There was a very distressing article published in yesterday's USA TODAY entitled, VA'S ongoing care for brain injured veterans falls short
According to the article the Veterans Administration has come under increasing criticism for the way that they are caring for the rehabilitation of returning troops suffering from a brain injury.
Claims that the VA is dumping brain injured troops in nursing homes instead of specialized brain injury rehabilitation facilities, the failure to have experienced personnel who are familiar with traumatic brain injury, improperly cutting off treatment before rehabilitation is complete are common complaints made by family members.
Many of these complaints have been supported in a report by Veteran's Affairs Inspector Generals office who gave the VA poor grades for its handling of the recovery needs of returning soldiers suffering the affects of bran trauma.
From what I hear, the VA still has a long way to go in cleaning up its act. Instead of contracting services with experienced providers, the VA has gone out on its own attempting to set up regional brain injury rehabilitation centers at select VA Hospitals. Unfortunately, these facilities lack the experience and expertise in dealing with this tragic problem.
It's time that Congress steps in and demands proper care for our soldiers with brain damage.