Brain Injury Lawyer - New York

Brain injury in the military

The latest version of BrainLine Military News, March 2013 is now available to view on line.  Brainline Military is a service of BrainLine  BrainLine Military is a service of WETA, the flagship public television and radio station in the nation's capital.

Here are some highlights from the March issue:

What Saved Former Marine Matt Brown from Suicide?

Former Marine Matt Brown, who has combat-related TBI and PTSD, was dangerously suicidal and he would never "sugarcoat" that fact. It was finding his voice to help others that saved him. It was also his wonderfully wicked sense of humor. Watch BrainLine’s video, “What Saved Former Marine Matt Brown from Suicide?” and hear Matt describe how his life has changed for the better.

Watch "What Saved Former Marine Matt Brown from Suicide?"

Watch "Matt Brown: Becoming a New Person After TBI and PTSD"

Watch "Matt Brown: Strategies, Patterns, and Routine Are Key"  

Who Are the Faces of TBI Research?

As a researcher and clinician, Geoffrey Ling, PhD, MD, Col. (Ret.) knows that research for traumatic brain injury needs to be fast and efficient because patients are waiting now! Program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Dr. Ling says, “Seeing patients … working with them daily is very grounding. It reminds me who needs this care …” Hear more, watch BrainLine’s interview with Dr. Ling, “The ‘Faces’ of TBI.”

Broken Brains

Because of a devastating helicopter crash, Special Forces medic Karl Holt’s war in Afghanistan had ended. But a new battle had just begun. It was one that would rage long after his ruptures, fractures, broken bones, and dislocations had healed. Holt lost consciousness on the helicopter, the result of a traumatic brain injury that went untreated for nearly two years. It transformed Holt from a soldier who kicked in doors in Afghanistan to a man who had to put sticky notes on the door of his North Carolina home reminding him to lock it before leaving. Read WORLD magazine’s article, “Broken Brains,” to learn how Holt is rebuilding his life.

For more information about TBI and the military visit  BrainLineMilitary

Traumatic Brain Injury and Veteran Issues: New Webinars announced by Defense Cneters for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury

The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) have announced the topics and dates for the first four monthly webinars in the 2013 brain injury Webinar Series.

The webinars are an opportunity for health care professionals who interact with service members, as well as service members and their families, to learn and ask questions about issues related to psychological health and traumatic brain injury (TBI). The webinars focus on a broad range of topics such as deployment phases, combat care, balancing home life with a deployed partner, managing challenges with posttraumatic stress disorder and TBI, and advances in behavioral health care and technologies.

Here are the announced topics and the scheduled dates:

Substance Abuse and Traumatic Brain Injury:
January 24, 2013, 1-2:30 p.m. (EST)

Chronic Pain
February 28, 2013, 1-2:30 p.m. (EST)

Vestibular Disturbances after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
March 28, 2013, 1-2:30 p.m. (EST)

Military Children and Coping with Grief/Loss
April 25, 2013, 1-2:30 p.m. (EST)

For more information, please click here

CDC webinair explores disability issues

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is offering a webcast: Public Health Grand Rounds: Where in health is disability? Public health practices to include people with disabilities

Time and Date: Tuesday, December 18, 2012, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm (EST)

Overview:

Disability and health is the next topic at the CDC’s highly regarded Public Health Grand Rounds. The work of NCBDDD’s Division of Human Development and Disability and its network of partners (including the Ohio Disability and Health Program [ODHP] and other state grantees) will be featured through this broadly visible venue that reaches public health professionals, health care providers and others around the world that are interested in CDC’s work. 

To View the Live Webcast:

To view the live webcast on Dec. 18, please click here

Note: The webcast links are only active during the date and time of the session, but all sessions are archived for future viewing. Grand Rounds archives are found here

 

Seizure disorders, Parkinson's Disease, Dementia and Hormone Deficience Accepted by Veterans Administration As Being Caused by a Traumatic Brain Injury

In recognition of the link between traumatic brain injury and the following medical conditions: seizures, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, depression and some hormonal deficiencies, the Department of Veterans Affairs have proposed new regulations to compensate veterans with these conditions.

The regulations are scheduled for publication in today’s edition of the Federal Register and list Parkinsonism, unprovoked seizures, certain dementias, depression and hormone deficiency diseases related to the hypothalamus, pituitary or adrenal glands as eligible for the expanded benefits.

The benefits are not limited to veterans injured in Afghanistan or Iraq.  Brain injury victims from prior conflicts can also claim these benefits if they can show their traumatic brain injury was service related.

Under the proposed rule, once a veteran can establish he or she was a victim of traumatic brain injury then these five conditions will be deemed connected to the brain injury with no further proof.

But, the proposed regulations do not go far enough.  The proposal only links these conditions to a traumatic brain injury if the TBI was originally classified as being “moderate” or “severe” 

There are also significant time restrictions requiring the illnesses become manifest following the brain injury within short periods of time. For hormonal deficiencies the time is one year, depression carriers a three year period for moderate or severe brain injury and a one year restriction for mild TBI. Dementia has a 15 year window.   

Brain Injury and Female Veterans-New Webinar to explore issues

The Brain Injury Association of New York State (BIANYS) is offering a free webinar— “Improved Outcomes for Women Veterans: Brain Injury Services As Part of a Trauma-Informed Environment.”

The webinar will be hold on October 31st, 1-2:15 PM EDT

Research suggests that 81-93% of female veterans have been exposed to some type of trauma, significantly higher than the civilian population rates. In this webinar, Jill Gutierrez will provide information on trauma-informed care, including its relationship to brain injury, to help organizations working with women veterans better understand their unique experiences and to improve organizational effectiveness when working with this population.

Jill Gutierrez has been a program analyst for the Women’s Bureau’s New York office of the U.S. Department of Labor since 2008.  She actively promotes programs and policies to ensure quality work environments for women.   

To Reserve your webinar seat, click here.  Please register by Tuesday, October 30th.

Traumatic Brain Injury Assistance Apps

Thanks to BrainLine Military News for sharing information on Six Free Military Smartphone Apps to assist those with brain damage.

Here is what BrainLine has to say:

There are smartphone applications ("apps") for just about everything — from staying organized to finding pharmacies on the go. Sometimes, however, it's hard to find the apps that really improve our lives. The following six apps were created for service members and veterans, their families, and the professionals who care for them. The apps help with issues ranging from stress and mood management to tools to help improve quality of care for people with mild traumatic brain injury.

To view the brain injury assistance apps, click here.

Identifying and treating concussions and mild traumatic brain injury in returning veterans-free on line course

A free on line course has been developed by BrainLine Military intended to be a resource for professionals involved in working with and assessing returning veterans for traumatic brain injuries.

Civilian health care providers are seeing increasing numbers of returning service members and veterans. BrainLine Military's free online course, "Identifying and Treating Concussion/mTBI (mild traumatic brain injury) in Service Members and Veterans," is an excellent resource. "Knowing if your patient has been to war can help you offer better care. Concussions are treatable, the prognosis is good, and this course will get you started," says Capt. J.L. Hancock, MD, US Army.

The course covers symptoms of mild TBI, diagnostic criteria, treatment guidelines, and more. It features video interviews with experts and service members as well as articles, and resources to help patients with TBI and their families.

Learn more about the course by clicking here.

Valuable new resource for service members and their families following a traumatic brain injury

The first edition of the Brainline Military Newsletter is now available on line.  The newsletter is produced by the award winning team at Brainline and is intended to be a resource for service members and their families following a traumatic brain injury.  You can subscribe for the free monthly newsletter by clicking here.

BrainLineMilitary.org provides military-specific information and resources on traumatic brain injury to veterans, service members in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard, Reserve, and their families. Through video, webcasts, articles, personal stories, research briefs, and current news, those whose lives have been affected by TBI can learn more about brain injury symptoms and treatment, rehabilitation, and family issues associated with TBI care and recovery.

ADDICTION & BRAIN INJURY CONFERENCE

A conference exploring the connection between addition and brain injury, jointly sponsored by the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services and the Brain Injury Association of New York State will be held on May 22, 2012 from 8:30 am-4:30 pm at: schenectady Community College, Begley Hall, 78 Washington Avenue, Schenectady, N.Y.

 CASAC Credits available.  The Training is provided free of charge to all providers and students.

RSVP by May 14, 2012 by clicking here .

Veterans Brain Injury Services Free Webinar

The Brain Injury Association of New York State (BIANYS) is offering a free webinar, “Veteran-Directed and VA Home-Based Services: Opportunities in NY and Beyond”

The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. -2:15 p.m..  ET

You need to register by Tuesday, March, 27th.

The presenter, Dianne Kayala, is the Director of New Initiatives with the National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services where she leads the Veteran-Directed Home and Community-Based Services (VD-HCBS) project and Innovations Grants.  She was formerly the administrator of adult Medicaid services in Rhode Island and served on the Executive Committee of the NationalAssociation of State Head Injury Administrators for five years.

For registration information and to register, click here.