James Fausone Veteran Advocate Reports of the Minneapolis and Amarillo VA hospitals’ misdiagnosis of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) for veteran patients are disturbing and unacceptable. Over 300 veterans at the Minneapolis VAMC and 70 at the Amarillo VAMC were screened for TBI by an unqualified doctor or by a nurse practitioner. As a result, veterans […]
Employment, Mental Health, News and Press
One of the biggest problems that veterans face today is homelessness. In an effort to reduce homelessness among the state’s veterans in 2016, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) approved two grants on January 29. The Michigan Veterans Foundation will receive a Housing Development Fund grant of $2 million. The funds will go toward […]
Medical Issues / Disability, News and Press
Earlier this year, the RAND Research Corporation published their study on the state of affairs for military veterans in the Metro Detroit area. More specifically, the purpose was to identify and propose solutions to the issues that veterans with mental health issues face when seeking out healthcare. The most common barrier to treatment shared by […]
Medical Issues / Disability, Mental Health, News and Press, PTSD
Recent research has revealed female veterans face a higher risk of suicide than their male and civilian counterparts. The House passed a bill on February 9 that aims to address the alarming trend among the nation’s growing demographic. Authored by Rep. Julia Brownley, the Female Veterans Suicide Prevention Act will determine which of the Department […]
Medical Issues / Disability, News and Press, Veterans Law
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it will pay for robotic legs that could help many paralyzed veterans who have spinal cord injuries walk again. ReWalk Robotics makes electronic leg braces with motion sensors and motorized joints that allow individuals to stand upright and walk. The company said the VA’s decision means that injured […]
Claims Processing, Mental Health, PTSD
Combat veterans often return home with invisible wounds of war that can go undetected. Research published in December shows that more than half of wounded U.S. service members suffer a form of brain scarring due to blast injures. According to the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, over 300,000 service members have been diagnosed with traumatic […]
Mental Health, News and Press, PTSD, Veterans Law
New research sheds light on the lingering effects that post-traumatic stress (PTS) can have on veterans long after they have returned home from deployment. A study of 1,007 Dutch soldiers has found that PTS symptoms among Afghanistan veterans spiked in the six months immediately after their return and resurfaced with greater severity five years later. […]
More than 75 percent of wounded veterans are battling post-traumatic stress (PTS), according to the Wounded Warrior Project’s 2015 Alumni Survey. PTS and traumatic brain injury (TBI) are two of the biggest mental health issues facing veterans today. The organization estimates that over 400,000 veterans suffer from PTS while around 320,000 are dealing with TBI. […]
Mental Health, News and Press, PTSD
Vietnam veterans with post-traumatic stress (PTS) have a twofold higher average death rate than those without the disorder. New research suggests that warzone trauma may still negatively impact veterans’ health more than three decades after the Vietnam War. A study by Abt Associates and the Cohen Veterans Center at New York University Langone Medical Center […]
Claims Processing, News and Press
Kristina Derro, Esq. Veteran Advocate The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) recently began to scan and digitally store the multitude of documents received from veterans during the claims process in order to increase efficiency and reduce paper waste. On its face, this idea of a paperless claims process seems to be one of those rare instances […]