thedrifter
05-03-08, 05:15 AM
Vets With TBI not Getting Proper Care
May 02, 2008
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Many Iraq war veterans with traumatic brain injury are not
getting adequate health care and job assistance for their long-term
recovery despite years of government pledges to do so, Veterans Affairs
Department investigators say.
"Significant needs remain unmet," according to the report released
Thursday by the VA's inspector general. It is the first to examine the
Bush administration's long-term efforts in supporting veterans with
traumatic brain injury, a leading problem among soldiers struck by
roadside bombs that often causes lasting emotional and behavioral
difficulties.
The study tracked a group of 52 patients that received VA treatment
after sustaining brain injury during a seven-month period in 2004. An
initial review by the IG in 2006 found gaps in follow-up care and
family
counseling 16 months after the injury and urged the VA to improve
long-term case management.
The VA pledged to coordinate the necessary follow-up care with the
Pentagon, but the latest audit concludes that efforts are still falling
short for roughly one in four patients.
It found that 10 of the 41 veterans who agreed to be interviewed said
they weren't getting needed help for health care, vocational
rehabilitation, family support or housing. At least four patients
specifically cited trouble in getting primary or specialty eye care,
while others reported gaps with family counseling for problems such as
depression and anger.
The report included a VA response in which the department acknowledged
problems with case management but stated that with recent improvements
it now had "systems in place to ensure that all veterans with TBI are
being followed as their clinical needs require."
For example, the VA pointed to plans announced last week to start
calling 570,000 recent combat veterans to make sure they know what
services are available to them.
In the audit, investigators praised the new measures as "positive
steps"
but questioned whether the VA's latest promise to keep watch over
veterans would prove to be a reality. They said that "at least 8 of 49
veterans we contacted had significant unmet needs and no evidence of VA
case management in the previous year."
"We continue to be concerned that all veterans discharged after
inpatient rehabilitation for TBI receive case management, unless this
has been explicitly denied by the patient," investigators stated,
adding
that they will continue monitoring the VA to ensure Iraq war veterans
are receiving the care they need.
Other findings based on the sample group:
-Eighteen of the 41 interviewed veterans with brain injury, or 44
percent, said anger was "a problem" for them.
-Twenty-one veterans, or 51 percent, reported receiving adequate
counseling and support for their behavioral or emotional problems.
The report comes amid renewed scrutiny of the Bush administration's
efforts in treating veterans with traumatic brain injury, which in its
mild form is known as a concussion, as well as post-traumatic stress
disorder in light of a prolonged Iraq war. As many as 20 percent of
U.S.
combat troops who fought in Iraq or Afghanistan are believed to leave
with signs of possible brain injury, an Army task force has said.
Earlier this year, the Government Accountability Office found that
thousands of Iraq war veterans who could have suffered traumatic brain
injury may be getting unnecessary or inadequate health care because VA
officials have yet to determine whether their initial screening tests
are reliable.
The VA also has faced complaints that a backlog in claims and
bureaucratic hurdles have prevented some recent veterans from getting
proper mental and physical care. Last week, Sens. Daniel Akaka,
D-Hawaii, and Patty Murray, D-Wash., accused the VA's top mental health
official of trying to cover up the number of veterans' suicides and
said
he should resign.
"While VA has made progress since the last investigation, the inspector
general continues to find that too many veterans with TBI and their
loved ones are not receiving all the assistance and support they need,"
said Akaka, who chairs the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. "This
does
not appear to be due to a lack of funding, but rather reflects a
failure
to give these veterans and their loved ones the priority attention they
are due."
Active-duty troops who sustain traumatic brain injury are treated for
rehabilitation at one of the VA's four specialized medical centers
located in Tampa, Fla., Richmond, Va., Minneapolis and Palo Alto,
Calif.
Ellie
May 02, 2008
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Many Iraq war veterans with traumatic brain injury are not
getting adequate health care and job assistance for their long-term
recovery despite years of government pledges to do so, Veterans Affairs
Department investigators say.
"Significant needs remain unmet," according to the report released
Thursday by the VA's inspector general. It is the first to examine the
Bush administration's long-term efforts in supporting veterans with
traumatic brain injury, a leading problem among soldiers struck by
roadside bombs that often causes lasting emotional and behavioral
difficulties.
The study tracked a group of 52 patients that received VA treatment
after sustaining brain injury during a seven-month period in 2004. An
initial review by the IG in 2006 found gaps in follow-up care and
family
counseling 16 months after the injury and urged the VA to improve
long-term case management.
The VA pledged to coordinate the necessary follow-up care with the
Pentagon, but the latest audit concludes that efforts are still falling
short for roughly one in four patients.
It found that 10 of the 41 veterans who agreed to be interviewed said
they weren't getting needed help for health care, vocational
rehabilitation, family support or housing. At least four patients
specifically cited trouble in getting primary or specialty eye care,
while others reported gaps with family counseling for problems such as
depression and anger.
The report included a VA response in which the department acknowledged
problems with case management but stated that with recent improvements
it now had "systems in place to ensure that all veterans with TBI are
being followed as their clinical needs require."
For example, the VA pointed to plans announced last week to start
calling 570,000 recent combat veterans to make sure they know what
services are available to them.
In the audit, investigators praised the new measures as "positive
steps"
but questioned whether the VA's latest promise to keep watch over
veterans would prove to be a reality. They said that "at least 8 of 49
veterans we contacted had significant unmet needs and no evidence of VA
case management in the previous year."
"We continue to be concerned that all veterans discharged after
inpatient rehabilitation for TBI receive case management, unless this
has been explicitly denied by the patient," investigators stated,
adding
that they will continue monitoring the VA to ensure Iraq war veterans
are receiving the care they need.
Other findings based on the sample group:
-Eighteen of the 41 interviewed veterans with brain injury, or 44
percent, said anger was "a problem" for them.
-Twenty-one veterans, or 51 percent, reported receiving adequate
counseling and support for their behavioral or emotional problems.
The report comes amid renewed scrutiny of the Bush administration's
efforts in treating veterans with traumatic brain injury, which in its
mild form is known as a concussion, as well as post-traumatic stress
disorder in light of a prolonged Iraq war. As many as 20 percent of
U.S.
combat troops who fought in Iraq or Afghanistan are believed to leave
with signs of possible brain injury, an Army task force has said.
Earlier this year, the Government Accountability Office found that
thousands of Iraq war veterans who could have suffered traumatic brain
injury may be getting unnecessary or inadequate health care because VA
officials have yet to determine whether their initial screening tests
are reliable.
The VA also has faced complaints that a backlog in claims and
bureaucratic hurdles have prevented some recent veterans from getting
proper mental and physical care. Last week, Sens. Daniel Akaka,
D-Hawaii, and Patty Murray, D-Wash., accused the VA's top mental health
official of trying to cover up the number of veterans' suicides and
said
he should resign.
"While VA has made progress since the last investigation, the inspector
general continues to find that too many veterans with TBI and their
loved ones are not receiving all the assistance and support they need,"
said Akaka, who chairs the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. "This
does
not appear to be due to a lack of funding, but rather reflects a
failure
to give these veterans and their loved ones the priority attention they
are due."
Active-duty troops who sustain traumatic brain injury are treated for
rehabilitation at one of the VA's four specialized medical centers
located in Tampa, Fla., Richmond, Va., Minneapolis and Palo Alto,
Calif.
Ellie