Nearly a third of female veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars say they were sexually assaulted or raped and over 70 percent say they were sexually harassed by men they served with. Could these be reasons why female veterans have higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression than men do? (nytimes.com)

Members of Congress are calling for an investigation into an email from a PTSD program coordinator at a VA hospital in Temple, TX advising staff to stop diagnosing veterans with PTSD to cut down on costs. The email suggested a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder instead, which requires the VA to provide fewer benefits. (citizensforethics.org)

According to the Pentagon's count, 140,000 troops have been diagnosed with PTSD but the Army Surgeon General says there are no reliable figures on how many actually have it - these are just the cases the military knows of. Officials believe many are keeping their conditions secret, since troops often don't seek help or report their treatment out of embarrassment or worry that it will hurt their careers. (rawstory.com)

Veterans of America is proud to sponsor the Our Troops Newsladder, a new tool to find the top news and articles in the progressive community by, about and for our troops.