Veterans Affairs committee  I think having an opportunity to have your education paid for is definitely a drawing card. I saw occupational therapists in action. That's why I decided to become an occupational therapist. When people start understanding what occupational therapy is, then I think they will too.

Veterans Affairs committee  I hope I was able to respond to some of your statement in what I answered for the other gentleman. I'm not really sure what kind of question you would like me to answer, unless you have something more you'd like to say.

Veterans Affairs committee  Absolutely, yes, more OTs. One recommendation I would give, if you want to know of something else, is that if you want to have more occupational therapists in the field, I think enlisting them into the military or allowing them to be enlisted is really going to draw out quite a few people who can't afford post-secondary education or a master's education, because the military is going to pay for that and give them a job when they come out.

Veterans Affairs committee  This is where the service manual comes in. This is what I'd like to see developed for people who are servicing veterans, all the different veteran types. They would have access to this. This is the compromise I see, the only other way. The best way an occupational therapist is going to understand the treatment of military personnel and their families is to be embedded, enlisted, to be part of that, as in the United States and as the U.K. is advocating.

Veterans Affairs committee  I hope I answered your question.

Veterans Affairs committee  Wow. If I understand your question, you're asking why the military would be getting these services versus why....

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm here to advocate for my husband as well. I guess I am kind of pushing a product, because I'm sitting here as a military spouse and I would like to have these services. When I tried to find services at certain times when I needed them, when I was posted away from the base, I didn't have them and couldn't find them.

Veterans Affairs committee  I think they shouldn't be allowed to.... But just because they're relocating, they're being lost. When I moved away from the base, nobody was tracking me. It was my responsibility to seek out treatment, just as it is for any other person. But there should be people who understand what I'm going through and help me connect to those services.

Veterans Affairs committee  I receive referrals. I can drive up to three and a half hours to see a veteran. This is for senior veterans who are living in the community. I have a recommendation on that.

Veterans Affairs committee  Regarding my vision of how this would work, it would be preplanned before they moved. You know the release of the soldier is coming. There's somebody on the base who's already doing treatment. There's a wonderful health care team there already, and they have a treatment plan. That treatment plan needs to be branched out into the community.

Veterans Affairs committee  Absolutely.

Veterans Affairs committee  It's that travel hours be included in the direct therapy time. I have about six hours to work with a veteran. Typically it isn't so bad if they're in a community that I live near. But rural veterans get less therapy time because my travel is included. Travel hours should be considered under a different allotment of therapy time to provide the same level of treatment.

Veterans Affairs committee  Okay. A lot of them have pain management issues, and there are certain programs that can be built up. I would love to see one, three, or maybe ten OTs--the more the better--who can go out there and target the new guys being released.

Veterans Affairs committee  Are you asking what you would do as an occupational therapist or if there are services available?

Veterans Affairs committee  As an occupational therapist, if you're providing an in-service to them and they have the cultural background, which is the service handbook, they would be able to go and they would have an understanding of what programs they would be able to refer to. Occupational therapists have regions that are already established, as you know.