To the Editor:

Re "The V.A. Tries to Get Beyond Its Culture of No," by Lawrence Downes (Sunday Observer, July 17):

Improvements in mental health options for veterans highlight the strides made by the Veterans Affairs Department while underscoring the need for additional resources by federal, state and local governments.

Despite the increase in military personnel returning with trauma, financing has not kept pace. The examples in Mr. Downes's column illustrate the varied, troubling issues that many service members struggle with, even decades after war.

Crisis centers, V.A. courts and therapeutic entities provide the benefits that can mean the difference between lives marked by triumph over psychological torment, or ended prematurely by suicide.

It will take capital - both monetary and political - to ensure that fewer veterans go untreated.

The public must also remain vocal to ensure that elected officials take corrective action. We demonstrate our commitment to veterans through the acknowledgment that civilians, politicians and service members share a common goal in their recovery.

GISELLE STOLPER
President and Chief Executive
Mental Health Association
of New York City
New York, July 19, 2011