Chris Dorsey 2003, in Iraq
Chris Dorsey has been dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder from his time serving as an Army specialist and as a cavalry scout, specifically in the Iraqi theater during most of 2003. When he went to the Lawrenceville, Georgia VA clinic he was turned away. They said they weren't accepting new patients. Nobody believed him and so he decided to film his experience trying his luck at
getting help at the Oakwood, Georgia facility.
"I told my family about this stuff happening and they've said, 'You are crazy, no one would do that.' Well, the video explains it," Dorsey said after posting the video on Facebook and Youtube.
Dorsey is not a stranger to getting help for his PTSD symptoms.
A few years ago, the VA paid for him to see a civilian psychologist for his service-related post-traumatic stress — therapy he described as "extremely helpful."
He is seeking treatment again for what he says are worsening symptoms.
But it seems unlikely he'll get that care close to home. His only remaining VA option is the medical center in Atlanta, Ga., more than 50 miles from his home.
One of the more alarming aspects of the video is that the clerk on hand just turns him away. According to the VA they have a program to deal with these kinds of issues:
The VA last year introduced a program — VA Choice — that would allow Dorsey to see a civilian therapist, but until he spoke with a fellow veteran at a nearby veterans' outreach group about his recent experiences at the two clinics, he'd never heard of VA Choice.
And none of the employees at either clinic mentioned it either.
In the video, Dorsey is friendly and even-keeled but his frustration and the heartache of it all is apparent as he walks out the door and says:
You wonder why 22 kills theirselves everyday, good job.
You can watch the interaction from Chris' cell phone video below the fold.
His interaction with the check in clerk begins at 6:42.