Treatment of Women Veterans With PTSD Paper Example

Introduction to the Agency/Organization selected as the student's focus for this course.

The VA, United States Department of Veteran Affairs, is a federal agency tasked with the provision of military veterans with health care services in specialized VA clinics in the country. The agency also provides other benefits such as vocational rehabilitation, home loans, disability compensation, life insurance, and educational assistance. There are national cemeteries that offer memorial benefits to eligible veterans and their families. The Veterans Administration was established in 1930 as an agency that focused exclusively on veterans. Nonetheless, veterans received similar benefits ever since the beginning of the American Revolution War. The Department of Veteran Affairs rose to the level of the cabinet in 1989. There are many people employed under the VA that work in the benefits offices, clinics, and cemeteries. The department operates with a budget of approximately $300 billion in a fiscal year. This information can be found on the Veteran Affairs website.

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The President through the approval of the Senate appoints the Secretary of Veteran Affairs to head the Department. There are three main subdivisions under the department that are the Veterans Benefits Administration, Veterans Health Administration, and the National Cemetery Administration. The Veterans Benefits Administration responsibilities include registration of veterans and assessment of eligibility. They also offer entitlements and benefits such as insurance, home loan, employment, education, pension, rehabilitation, and compensation. The Veterans Health Administration provides all forms of health care to veterans and also conducts biomedical research in regional medical centers and community-based outpatient clinics. The National Cemetery Administration is responsible for the burial and memorial of veterans.

Veterans serve their country during the war, and their efforts in the defense of their nation are recognized through the agency of Veteran Affairs. The United States has an outstanding commitment to war heroes where it takes care of them and their families through the various benefits programs. Despite the government's dedication to them, there are certain sectors that go unnoticed, exposing the veterans to difficult rehabilitation in society. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is one area that is often overlooked. The ailment comes about through the effects of war that is violent making it difficult to adjust in society. A soldier returning home may exhibit tendencies of violence, and more often turn to drugs to cope (Forman-Hoffman., et al. 2012). The other benefits provided to the veterans are not enough if their mental health is left neglected.

Elaboration upon an area, program, or project, within the student's organization/agency that the student is focusing upon for this course, that needs grant funding.

The area of focus that needs grant funding is PTSD for female veterans. Service members exposed to combat and war are susceptible to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Women as much as men are at risk, and need assistance. The disorder can bring about psychological impairment and lead to substance abuse or suicide (Bumiller et al., 2013). This area needs grant funding to help veteran mothers to transition into civilian life. The women would need family services and psychological counseling that help to cope with PTSD symptoms and improve their mental health. Compared to men, women are more vulnerable to the effects of PTSD (Boucher, 2014). Social injustice that already exists in the society will compound with the PTSD symptoms. It makes it imperative to have an intervention that will make these women heroes adjust well and find a role away from war. Funding this program will help empower service women. The program will be oriented towards promoting family services that will bridge the gap between the available services and needs for veteran women.

The overall effects of PTSD include re-experience, numbing, and hyperarousal. Veterans would be in panic, easily irritated, have insomnia, nightmares, detached from emotions, depressed, and angry (Bumiller et al., 2013). These symptoms vary mostly with gender, which calls for the need for specialized care. Women may suffer from Military Sexual Trauma, MST, along with PTSD from combat related stress (Forman-Hoffman., et al. 2012). The women become reluctant to seek help from the Veteran Affairs because they associate it with their suffering. It has made it difficult to offer them help or come up with statistics that can help analyze for solutions. Women are a minority in the military service, and amongst them are women from minority races (Bumiller et al., 2013). The program acknowledges the cultural tensions in society. For this reason, the initiative aims to provide the necessary services that will accommodate all races.

Elaboration on possible grants that this organization/agency could apply to receive.

The Veteran Affairs could use a grant that will help alleviate the suffering of women from PTSD. The grant will be used to raise awareness on the issue of PTSD in women. That will in effect stop the generalization of the ailment since it affects men and women differently. In addition, raising awareness will stop the stigma that prevents many women seek for treatment. The Veteran Affairs agency will also require funding to conduct research into PTSD in military service women. A separate dedicated clinical ward would also help to encourage more women than before to seek help.

The projected budget for this program is $150,000 that will be used to raise awareness on PTSD in women veterans, conduct research, and set up specialized care doctors and clinical wings. The money will be used under the supervision of the Veterans Affairs chairman who appreciates the need for a separate section for women affairs. To raise awareness, there will be advertisements put on newspapers with information on how serious PTSD is in women. Television adverts can also help reduce the stigma surrounding the issue, and encourage women veterans to seek for help. Research on the topic will require additional funds to attain comprehensive results. The study will be conducted over a one-year period in the major cities where many of the veterans reside.

Strategic elaboration on how the organization should apply for a grant to include mentioning the processes of a grant application.

The organization will apply for a grant by first presenting an overview of the program. The overview will contain the goals of the program, the need for solutions, the expected outcome and how they will be realized, importance of the program, and assessment of the program success (Vieira, 2012). Secondly, the organization will present data to illustrate the scope of the problem and the need for solutions. Here there will be literature reviews to show the extent of the problem, find possible solutions, and project on the expected positive impact of the program. Thirdly, there will be a description of the program. The goals, expected outcomes, and impact of the program will be put on a timeline that shows the measurement of the project achievements. the section will include the goals of the program, how to measure the achievements of the program, and the impact the program will have on the target population.

The budget will be the next step in the process of grant application. Resources required for the program include advertisement money, research money, and money to open and operate special services for PTSD in related clinics. The budget will show the allocation of funds to each of the proposed program requirements and their respective importance (Vieira, 2012).

Elaboration and analysis on the lessons learned from the Article that you Reviewed in this Course into the Real-World of Practice in the Agency you have selected to analyze for this course.

An agency at times requires grants to fund programs that will fill a desired gap in their organization. The program design should be in line with both the desires of the agency and those of the funding sources. Therefore, it is crucial to illustrate how the proposed program will achieve its objectives that will be beneficial to the grant donors. Another lesson learned is the importance of a budget. One needs to have a clear idea on the amount of funds required to actualize a program. There are several expenses involved, some of which come up in the course of implementation. One needs to predict such outcomes and have a budget that accommodates unplanned expense. Writing a grant involves planning, research through engaging experts, collaboration with affiliate agencies, and engaging the source of the funds. Lessons learnt are how to develop objectives and goals for a program, preparation of a budget, evaluation of a program, and locating sources of funds.

Women veterans face numerous problems as they return to their homes. In their service, they still face discrimination due to their gender (Boucher, 2014). They cannot be subjected to the same form of treatment as men veterans. PTSD in women needs to be given proper attention to ensure that they transition smoothly to family life. Because some of these women veterans are mothers, it is important to have a support system that is dedicated to helping them and their families (Bumiller et al., 2013).

The final section will consist of the student's recommendations to the organization/agency that they have chosen focusing on how the organization will collect data and report how the grant monies are being expended to the grant provider.

The target population of the program is veteran women. They will be found and contacted from the details provided through their registration in the agency of Veteran Affairs. The agency will also collaborate with the US military to offer educational materials to women currently in service on how they can get assistance after their service years. Data collection will be available for collection and analysis in the clinics that offer veteran services throughout the country. Funds used in advertisement will be clear stated in the budget analysis. It will include the ads in television and on newspapers that encourage women to seek medical attention. The grant provider will receive monthly reports on how many women have attended the clinics and their progress. Testimonials from women in the program will also be provided to the grant donors describing how they are benefiting from the program.

References

Boucher, J. (2014). Treatment of Women Veterans with PTSD. Undergraduate Review, 10, 31-36.

Bumiller, E., Shanker, T., Connelly, M., & Baker, P (2013). Equality at the frontline: Pentagon is set to lift ban on women in combat roles. New York Times, Vol. 162, 56026, p. 1-15

Forman-Hoffman, V.L., et al. (2012). Eating disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress, and sexual trauma in women veterans. Military Medicine, Vol. 177, 10, p.1161.

Organizations U.S. Department of Veterans Affair. Retrieved on 14 December 2018 from https://www.va.gov/landing_organizations.htm

Vieira, K. (2017). "Planning and Writing a Grant Proposal: The Basic." The writing center.

University of Wisconsin-Madison. Retrieved on 14 December 2018 from https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Grants.html