Navigating the VA: "A Journey Without Maps"

Tonight we discussed veterans healthcare with a specific focus on traumatic brain injuries. We spent an hour with Bruce McQuain from QandO.net and Annette, a dedicated wife and care giver for Eric, who was severely wounded in Iraq. Bruce spent 28 years in the Army and provided some perspective on the challenges the VA is facing, while Annette told us about the consequences. The unfortunate thing is that her story is not unusual. It tracks perfectly with this editorial from Lawrence Downes of the New York Times,

For Wounded Veterans and Their Families, a Journey Without Maps

"At a recent hearing in Washington before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, the men’s families told anguished tales of trips through bureaucratic hell in the transition between the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs. That terrain is notorious for its paperwork mountains and tripwires of red tape, but especially treacherous for those with traumatic brain injuries, the signature affliction of this five-year-old war.

Mr. Bunce lost an eye in a roadside bomb blast that also thrust shrapnel into his frontal lobe. His father, Peter, said his care was so “stovepiped,” with nobody knowing what anyone else was doing, that doctors working on his head ignored his broken leg. Technicians nearly did an M.R.I. on his brain, not realizing — because scans had not been done — the danger from the metal in his skull. Nobody tried to coordinate his many medications.

Time and again his parents had to cross the country looking for the right therapies and treatment. Whatever expertise they found they stumbled on; there was no one but them to manage his case. The V.A. relied on the brain-damaged young corporal to evaluate his own mental state, and once sent him a letter threatening to cut off benefits because he could not manage his affairs."

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has been tremendous IMHO, gets it and is making changes,

"FORT BLISS, Texas - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday said the military had made mistakes in treating returning combat troops including in their physical and mental health care and by providing some sub-standard housing.

In a visit to Fort Bliss, Texas, Gates announced a change in government procedures to encourage troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to seek treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) without fear of losing their security clearances and harming their careers.

The announcement came just a day after closing arguments in a San Francisco federal court case in which veterans allege the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is unable to deal with the growing number of PTSD cases emerging from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars."

As Bruce mentioned, PTSD and brain injuries are very different things. That said, neither situation is being adequately addressed by the VA, for a variety of reasons.

Annette was a very compelling guest, helping us understand the frustrations and consequences of dealing with an overwhelmed system. She is a relentless advocate for her husband Eric. We admire her tenacity to get the best possible care for him. After listening to her describe the challenges, everyone, liberal and conservative, should be saying WE HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THIS.

All of our interviews are also available for download at iTunes and Podcast Alley via the Pundit Review Radio Podcast.

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