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REPUBLICAN
PRESS RELEASE
July 18, 2007
Lawmakers gain better understanding of traumatic brain injury
For more information, contact: Jeff Phillips (202) 225-3527
Washington, D.C. —The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs today held a
symposium on traumatic brain injury (TBI) to examine services available
to servicemembers and veterans with head trauma and injury. “With better
equipment and advanced medical care on the front lines, more of our
soldiers are surviving battle injuries than in any previous war,” stated
Ranking Republican Member Buyer (R-Ind). “However, because a majority of
the injuries are caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the
nature and extent of the injuries our soldiers are returning home with
may be complex and severe.”
This past April, the President received recommendations from the Task
Force on Returning Global War on Terror Heroes. Among its
recommendations was that the Department of Veterans Affairs screen all
veterans from the Global War on Terror for traumatic brain injury. VA
preceded the Task Force recommendation by issuing a directive for the
screening and evaluation of possible TBI in Operation Enduring
Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans earlier that same
month. “It is important that Congress and VA learn about these
subtleties of diagnosis, as we begin treatment of our returning OIF/OEF
veterans. We as policymakers must have a better understanding of the
effects of TBI and ways to provide an accurate diagnosis and enhance
treatment,” Buyer said.
Attending the Symposium was retired Air Force Colonel Peter Bunce, whose
son is a retired Marine Corporal who served in OIF and sustained a TBI.
Col. Bunce spoke of the challenges for coordinating the care between VA
and Department of Defense, and services available for TBI patients.
Recognizing the complexity of navigating the system, Buyer acknowledged,
“the need for a patient centric case management system to provide the
best possible care in the best setting for veteran or servicemember
dealing with TBI.”
Dave Woodruff, Chairman of the Bob Woodruff Family Fund for Traumatic
Brain Injury, emphasized the need for commitment to assist
servicemembers and veterans in their recovery processes, and engage in
research to provide the best possible care.
Dr. Richard Hodder from the Northeast Center for Special Care in Lake
Katrine, NY, highlighted the challenges in providing care by stating,
“TBI recovery is rebuilding a life.”
Also providing statements were representatives from the Brain Injury
Association of America, Brain Matters, Inc. and representatives from a
number of medical schools throughout the country.
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Larry Scott
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