Patrick Weichert: Veterans’ Rights

While many psychologists focus on counseling military veterans, some, like Patrick Weichert, make that desire for better veterans’ care and rights a lifelong passion. As a two-tour Vietnam veteran who was awarded two Purple Stars, Weichert has made veterans’ rights and veterans’ mental health issues the foundation of his counseling career. With veterans’ rights at risk and increasing concern with veterans’ mental health, doctors like Weichert are of great importance to veterans.

Patrick Weichert is a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans, and has devoted his career to counseling all veterans, but with a particular fondness for those who fought in the same war that he did. Weichert describes the Vietnam War as "a nasty, bizarre war." As a veteran himself, he recognized the need for more care and concern in regards to veterans’ rights, and decided to become a licensed psychologist to help veterans deal with the consequences of their actions during war and assist them in their transition to post-war life.

Roughly 2.7 million American men and women served in Vietnam between 1959 – 1975. General benefits for Vietnam veterans range from pensions to education and training, and from health care to disability compensation. However, many licensed counselors and therapists who cater to veterans also recognize the need to assist them personally with issues ranging from completing necessary paperwork to coping with PTSD. As a former Marine, Weichert has not only counseled hundreds of veterans, but has also volunteered his time to assist Vietnam veterans in particular. Weichert has helped members of his own Delta 1/7 group to file their Veterans Affairs filings at no cost.

Of particular interest to Weichert and other veterans’ activists are the processes veterans must go through to qualify for Nexus and a Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) disability compensation award. A Veterans Benefits Administration claim must be based on indisputable proof of an injury or illness that occurred during military service. This often presents a difficulty for veterans whose illnesses or injuries began during service but worsened over the course of time. In these situations, a veteran must provide a clear connection between a documented service injury or illness and a current condition. It is necessary for an expert to express a professional opinion as to the link between both incidences. The documentation that the expert provides for this situation is what is called a Nexus letter.

As Patrick Weichert and other veterans’ supporters have found, the situations presented in some Nexus letters are clearer than others. Conditions that are now accepted as serious concerns, like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, can be more difficult to clarify in a Nexus letter, a scenario that a veteran who has developed cancer from being exposed to a particular agent may not have to deal with. This is where physicians like Weichert step in to advocate for the rights of those who have given the greatest service to their country.

Sources: : https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19890927&id=h-obAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MnoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4299,2286494&hl=en

http://www.benefits.va.gov/persona/veteran-vietnam.asp

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:uBu9SsVNfQgJ:www.deltacompanyvietnammarines.com/%3Fpage_id%3D67+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=safari

http://veteransinfo.tripod.com/nexus2.pdf

To Learn More About Patrick Weichert, Visit : https://www.crunchbase.com/person/patrick-weichert

While many psychologists focus on counseling military veterans, some, like Patrick Weichert, make that desire for better veterans’ care and rights a lifelong passion.