Kalpana Kalpana (Editor)

Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Care Improvement Act

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Care Improvement Act

Long title
  
To extend and modify a pilot program on assisted living services for veterans with traumatic brain injury.

The Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Care Improvement Act is a bill (H.R. 4276) introduced in the 113th U.S. Congress that would extend medical treatment and rehabilitation services to U.S. military veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries.

Contents

Purpose

The bill would change the benchmark used by a current federal pilot program for treatment from "assisted living" to "community-integrated rehabilitation (CIR)" services. The change would expand the treatment options available to veterans to include neurobehavioral, residential programs, day treatment, and home-based programs. The bill would authorize the pilot program for 8 years (up from 5). Additionally, the bill would require that the program is accessible in each VA region that contains a polytrauma center.

Background

Between 2004-2014, over 280,000 American military service members (equivalent to approximately 18 percent of total military members) were diagnosed with tramautic brain injury.

On August 8, 2012, President Obama signed into law the Veterans' Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitative Services' Improvements Act of 2011. Before that date, tramautic brain injury treatment at the VA hospitals focused on physical restoration. The legislation added some expansion to the focus of care to include more comprehensive and holistic rehabilitation plans.

In 2011, Senator Max Baucus introduced S. 666, the Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Care Improvement Act of 2011, which would have directed the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to study the feasibility of creating a treatment center in the northern Rockies or the Dakotas and specifically evaluate Montana as a site for the center.

At the state level, a bill was introduced in March 2014 in the Oklahoma State Senate to provide free hyperbaric oxygen treatment for veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury.

References

Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Care Improvement Act Wikipedia