WASHINGTON, March 4 (UPI) -- Advocates for U.S. veterans are urging the government to do more to help families facing increased stress due to wounds suffered by military personnel.
A number of military officials agree that the families of wounded soldiers, particularly National Guard members, should be getting more help in getting through their ordeals, The Christian Science Monitor said Tuesday.
"We have to take care of the caregivers," Joy Elam, assistant national legislative director for Disabled American Veterans, told the Monitor. "There are huge gaps in those programs."
Along with injuries that prevent wounded troops from returning to duty, there are mental health issues as well. Some veterans suffer from stress-related disabilities that can wear down loved ones as well.
The Monitor said veterans groups and members of the U.S. Congress along with the Defense Department and Veterans Administration are calling for Washington to hire more mental health professionals to the payroll to help out not only the men and women wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan but their families as well.
