toll on these contractors.
More PTSD treatment centers have started opening their doors to United States contractors who have been working in the Iraq war. Hopefully the Pentagon and VA will look further into the matter and start providing contractor with the help they deserve.
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