Veterans TBI Registry

Brain-injury experts meet to shape agenda for care, research 12/06/08. Creating a registry of veterans who have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and tracking long-term effects of the condition were among the priorities outlined at an international conference of TBI experts hosted by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on Nov. 17 - 18, 2008. VA Office of Research & Development

Monitoring of VA Efficiency

VA botches appointment scheduling, report says 12/06/08. A new report says Veterans Centers run by the Department of Veterans Affairs could have seen more patients in the past year if they did a better job scheduling and rescheduling visits. About 4.9 million appointments were not kept in fiscal 2008, with each missed visit costing the VA about $182, according to the report by the VA inspector general, released Dec. 4. Navy Times

Review of Alleged Manipulation of Waiting Times, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System 12/06/08. The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) received a Congressional inquiry concerning the use of non count clinics at the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System (NF/SG VHS). Veterans Health Administration (VHA) allows the use of non count clinics to account for minor workload and as a tracking tool to identify established patients who want to receive their care at a more convenient VHA facility. Accordingly, VHA set up non count clinics to ensure these patients, and their corresponding workload, were not counted twice when calculating a patient’s waiting time or reporting a facility’s waiting list. VAOIG

From MedlinePlus: Veterans and Military Family Health

Veterans and Military Family Health 12/05/08. There are over two million active and reserve members of the U.S. military and over 23 million U.S. veterans. They face some different health issues from civilians. Likewise, their families may face some unique challenges. Families may have to cope with:

• Deployment and separation from loved ones
• Illnesses and injuries, including disabilities
• Mental health effects of military service, including post-traumatic stress disorder
• Family issues such as disruptions in parenting and caregiver stress

Seizures Following Head Trauma

New research reports on interventions that may alter the course of epilepsy diagnosis and management 12/05/08. New studies presented at the 62nd annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society will preview interventions that may alter the course of epilepsy diagnosis and management to improve the care of people living with this common neurological condition. These studies are among the hundreds of developments in the basic science and treatment of epilepsy and other seizure disorders being presented by thousands of scientists, researchers and clinicians at the conference.

New target discovered to treat epileptic seizures following brain trauma or stroke 12/05/08. New therapies for some forms of epilepsy may soon be possible, thanks to a discovery made by a team of University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute neuroscience researchers. The researchers found that hemichannels -- the same channels the researchers previously found to that cause cell death following a stroke -- may also cause epileptic seizures that occur following head trauma or a stroke. University of British Columbia
via Eurekalert!

Community of Veterans

Community of Veterans 12/04/08. A joint effort of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and the Ad Council, this site is designed as a resource to our nation’s newest Veterans. Comprising less than 1 percent of the population, Veterans face a myriad of challenges while feeling isolated and cut off from those to whom they can best relate – other Veterans. While addressing a range of topics, this site is ultimately a point of connection where Veterans are helping Veterans. YouTube video

New VA Clinics

VA Opening 31 New Outpatient Clinics 12/04/08. Veterans will have easier access to world-class health care under a Department of Veterans Affairs plan to open 31 new outpatient clinics in 16 states. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake announced that VA will establish new clinics in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Vermont. USDVA

Soldiers Stories

West Point Oral-History Project Will Make Soldiers’ Stories Available Online 12/04/08. The U.S. Military Academy, in West Point, N.Y., has established a video oral-history project that will collect the stories of soldiers of all ages and make them available online for students, historians, journalists, and the public. The project, created by the academy’s history department, already has a preview site with a video explaining its goals, but the site’s formal unveiling won’t come until sometime in 2009. The Chronical of Higher Education

National Academies Report on TBI

Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans Should Be Evaluated in Long-Term Studies To Better Understand TBI, IOM Recommends 12/05/08. Many of the service members who experience traumatic brain injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan are at risk for long-term health problems such as depression and dementia, but it is unknown how high those risks are, according to an Institute of Medicine report released Thursday, the AP/Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports (Neergaard, AP/Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 12/5). An estimated 5,500 military personnel have suffered from a brain injury, and brain injuries account for about 22% of all casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan (Carey, New York Times, 12/5). For the IOM report, researchers examined past studies on TBI and found that it can be linked to long-term health risks such as depression, Alzheimer's-like dementia, Parkinson's-like symptoms, seizures, aggressive behavior, dizziness, amnesia and problems with social functioning (AP/Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 12/5). Kaisernetwork

Traumatic Brain Injury Linked to Long-Term Health Problems 12/04/08. Military personnel who suffer severe or moderate traumatic brain injury face an increased risk for developing several long-term health problems, including Alzheimer's-like dementia, aggression, memory loss, and depression, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. In addition, it calls for stepped up efforts to research and understand brain injuries sustained from the force of an explosion without a direct head blow, a condition that may be underdiagnosed.
News Release
Full Report (free with sign in)
The National Academies

Blast Injury Database

Guard Develops Blast Injury Database 12/03/08. A new National Guard database could improve long-term medical treatment for servicemembers in all branches, and boost research into traumatic brain injury and other health issues. The idea for a database grew after Army National Guard Director Lt. Gen. Clyde Vaughn sent Lt. Col. Maureen Weigl here to investigate how guard members’ exposure to blasts from improvised explosive devices, indirect or mortar fire and other events was being tracked. DefenseLink

Sentinels of Freedom Scholarships

Scholarships Help Wounded Veterans 12/03/08. Thanks to a recommendation from the Army Wounded Warrior Program at Fort Riley, Kan., retired Army Sgt. Victor Thibeault of San Ramon, Calif., will study general education with the help of a “Sentinels of Freedom” scholarship that also benefits his family. DefenseLink

3 New VAOIG Reports

Healthcare Inspection Gastroenterology Service Issues at the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System Las Vegas, Nevada 12/03/08. The VA Office of Inspector General, Office of Healthcare Inspections conducted an inspection at the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System in Las Vegas, NV, at the request of Congressman Bob Filner, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. The review was done to determine the validity of a number of allegations made by anonymous complainants regarding the system’s gastroenterology (GI) services. VAOIG

Combined Assessment Program Review of the Cheyenne VA Medical Center Cheyenne, Wyoming 12/03/08. During the week of September 29–October 3, 2008, the OIG conducted a Combined Assessment Program (CAP) review of the Cheyenne VA Medical Center (the medical center), Cheyenne, WY. The purpose of the review was to evaluate selected operations, focusing on patient care administration and quality management (QM). During the review, we also provided fraud and integrity awareness training to 67 medical center employees. The medical center is part of Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 19. VAOIG

Healthcare Inspection Alleged Neglect by a Social Worker Charles George VA Medical Center Asheville, North Carolina 12/03/08. The purpose of the inspection was to evaluate allegations that a social worker at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville, NC, neglected a patient by not providing adequate social services and as a result, the veteran suffered a series of mishaps that endangered his life. VAOIG

DoD and VA Health Records

Requirements identical for Defense, VA health record system 12/03/08. Development of a joint inpatient electronic health records system will satisfy almost all the requirements of the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments, according to a long sequestered report obtained by Nextgov.

West Palm Beach VA Review

Combined Assessment Program Review of the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center West Palm Beach, Florida 12/02/08. During the week of July 21–25, 2008, the OIG conducted a Combined Assessment Program (CAP) review of the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center (the medical center), West Palm Beach, FL. The purpose of the review was to evaluate selected operations, focusing on patient care administration and quality management (QM). During the review, we also provided fraud and integrity awareness training to 144 medical center employees. The medical center is part of Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 8. VAOIG

Veterans With ALS

VA Recognizes ALS Link to Military Service 12/02/08. Veterans with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may receive needed support for themselves and their families after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced last month that ALS will become a presumptively compensable illness for all veterans with 90 days or more of continuously active service in the military. VA based its decision primarily on a November 2006 report by the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine (IOM) on the association between active-duty service and ALS. U.S. Medicine

Post-deployment Exams

Army Bases Prepare for Surge in Stress-Related Disorders as Soldiers Return From Extended Deployments 12/02/08. Army officials have said they will examine Fort Campbell in Kentucky, where 15,000 soldiers are expected to arrive after multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, to determine the proper staffing levels to address brain injuries and psychological problems, the AP/Washington Post reports. Kaisernetwork.org

Entrepreneurship for Post-9/11 Vets With Disabilities

National Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Vets with Disabilities Program Adds Purdue to Consortium 12/02/08. Innovative program includes Syracuse University, UCLA, Texas A&M, Florida State University, and now Purdue University, that provides post-9/11 veterans disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan training in entrepreneurship, small business management to start new lives. Whitman School at Syracuse University via Newswise

Corticosterone and TBI

Easing the stress of trauma 12/01/08. Researchers from both Tel Aviv University and Ben Gurion University, found in an animal model that a high dose of corticosterone, when given immediately after the stress event, reduces the effect of trauma in mice. They believe that corticosterone may dampen an animal’s ability to “remember” the initial trauma time and time again. American Friends of Tel Aviv University via Eurekalert!

Long-Term Consequences of TBI

Brain injury's long-term consequences for veterans -- IOM report release Dec. 4 12/01/08. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and blast-induced injuries have become the signature wounds of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan because of the pervasive use of explosive weaponry. Service members of these wars are experiencing higher rates of TBI and blast-induced injury than veterans of any previous conflicts. Gulf War and Health Vol. 7: Long-Term Consequences of TBI, a new report from the Institute of Medicine, evaluates the evidence on long-term health effects of TBI and blast-related injuries. National Academy of Sciences via Eurekalert!

OP-ED From Washington Times

Fixing VA health care: Agency continues failing U.S. veterans 12/01/08. As a physician who proudly serves our veterans of war, I was deeply saddened by the recent revelation of deceptive practices at the Department of Veterans Affairs in New York. A Newsday article reported that hundreds of veterans' benefit claims were misdated by the VA to make it appear that they were processed on time. This latest affront to integrity comes at the heels of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee roundtable discussion on Nov. 19 regarding the VA's shredding of hundreds of claims at other sites. These are metastatic manifestations of a systemic illness - failures of leadership and a cultural decay at the VA. Dr. Robert W. Van Boven via Washington Times

Wounded Warrior Diaries

Wounded Warrior Diaries 12/01/08. Defense Department officials have launched the Wounded Warrior Diaries, a multimedia Web tribute in which American service members wounded in combat share stories of their service, including their hard-won battles on the road to recovery and the ups and downs of life in the wake of injury. Wounded Warrior Diaries feature videos of service members relaying their stories in their own words. The videos are accompanied by a written account of their experiences. The site launched with four diaries, and a new diary will be added each month. Military Health System

Major Depression in Veterans

Major Depressive Episode and Treatment for Depression among Veterans Aged 21 to 39 12/01/08.

• An estimated 9.3 percent of veterans aged 21 to 39 (312,000 persons) experienced at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year
• Among veterans aged 21 to 39 with past year MDE, over half (51.7 percent) reported severe impairment in at least one of four role domains (i.e., home management, work, close relationships with others, and social life), and nearly one quarter (23.5 percent) reported very severe impairment in at least one of the domains
• More than half (59.6 percent) of veterans aged 21 to 39 who experienced past year MDE received treatment for depression in the past year

Office of Applied Studies

Gulf War Syndrome

Some vindication for sick vets, but little relief 12/01/08. Ground combat in the 1991 Persian Gulf War lasted just 100 hours, but it's meant 17 years of pain and anguish for hundreds of thousands of veterans. Those who came home and complained of symptoms such as memory loss and joint pain are even sicker. As their lives unraveled and their health further deteriorated, many were told their problems were just in their head. AP