Kris Goldsmith Fights for #Fairness4Vets Verizon FiOS News 1 Long Island

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• published: 10 Mar 2016
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Lawmakers fight for bill that would help veterans with PTSD get treatment Original FiOS1 report available here: http://www.fios1news.com/longisland/fairness-for-veterans-bill#.VuFsQ5MrJmB "Veterans who tangle with mental disorders are sometimes given a less-than-honorable discharge from service, making it a struggle for them to receive the healthcare they need. Lawmakers and veteran Kristofer Goldsmith are fighting for the Fairness to Veterans bill so that individuals returning from service with PTSD or other mental illnesses are protected. Kristofer Goldsmith joined the military at the age of 18, a decision that he knew he would make from an early age. He went on to become a photo-documentarian of mass graves, a job that started to haunt him while he was still in uniform. Goldsmith developed panic attacks and eventually tried to take his own life. He says he was discharged soon after the event, with little information on how to receive help "I was very quickly kicked out of the military without any instruction on how to get care from the VA, it didn't matter that I was already diagnosed with depressive disorder," he said. "They weren't concerned about me as a person." Goldsmith eventually got full VA health benefits and was able to recover, but he says that's not the case for many of his fellow veterans. He and congressional representatives are bringing attention to the issue with the hope that congress will pass the bill within the next few months."