MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, is an euphoria-inducing drug that has long been considered an illicit street substance. Research has shown ecstasy causes the brain to release chemicals that evoke feelings of trust and well-being while reducing anxiety, fear and negative memories that can overwhelm PTSD patients.

If successful, the trials may lead to the approval of ecstasy as a prescription drug for treating PTSD by 2021. Researchers have proposed the drug be used under the guidance of trained psychotherapists as part of a broader course of treatment. However, some scientists are concerned that approval of the feel-good drug could trigger abuse. Prolonged MDMA use and overdosing can lead to conditions such as serious brain damage, panic attacks and seizures.

The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies is funding the research. The nonprofit group advocates for the therapeutic use of marijuana and other banned drugs. Earlier stages of the clinical trials found ecstasy was effective in helping to reduce the severity of symptoms among patients with chronic PTSD. In addition, follow-up tests showed improvements lasted months after the trial.

“We can sometimes see this kind of remarkable improvement in traditional psychotherapy, but it can take years, if it happens at all,” said Dr. Michael C. Mithoefer, a psychiatrist who conducted earlier trials. “We think it [MDMA] works as a catalyst that speeds the natural healing process.”

The Miami VA facility, the University of Central Florida (UCF) PTSD Clinic and the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies are among those who use VR systems. As VR systems become more affordable, a growing number of health care facilities may choose to incorporate them into their treatment options for PTSD.

The free, three-week UCF Restores program uses a combination of group counseling and VR therapy to transport veterans to the traumatic, life-changing experiences that induced their PTSD. VR therapy uses video googles, headphones and even smells to recreate a particular scenario.

According to research by UCF Restores founder Dr. Deborah Beidel, 66 percent of patients have experienced successful outcomes with the program. For example, one Iraq veteran claimed the process helped reduce his anxiety and paranoia.

Although Beidel described the VR experience as “intense,” she said, “The advantage is that we can really take care of this disorder and treat this disorder thoroughly and effectively in a short period of time.” While it may not be possible to eliminate the traumatic memory completely, the program aims to reduce its accompanying stress and anxiety.

The University of Southern California also runs a VR therapy system called Bravemind. The VR session involves a therapist guiding the veteran through virtual scenarios that resemble their traumatic experience. Patients discuss their fears and anxieties while the therapist helps them process the traumatic memory. The goal is to enable patients to alter their perception and responses to PTSD symptoms.

Researchers wanted to know whether service members become more susceptible to PTSD due to the emotional trauma of combat, or because a concussion physically alters the brain in a way that intensifies anxiety and fear. Potentially thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans may have developed PTSD after sustaining a concussion from a bomb blast on the battlefield.

Researchers assessed more than 1,600 Iraq and Afghanistan troops both prior to deployment and three months after their return. Service members who sustained brain trauma while deployed were twice as likely to develop PTSD in comparison to uninjured veterans.

According to the findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, concussions and other brain injuries can change the way the brain reacts to a frightening situation. The injury disturbs the electrical activity in parts of the brain that normally regulate emotional reactions such as tempering responses to fear.

“The result is like a car with no brake,” said biomedical physicist Mingxiong Huang, of the University of California, San Diego. Researchers plan to continue investigating the brain circuitry involved in both TBI and PTSD in order to gain a better understanding of their connection.

Fruitport native Marty Wills trekked 1,000 miles to Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base in North Carolina. He began the two-month journey in Muskegon on Memorial Day. Wills carried with him an American flag and a 50-pound pack containing a Purple Heart medal honoring his friend’s brother.

He used the walk to collect over $22,000 in donations for 22 Kill, a veterans organization that supports and raises awareness for former service members struggling with PTSD. The foundation’s name reflects the commonly cited statistic of 22 veterans on average committing suicide every day after losing their battle with PTSD.

“A lot of work needs to be done to raise awareness,” said Wills. “Many civilians don’t understand that you just can’t leave a military lifestyle and fit right in to civilian life.” He retired from military life in 2013 after 23 years of service as a U.S. Navy corpsman and a U.S. Army combat medic.

The veteran used Google Maps to plan his route, traveling 15 to 20 miles each day. Wills visited local Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and Department of Veterans Affairs chapters to interact with veterans suffering from PTSD. Several veterans expressed their support by offering him meals and overnight accommodation throughout his journey.

Dr. Albert “Skip” Rizzo spent over a decade designing 14 virtual reality worlds to help veterans deal with traumatic events from their past. Each world mirrors various war zones and can be tailored to a patient’s specific situation. Clinicians can add custom features such as helicopters, missiles and small-arms fire.

The therapy consists of veterans wearing virtual reality headsets. Each session lasts around one-and-a-half hours. The patient talks about their experience with the therapist as they are guided through the simulation.

Virtual reality therapy has its roots in prolonged exposure therapy, a common treatment method for PTSD. It involves the clinician asking the patient to recount the scenario that is affecting them. Rizzo noted virtual reality offers veterans the opportunity to go further by immersing themselves in the situation that elicited the original trauma rather than just relying on their imagination.

With such therapy, the brain gradually alters its response to those traumatic memories. They no longer evoke the same threat and feelings of anxiety.

Sources:

• http://www.digitaltrends.com/virtual-reality/vr-ptsd-vietnam-war/
• http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/treating-ptsd-virtual-reality-therapy-heal-trauma/story?id=38742665

The largest rise in sleep problems has been linked with patients who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), combat experience or other mental disorders. The same period between 2000 and 2010 has seen PTSD diagnoses triple. University of South Carolina researchers noted the prevalence of sleep disorders among 16 percent of veterans with PTSD. The number is the highest among all health conditions considered.

However the study’s senior author and associate professor Dr. James Burch said in a statement, “Because of the way this study was designed, this does not prove that PTSD caused the increase in sleep disorder diagnoses.” His team conducted subsequent research to study the connection between the two. It found that a history of PTSD was associated with higher chances of experiencing sleep problems.

Former service members with cancer, cardiovascular disease and other chronic health problems also had higher rates of sleep disorder diagnoses in comparison to those without such conditions. Sleep apnea and insomnia were the top two most common types of sleeping problems veterans experienced respectively.

The study examined the medical data of around 9.7 million veterans who sought care in the Department of Veterans Affairs health system. The findings were published in the journal Sleep in July.

The prevalence of sleep disorders among veterans is a cause for concern. It indicates the need for sleep disorder management and treatment to be integrated into health care services and caregiving for veterans.

Sources:

• http://stgist.com/2016/07/17/more-veterans-today-have-sleep-disorders-says-new-study/
• http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/2016/07/among-us-veterans-prevalence-diagnosed-sleep-disorders-risen/
• http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2016/07/15/Sleep-disorders-on-steep-rise-among-US-veterans-study-says/7861468599222/

PTSD symptoms consist of negative thoughts and feelings, increased anger, avoidance patterns, being easily startled, recurring memories of traumatic events, hyperarousal, difficulty concentrating and trouble sleeping. Veterans must have all of these symptoms in order to be diagnosed with PTSD. In addition, the symptoms must meet certain criteria of severity and duration.

The study examined 1,484 veterans for subthreshold PTSD. The condition refers to a group of symptoms that are not severe or complete enough to warrant a PTSD diagnosis. Among the participants, 8 percent were diagnosed with PTSD while 22.1 percent of the traumatized veterans met subthreshold PTSD criteria. Those who experienced the latter had higher rates of mental health problems. For example, veterans with subthreshold PTSD had nearly five times the chance of suffering depression in comparison with those who did not have symptoms.

Some researchers believe subthreshold PTSD is an overlooked trigger for a range of mental health disorders. Clinical psychologist Robert Pietrzak, the study’s senior author and director of the Translational Psychiatric Epidemiology Laboratory of the Clinical Neurosciences Division at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, described the findings as “striking.” He said, “We found three, four, five times higher rates of some disorders in veterans with subthreshold PTSD … You have a very large group of people who may be in need of treatment, but are often overlooked in clinical settings.”

Sources:

• http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20160601/yale-study-many-veterans-experience-some-symptoms-of-ptsd
• http://news.yale.edu/2016/06/01/not-quite-ptsd-still-quite-mental-health-problem
• http://wtnh.com/2016/06/01/new-study-finds-more-veterans-suffering-from-ptsd-related-conditions/

The $2.2 million study will be conducted at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland as well as Sisley’s Scottsdale Research institute in Phoenix, Arizona.  Since not all participants will begin at the same time, the study is expected to take up to two years to complete.

According to physician and study organizer Dr. Sue Sisley, the ideal candidate will have a disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs for combat-related PTSD, but otherwise be generally healthy with no other major medical issues. Veterans with traumatic brain injuries will be eligible to participate. There candidates should still have symptoms from PTSD despite having already been treated.

The study intends to use different methods of smoking and different types of marijuana to figure out which combination, if any, helps PTSD victims with their symptoms. After initial tests and assessments, participants will be given 1.8 grams (two joints worth) of marijuana a day. Participants will be told to smoke in response to their PTSD symptoms. There are no requirements on the amount smoked at a time or how many times a participant chooses to smoke as long as they don’t exceed the 1.8 grams.

Sisley recognizes that marijuana will not be a cure for PTSD, but believes that it will at least reduce the symptoms. If her hypothesis is proven true, officials with the California-based Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) says they intend to seek use of marijuana as a federally approved, prescription drug.

If you are a combat veteran suffering from PTSD in the Baltimore area and would like to participate in the study, you can email your contact information to arizona@marijuanasites.org.

For the Phoenix area, contact 410-550-0050 to register your interest in participating.

The University of Michigan and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System teamed up to study the effects of mindfulness training among veterans suffering from PTSD; the positive results of the study came as a surprise even to the researchers. Mindfulness training can be thought of as a form of meditation and yoga.

Veterans often describe their PTSD symptoms as “an endless video loop, horrible memories, and thoughts… they intrude at the quietest moments, and don’t seem to have an off switch.” Researchers hoped that mindfulness training could create that “off switch” these veterans are lacking.

The study was completed over 4 months of weekly sessions where veterans learned to focus on in-the-moment attention and awareness. The surprising effects were realized when researchers compared the pre- and post-study fMRI (functional MRI) brain scans.

Prior to the training, there was extra activity in brain regions involved in responding to threats or other outside problems. This extra activity is what causes that endless cycle of memories and bad thoughts. After the training, though, this activity diminished significantly.

Researchers say that veterans were able to literally change their brain by “developing stronger connections between two other brain networks: the one involved in our inner, sometimes meandering, thoughts, and one involved in shifting and directing attention.” Simply put, the participants could now get themselves out of being “stuck” in those memory loops. Participants also saw decreased scores on a standard scale of PTSD severity.

http://www.newswise.com/articles/brain-changes-seen-in-veterans-with-ptsd-after-mindfulness-training#.VzU1ZzLLApE.linkedin

The agency is offering the tool in collaboration with Screening for Mental Health, a nonprofit organization that provides various mental health and substance abuse resources. Veterans can use the tool to screen for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse and other mental health concerns. The program urges former service members to get a “checkup from your neck up.”

Veterans begin the screening by choosing a statement that most accurately describes their recent thinking and behavior. Next, they answer some questions about themselves and their feelings. The survey concludes with general explanations about moods and behaviors. Veterans are also given information about available mental health care support and where to find help nearby.

Many veterans who return home struggling with mental health issues such as PTSD or anxiety are often reluctant to seek treatment. According to MVAA Strategy Analyst Jeff Cassidy, perceived stigma is the biggest barrier for many veterans when it comes to getting help.

“Mental health is key to overall health, and MVAA wants to make sure all Michigan veterans have the tools they need to care for themselves both mentally and physically,” said MVAA Director James Robert Redford. “With this online tool, veterans can complete a quick and easy mental health screening and get the help and information they need when necessary.”

Veterans can access the website anonymously around the clock at http://screening.mentalhealthscreening.org/MVAA.

The University of Michigan and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System teamed up to study the effects of mindfulness training among veterans suffering from PTSD; the positive results of the study came as a surprise even to the researchers. Mindfulness training can be thought of as a form of meditation and yoga.

Veterans often describe their PTSD symptoms as “an endless video loop, horrible memories, and thoughts… they intrude at the quietest moments, and don’t seem to have an off switch.” Researchers hoped that mindfulness training could create that “off switch” these veterans are lacking.

The study was completed over 4 months of weekly sessions where veterans learned to focus on in-the-moment attention and awareness. The surprising effects were realized when researchers compared the pre- and post-study fMRI (functional MRI) brain scans.

Prior to the training, there was extra activity in brain regions involved in responding to threats or other outside problems. This extra activity is what causes that endless cycle of memories and bad thoughts. After the training, though, this activity diminished significantly.

Researchers say that veterans were able to literally change their brain by “developing stronger connections between two other brain networks: the one involved in our inner, sometimes meandering, thoughts, and one involved in shifting and directing attention.” Simply put, the participants could now get themselves out of being “stuck” in those memory loops. Participants also saw decreased scores on a standard scale of PTSD severity.

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has partnered with PEACE Ranch in Traverse City, Michigan, for a therapy program that uses rescue horses to help veterans with PTSD. A licensed mental health therapist works with veterans at the ranch for eight hours each week. In light of the program’s success over the past three years, the VHA has sought to double its hours. The expansion will allow the program to help almost twice as many veterans as the current 170.

“More time for PEACE Ranch means that more veterans will successfully be able to deal with the PTSD that is confining them in their lives, and basically coming out here gives them new life,” said PEACE Ranch Executive Director Jackie Kaschel.

Horse therapy can serve as an alternative or supplementary healing method when traditional treatments and medications prove ineffective. In the January issue of the journal Social Work, researchers reported that equine-facilitated mental health programs have shown promise in treating veterans with mental health problems and reintegration issues.

There are many equine programs available to veterans throughout the United States. Nonprofit organization Wounded Warrior Project works with PATH Int’l Equine Services for Heroes to heal using horses. Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association also promotes horse-assisted psychotherapy for veterans suffering from mental health issues.

A new study shows mindfulness training may serve as a promising way for veterans with PTSD to manage their thoughts. Mindfulness is an alternative therapy that focuses the mind on being aware and in the present. University of Michigan Medical School researchers noted significant improvements in veterans who participated in mindfulness training as part of a study.

Out of 23 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with PTSD, nine underwent regular group therapy while 14 received sessions that included mindfulness training. Veterans in the latter group were encouraged to meditate on their sensations and surroundings in order to prevent their mind from drifting back to traumatic events. After four months of weekly sessions, the veterans who were given mindfulness training experienced more relief from their PTSD symptoms.

The researchers found surprising results when they compared the veterans’ brain activity prior to the mindfulness sessions and after them. In an MRI conducted after the training, they noted stronger links between different areas of the brain related to shifting attention and processing thoughts.

Lead study author Anthony King said, “The brain findings suggest that mindfulness training may have helped the veterans develop more capacity to shift their attention and get themselves out of being ‘stuck’ in painful cycles of thoughts.”

The researchers suggested their study should be repeated with a larger group of veterans. They also emphasized that mindfulness should not be used as the only treatment for PTSD. In addition, it is essential for veterans with PTSD to receive help from a trained professional.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Children and teens are particularly at risk for mental health issues—including depression, anxiety, PTSD and other issues. According to statistics from the Surgeon General, approximately one in five children in the U.S. will experience a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder between kindergarten and graduation. Failure to address childrens’ mental health needs can have devastating consequences.

Despite the high frequency and the need for help, too many myths and unspoken stigmas plague families who have children struggling with mental health issues. NAMI Westchester offers peer-directed programs in education and support at no-cost. These programs support families, individuals living with mental illness, students, and mental health and school professionals.

More discussion and a public health approach are necessary to address disorders and promote mental health in children. Addressing mental health issues are the responsibility of a parent, school and community, as parents cannot promote mental health alone. As noted by the National Association of School Psychologists, schools are excellent places to promote good mental health. Children spend a significant amount of time in school, and educators have the opportunity to observe and address their needs. Doing so effectively requires developing the capacity both to reinforce children’s natural mental health strengths and to identify and respond to children suffering mental health disorders.

To learn more about both the effects of bullying and mental health and what you can do, you are invited to a seminar:  Understanding the Legal Obligations of a School District Regarding Bullying and Student Mental Health

If your child has a mental health issue, it is important to understand how to seek community support and to understand the legal obligations of your school district.  Too many parents view mental health issues as a “private issue” or believe that things will improve. It is almost impossible for parents to handle mental health issues alone. An experienced attorney and advocate can help you work with your child’s or teen’s school in complex situations involving children’s mental health. Read  about “Signs of Mental Health Problems in Children” by clicking here.

Learn more about our special needs planning and special education advocacy services at www.littmankrooks.com or www.specialneedsnewyork.com.

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Under the Puppies Assisting Wounded Service members (PAWS) Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) would help pair veterans suffering from PTSD with a service dog. The five-year pilot program is expected to cost $10 million, which would be funded from the VA’s Office of Human Resources and Administration.

“The PAWS Act is a simple bill that could have a dramatic — and potentially life-saving — effect on the lives of many,” Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) said in a written statement. “Thousands of our post-9/11 veterans carry the invisible burden of post-traumatic stress . . . The VA should use every tool at their disposal to support and treat our veterans, including the specialized care offered by service dogs.”

An Assistance Dog International-accredited organization or private provider would pair the veteran with a service dog. The VA would pay the organizations for the dogs at a maximum of $27,000 per dog. The department would also provide veterans with veterinary health insurance for their dogs.

In return, veterans would be required to see a VA doctor or mental health specialist at least once quarterly. According to the legislation, the prerequisites for veterans seeking a service dog are that they must “remain significantly symptomatic by clinical standards” and undergo evidence-based treatment. The Government Accountability Office would monitor the program’s effectiveness.

Veterans are required to have honorable discharges in order to obtain full benefits. Otherwise, they may miss out on tax breaks, education benefits and access to the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system, including vital mental health care services.

A less than honorable discharge is often issued to service members for minor misconduct, including absence without leave and tardiness to formation. However, such behavior can be linked with veterans who have a medical history of PTSD, traumatic brain injury and other conditions. According to Coffman, service members are being improperly discharged instead of being medically retired or retained for treatment and rehabilitation.

Since 2009, over 20,000 combat veterans with mental health problems have been forced out of the military with less than honorable discharges. Congress has acknowledged in recent years that some improper discharges occurred due to insufficient screening for PTSD and other combat-related conditions. The Fairness for Veterans Act ensures combat veterans receive due consideration in their post-discharge appeals.

According to the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, over 300,000 service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the past 15 years. Concussions are among the least severe of such injuries, which are mostly caused by bombs.

Researchers at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, performed MRI brain scans on 834 active service members with blast-related concussions between 2009 and 2014. The results found brain scarring in 52 percent of injured service members, signs of bleeding in 7 percent and pituitary gland irregularities in one third of patients.

Although MRIs have revealed a high occurrence of brain damage, the technology is too expensive to scan all veterans. Radiologist Dr. Gerard Riedy, the study’s lead author, hopes the findings can result in more accurate diagnoses and targeted treatment of brain injuries. Researchers said they aim to test existing imaging methods and find out which ones accurately identify TBI. A portable version of the exam will then be designed for the Department of Veterans Affairs and the military.

“The current diagnosis is based on subjective information. A diagnosis from an objective method like MRI would greatly enhance the possibility of treating veterans with the correct treatment paradigms,” said Riedy. “The TBI treatments and PTSD treatment paradigms can be vastly different. So in my book an accurate diagnosis is key to any hope at meaningful recovery.”

Distinguishing between TBI and post-traumatic stress (PTS) can be challenging as they are often identified by similar symptoms. However, both conditions require different treatments that can have adverse effects when interchanged. For example, the antidepressants used for treating PTS can prove harmful to people with TBI.

PTS and traumatic brain injury (TBI) are two of the biggest mental health issues facing veterans today. The organization estimates that over 400,000 veterans suffer from PTS while around 320,000 are dealing with TBI.

The Wounded Warrior Project’s survey of 23,000 veterans is described as “the largest collection of data on this generation of injured veterans ever collected.” The annual survey asked wounded veterans about their combat experiences, mental and physical health and challenges in transitioning to civilian life.

The survey also revealed some truths about the lack of adequate health care for former service members. Thirty-five percent of veterans reported facing problems in accessing the mental health care they needed. The same number of veterans also said they had difficulty scheduling appointments with the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2014, the agency was involved in a scandal in which dozens of veterans died while waiting for treatment at the VA hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.

“Our annual survey shows that this generation of injured veterans continues to struggle with the invisible wounds of war, including PTSD and TBI, and the challenges are not getting better with time,” said Wounded Warrior Project CEO Steve Nardizzi.

The organization is launching its $100-million Warrior Care Network in early 2016. The program seeks to provide improved mental health care for injured veterans by connecting four medical centers across the United States.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Tyler Skluzacek, a senior at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, was inspired to create the app due to his personal connection to PTSD. His father, an Iraq veteran, suffers from PTSD and has trouble sleeping due to night terrors which involve screaming, flailing and experiencing fear while sleeping.

Skluzacek and his team won the top prize of $1,500 at HackDC, a computer programming contest in Washington, D.C., in September. They spent 36 hours creating a mobile app for PTSD. The app is called myBivy. It refers to bivouac, a military term for a safe place to sleep such as a temporary camp or shelter.

Using smartphone technology, the app monitors a veteran’s heart rate and movements while they are asleep. It also tracks their sleeping patterns and remains alert for symptoms indicating the onset of panic attacks. The goal of the app is to predict when veterans experience night terrors. It then uses sounds or vibrations to disrupt deep sleep without waking the veteran up, therefore preventing night terrors.

Skluzacek and his team are raising money on Kickstarter to develop the app for wider use across different types of devices. A functional prototype is currently available on the Pebble Time smartwatch and Android smartphone. They plan to start clinical trials in early 2016 and officially launch by May.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Tyler Skluzacek, a senior at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, was inspired to create the app due to his personal connection to PTSD. His father, an Iraq veteran, suffers from PTSD and has trouble sleeping due to night terrors which involve screaming, flailing and experiencing fear while sleeping.

Skluzacek and his team won the top prize of $1,500 at HackDC, a computer programming contest in Washington, D.C., in September. They spent 36 hours creating a mobile app for PTSD. The app is called myBivy. It refers to bivouac, a military term for a safe place to sleep such as a temporary camp or shelter.

Using smartphone technology, the app monitors a veteran’s heart rate and movements while they are asleep. It also tracks their sleeping patterns and remains alert for symptoms indicating the onset of panic attacks. The goal of the app is to predict when veterans experience night terrors. It then uses sounds or vibrations to disrupt deep sleep without waking the veteran up, therefore preventing night terrors.

Skluzacek and his team are raising money on Kickstarter to develop the app for wider use across different types of devices. A functional prototype is currently available on the Pebble Time smartwatch and Android smartphone. They plan to start clinical trials in early 2016 and officially launch by May.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Around 20 percent of women who served in Vietnam as part of the U.S. military between the 1960s and 1970s have experienced PTSD. Many female veterans are still living with the disorder. The researchers noted that although PTSD was common among men who served in Vietnam, not much is known about its impact on women’s health.

“Because current PTSD is still present in many of these women decades after their military service, clinicians who treat them should continue to screen for PTSD symptoms and be sensitive to their noncombat wartime experiences,” said the study’s lead author Kathryn Magruder, of the Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Charleston, South Carolina.

Magruder and her team examined the survey responses of 1,956 women who were stationed in Vietnam, 657 who served near Vietnam and 1,606 who remained in the United States during the Vietnam War. The participants were interviewed starting in 2011 and their medical records were reviewed. The findings were published online in JAMA Psychiatry on Oct. 7.

More than half of the women served as nurses during the war as members of the Army and Air Force. The researchers said they were still exposed to sources of stress even though they did not participate in combat. About 16 percent of female veterans who were stationed in Vietnam still experienced PTSD when surveyed, compared to around 8 percent of women who had served near Vietnam and about 9 percent who remained in the United States.

Many female Vietnam veterans still suffer due to their wartime experiences. The study results suggest that exposure to sexual harassment, job performance pressure and other stressors heighten the chances of PTSD. The study highlights the need to change military culture so that sexual harassment is not a PTSD risk factor for future generations.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Around 20 percent of women who served in Vietnam as part of the U.S. military between the 1960s and 1970s have experienced PTSD. Many female veterans are still living with the disorder. The researchers noted that although PTSD was common among men who served in Vietnam, not much is known about its impact on women’s health.

“Because current PTSD is still present in many of these women decades after their military service, clinicians who treat them should continue to screen for PTSD symptoms and be sensitive to their noncombat wartime experiences,” said the study’s lead author Kathryn Magruder, of the Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Charleston, South Carolina.

Magruder and her team examined the survey responses of 1,956 women who were stationed in Vietnam, 657 who served near Vietnam and 1,606 who remained in the United States during the Vietnam War. The participants were interviewed starting in 2011 and their medical records were reviewed. The findings were published online in JAMA Psychiatry on Oct. 7.

More than half of the women served as nurses during the war as members of the Army and Air Force. The researchers said they were still exposed to sources of stress even though they did not participate in combat. About 16 percent of female veterans who were stationed in Vietnam still experienced PTSD when surveyed, compared to around 8 percent of women who had served near Vietnam and about 9 percent who remained in the United States.

Many female Vietnam veterans still suffer due to their wartime experiences. The study results suggest that exposure to sexual harassment, job performance pressure and other stressors heighten the chances of PTSD. The study highlights the need to change military culture so that sexual harassment is not a PTSD risk factor for future generations.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Davis arrived in the United States from Manchester, England, on July 29. He kicked off his journey on Aug. 1 from Cape Cod. So far, he has trekked through Massachusetts into Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. His goal is to reach Huntington Beach, California, by Veterans Day on Nov. 11.

The 49-year-old veterans advocate is raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project and UK-based veterans charity Combat Stress. He is accepting donations and chronicling his trek via Not Broken, Just Damaged, his Facebook page. Davis has served 24 years with the British army and worked alongside U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan for five years.

“We talk about ‘leaving no man behind,’ but our veterans ultimately get left behind after coming back home . . . I’m doing what I can to bring attention to just how bad the situation is among our veterans. There’s just not enough being done. I don’t expect the system to ever be perfect, but there’s lots of room for improvement,” Davis said.

Davis was inspired to embark on the 3,178-mile journey across 15 states after returning home from Afghanistan. He chose to do the walking tour in the United States rather than his home country because he thought the bigger population would help to gain more attention for the cause.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 10 to 18 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are likely to have PTSD. Claiming that veterans with PTSD do not receive the help they need, Davis said, “If my efforts can help keep just one veteran from ending up homeless or committing suicide, then it’s worth it.”

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Davis arrived in the United States from Manchester, England, on July 29. He kicked off his journey on Aug. 1 from Cape Cod. So far, he has trekked through Massachusetts into Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. His goal is to reach Huntington Beach, California, by Veterans Day on Nov. 11.

The 49-year-old veterans advocate is raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project and UK-based veterans charity Combat Stress. He is accepting donations and chronicling his trek via Not Broken, Just Damaged, his Facebook page. Davis has served 24 years with the British army and worked alongside U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan for five years.

“We talk about ‘leaving no man behind,’ but our veterans ultimately get left behind after coming back home . . . I’m doing what I can to bring attention to just how bad the situation is among our veterans. There’s just not enough being done. I don’t expect the system to ever be perfect, but there’s lots of room for improvement,” Davis said.

Davis was inspired to embark on the 3,178-mile journey across 15 states after returning home from Afghanistan. He chose to do the walking tour in the United States rather than his home country because he thought the bigger population would help to gain more attention for the cause.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 10 to 18 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are likely to have PTSD. Claiming that veterans with PTSD do not receive the help they need, Davis said, “If my efforts can help keep just one veteran from ending up homeless or committing suicide, then it’s worth it.”

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com or call 800.693.4800

The study was carried out at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where researchers randomly assigned 116 veterans with PTSD to receive one of two types of therapy. One group participated in eight weekly 2.5-hour sessions and a daylong retreat that focused on stress reduction though mindfulness and meditation. The other group underwent nine weekly 1.5-hour sessions of present-centered group therapy that emphasized coping mechanisms for PTSD symptoms in daily life.

According to the findings reported on Aug. 4, 49 percent of veterans who received mindfulness-based therapy reported a significant reduction in their PTSD symptoms, compared with 28 percent of those who received standard group therapy. Veterans from the first group also reported a greater improvement in quality of life after two months.

An estimated 23 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are affected by PTSD. Mindfulness training is part of a growing wave of alternative therapies in mainstream medicine. It involves teaching veterans take-home techniques for confronting memories from war that they would otherwise try to avoid. The breathing and calming exercises of meditation help veterans focus on the present and cultivate awareness during everyday activities.

Mindfulness training could work as an alternative or addition to standard PTSD treatments such as prolonged exposure and cognitive processing therapy, said researchers. However, follow-up research into the long-term benefits of the therapy and its future applications in VA PTSD programs is still needed. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

The study was carried out at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where researchers randomly assigned 116 veterans with PTSD to receive one of two types of therapy. One group participated in eight weekly 2.5-hour sessions and a daylong retreat that focused on stress reduction though mindfulness and meditation. The other group underwent nine weekly 1.5-hour sessions of present-centered group therapy that emphasized coping mechanisms for PTSD symptoms in daily life.

According to the findings reported on Aug. 4, 49 percent of veterans who received mindfulness-based therapy reported a significant reduction in their PTSD symptoms, compared with 28 percent of those who received standard group therapy. Veterans from the first group also reported a greater improvement in quality of life after two months.

An estimated 23 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are affected by PTSD. Mindfulness training is part of a growing wave of alternative therapies in mainstream medicine. It involves teaching veterans take-home techniques for confronting memories from war that they would otherwise try to avoid. The breathing and calming exercises of meditation help veterans focus on the present and cultivate awareness during everyday activities.

Mindfulness training could work as an alternative or addition to standard PTSD treatments such as prolonged exposure and cognitive processing therapy, said researchers. However, follow-up research into the long-term benefits of the therapy and its future applications in VA PTSD programs is still needed. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

The resolution recognizes that PTSD is undertreated and underreported due to stigma and a lack of awareness. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America says the disorder affects an estimated 20 percent of post-9/11 veterans, while the VA reports that Vietnam veterans have “high lifetime rates of PTSD ranging from 10 to 31 percent.”

The goal of this year’s campaign is to help veterans, their caregivers, families and members of the veteran and military community to learn about the PTSD treatment options available to help improve and save lives. The campaign also emphasizes the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of PTSD, which can sometimes be hard to detect. If left untreated, PTSD can lead to homelessness, depression and even suicide.

“Raising PTSD awareness is essential to overcoming the myth, misinformation and stigma that too often prevents veterans from seeking help . . . We encourage everyone to join us in this important effort to share important information about PTSD and help veterans receive care they need,” said VA secretary Robert A. McDonald.

Online resources for raising PTSD awareness are a major focus of the 2015 campaign. The VA runs the National Center for PTSD, which has a website that offers access to the PTSD Coach Online, PTSD Coach mobile app, an online video gallery of veterans discussing the disorder and its treatments and continuing education opportunities for health care providers, among other useful materials.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

The resolution recognizes that PTSD is undertreated and underreported due to stigma and a lack of awareness. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America says the disorder affects an estimated 20 percent of post-9/11 veterans, while the VA reports that Vietnam veterans have “high lifetime rates of PTSD ranging from 10 to 31 percent.”

The goal of this year’s campaign is to help veterans, their caregivers, families and members of the veteran and military community to learn about the PTSD treatment options available to help improve and save lives. The campaign also emphasizes the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of PTSD, which can sometimes be hard to detect. If left untreated, PTSD can lead to homelessness, depression and even suicide.

“Raising PTSD awareness is essential to overcoming the myth, misinformation and stigma that too often prevents veterans from seeking help . . . We encourage everyone to join us in this important effort to share important information about PTSD and help veterans receive care they need,” said VA secretary Robert A. McDonald.

Online resources for raising PTSD awareness are a major focus of the 2015 campaign. The VA runs the National Center for PTSD, which has a website that offers access to the PTSD Coach Online, PTSD Coach mobile app, an online video gallery of veterans discussing the disorder and its treatments and continuing education opportunities for health care providers, among other useful materials.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com or call 800.693.4800

Some PTSD symptoms include nightmares, heightened emotional reactions and negative changes in mood. Researchers examined 159 Afghanistan and Iraq veterans with PTSD symptoms and found that 69 percent of them had a higher chance of getting the sleep disorder. For every significant increase in PTSD symptom severity, the risk of developing sleep apnea rises 40 percent.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which breathing frequently stops and starts. A common symptom is excessive daytime sleepiness, though not all patients suffer it. Certain aspects of PTSD, such as sleep deprivation and the psychological stress from combat, may increase the chances of developing sleep apnea.

Many veterans tend to experience PTSD and other mental health conditions upon returning to civilian life.

“The implication is that veterans who come to PTSD treatment, even younger veterans, should be screened for obstructive sleep apnea so that they have the opportunity to be diagnosed and treated,” Dr. Sonya Norman, PTSD Consultation Program director at the National Center for PTSD, said in a statement.

Sleep apnea could potentially lead to other health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, depression and worsening PTSD.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Some PTSD symptoms include nightmares, heightened emotional reactions and negative changes in mood. Researchers examined 159 Afghanistan and Iraq veterans with PTSD symptoms and found that 69 percent of them had a higher chance of getting the sleep disorder. For every significant increase in PTSD symptom severity, the risk of developing sleep apnea rises 40 percent.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which breathing frequently stops and starts. A common symptom is excessive daytime sleepiness, though not all patients suffer it. Certain aspects of PTSD, such as sleep deprivation and the psychological stress from combat, may increase the chances of developing sleep apnea.

Many veterans tend to experience PTSD and other mental health conditions upon returning to civilian life.

“The implication is that veterans who come to PTSD treatment, even younger veterans, should be screened for obstructive sleep apnea so that they have the opportunity to be diagnosed and treated,” Dr. Sonya Norman, PTSD Consultation Program director at the National Center for PTSD, said in a statement.

Sleep apnea could potentially lead to other health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, depression and worsening PTSD.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com or call 800.693.4800

As illustrated in a recent Time Magazine report, however, training and caring for a dog can provide veterans with a simpler, warmer companionship, and even a reason to go on living.

Phil Ruddock, a Louisiana veteran of Desert Storm, experienced paranoia and trouble sleeping when he returned home – a textbook case of PTSD. After Phil had a nervous breakdown, lost his job, and became a recluse, a friend brought him an abandoned pit bull. The dog’s companionship gave him the confidence to slowly return to a normal life. Phil says the dog, Mia, rescued him.

Now, Phil runs a nonprofit devoted to helping other veterans discover the pleasure and therapy that dogs provide. Brothers and Sisters in Arms rescues adult dogs of all breeds from shelters and trains them with special commands designed to help soldiers deal with potentially stressful situations. Phil says that when he introduces a deeply wounded veteran to his or her new friend, he can see a great weight lifted from them and knows they will be all right.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Included in the legislative package is one measure that would establish a volunteer application process through the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. That protocol would permit veterans to obtain state-issued identification, dog tags and service dog vests.

Knezek, who served in Iraq, says that many veterans return home with what he calls “invisible wounds,” including PTSD and traumatic brain injury. Knezek explains that many of these veterans find solace and comfort through the presence of a service animal.

Unfortunately, Knezek says, some people question whether a veteran who appears healthy by all outward appearances has a legitimate need for a service animal.

Sen. Margaret O’Brien, R-Portage, one of the package’s four co-sponsors, adds that it will help educate businesses about the special needs of veterans with service dogs.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

And so more problems for our veterans continued to fester without proper oversight, leaving those who have served our country out to dry.

It is unknown how many of the investigations uncovered serious or dangerous problems as the reports have not been read or analyzed yet, but all of them concerned VA medical care provided to veterans or complaints of clinical misconduct.

The VA inspector general said they could not provide specifics for the apparent lack of transparency, as the inspector general has not analyzed the reports in full.

Catherine Gromek, the VA inspector general, advised requesting the reports under the Freedom of Information Act. USA Today submitted a request in January for 23 reports. Her office has maintained that officials are “working diligently” to fulfill the request.

The inspector general’s office noted that, in general, reports may not be released if allegations are unsubstantiated and disclosing them could damage someone’s reputation, when there is a pending lawsuit or when subjects of investigations are no longer working at the VA.

Officials from the inspector general’s office did review 26 reports withheld from the public since January 2014 and found less than half — 46% — involved unsubstantiated allegations. They said in 42% of the cases, inspectors determined VA officials had already addressed their concerns so a public report was unnecessary. One was the subject of a pending lawsuit.

However, these statistics and reasons for lack of transparency do not satisfy the many veterans and their families who continue to suffer through poor care, long waits, and a bevy of other issues at VA medical centers. And they should not satisfy the public either.

Read USA Today’s full report on the issue here:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/03/08/probes-of-veterans-health-care-often-not-released-to-public/24525109/

At Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC, we focus exclusively on veterans’ rights. If you are a veteran looking to get the benefits that you deserve, call us today at 1-800-693-4800. We handle a variety of claims, including PTSD, TBI, and other service-connected injuries. www.LegalHelpForVeterans.com

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Last year, the senator’s bill was defeated in Congress. Gillibrand’s bill sought to put the decision to prosecute sexual assault cases into the hands of prosecutors, not commanding officers. But those who dissented, including Senator Claire McCaskill, say that Gillibrand’s bill was examined by experts who agree that it would not create the desired effect of reducing military sexual assault and retaliation against survivors.

McCaskill introduced and successfully passed a bill last year that increased oversight of military sexual assault cases while keeping prosecutorial decision-making within the chain of command.

Generally, politicians, the public and the media agree that sexual assault and retaliation against those who report it are major problems in the military. The Department of Defense recently found that more than 60 percent of servicemembers who reported a sexual assault faced some form of retaliation.

The Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN) points out that in addition to retaliation from fellow servicemembers, survivors of military sexual assault face discrimination in having post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) claims approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). SWAN notes that survivors of military sexual trauma (MST) have their PTSD claims approved at a rate that is more than 20 percent lower than that of other PTSD claims.

While SWAN supports Gillibrand’s bill, it is also undertaking independent efforts to change VA evidentiary standards for MST-related PTSD claims. The group advocates for a policy that requires the same level of evidence for MST-related PTSD claims as for other PTSD claims — a standard that has been relaxed in recent years in order to help more veterans with valid claims get the treatment they need.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

According to the report, female veterans are more likely to be unemployed than male veterans or non-veteran women. They are more likely to be homeless than non-veteran women. In addition, fewer resources are available to women who need basic health care, PTSD treatment or treatment for military sexual trauma.

Nearly 300,000 women served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars after 9/11. In 2014, women represented 14.5 percent of active duty service members and 18 percent of reserve members, rates which are expected to increase in the future. Currently, 10.3 percent of all veterans are women.

The study found that female veterans received only 6 percent of domiciliary homeless care for veterans and of grant and per diem programs. They received only 4.4 percent of healthcare support for homeless veterans.

For female veterans, even basic medical care can be a challenge. A third of all Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers do not employ a gynecologist.

A large proportion of women in the military experience sexual trauma — up to 20 percent of women receiving VA healthcare. However, research shows that many veterans have their military sexual trauma claims denied. Meanwhile, there is a shortage of staff trained to treat this pervasive problem.

At the same time, women also suffer from issues that are common to all veterans, such as increased rates of mental health problems and systemic difficulties in receiving much-needed services.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

The study examined the effects of Sudarshan Kriya yoga on PTSD patients over the course of one year. Sudarshan Kriya focuses on breathing-based meditation. Twenty-one male Iraq/Afghanistan veterans diagnosed with PTSD participated in the study. Eleven participated in a seven-day program that included Sudarshan Kriya, meditation and group discussions, while 10 participants were used as a control group.

Up to 20 percent of America’s 2.3 million Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans suffer from PTSD. The effects are deadly: according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, at least 22 American veterans commit suicide each day.

Individuals suffering from PTSD suffer from anxiety, personality changes and flashbacks. They often feel jumpy and constantly on guard, a phenomenon known as hyper-arousal. Traditional treatment includes antidepressants and psychotherapy.

The veterans’ symptoms were evaluated one week prior to the program, followed by one week, one month and one year after the program. Of the veterans involved in the active program, seven continued to practice yoga afterwards.

The study found that the group that did yoga had fewer PTSD symptoms, and symptoms that did occur were less severe. They had lower anxiety, a lower respiratory rate and showed less hyper-arousal and greater regulation of emotions. The participants in the yoga group reported fewer intrusive memories, and most patients reported that while they experienced trauma during the yoga practice, the impact of the memories was lessened.

In the past, yoga has been demonstrated to be effective in reducing PTSD in tsunami survivors, as well as in the treatment of anxiety, depression and alcoholism.

The practice of yoga is founded in focusing on breathing and remaining in the present moment. Yoga practitioners are also trained in “intraception,” the practice of observing and understanding one’s internal state. In conjunction with other treatments, these tools may help individuals with PTSD to move away from negative thoughts.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your PTSD, TBI, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, TDIU, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

But less than a week later, a sole U.S. senator, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, placed a hold on the bill, stopping further progress of the bill until after the beginning of the new session of Congress in 2015.

Veterans groups such as Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) have expressed outrage over the delay. IAVA points out that on average, 22 veterans commit suicide each day, and that any delay in improving suicide prevention cost lives.

One Michigan veteran, Nicholas Hunt, published an editorial in the Lansing State Journal underlining the need for more suicide prevention resources in Michigan and exhorting Michigan legislators to do more.

In his editorial, Hunt pointed out that in Battle Creek, veterans endure wait time of up to five weeks to see a mental health professional. Hunt argues that all over the state of Michigan, more resources are needed to get psychological support to veterans faster.

Hunt chided Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow and Representative Tim Walberg for not co-sponsoring the bill. He calls on them both to pursue whatever actions they can to ensure that the bill is passed expediently in 2015.

The act is named for Clay Hunt, a veteran who committed suicide at the age of 28. Hunt, a veteran of Iraq and a Purple Heart recipient, struggled to receive appropriate service connections or care for his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). According to IAVA, he was unable to receive personal counseling. And it took 18 months for VA to respond to his appeal of his PTSD rating. VA finally accorded Hunt a 100 percent rating for his PTSD five weeks after he took his own life.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

INTRODUCTION

As I repeatedly tell clients, brain injuries often go undiagnosed following car wrecks or other accidents because doctors don’t usually know you well enough to make a pre-injury and post-injury comparison of your intelligence, emotional well-being, and general personality.  As a result, it’s often up to you or your family members to notice the symptoms of a brain injury and convey those to medical providers so you get the best care possible.  But to do that, you need to know the symptoms of brain injuries.  This series is designed to help you do that.

You may only realize that you or a family member has a brain injury because you notice changes in you or your family member’s behavior or emotional status.  Some of the common emotional or behavioral issues that we see from brain injuries are as follows:

Irritability.  Many survivors or friends of survivors find that the injured person is more irritable and much more easily angered.  The injured person may also have an angry response to a situation that is greatly out of proportion to what you would normally expect.

Impulsivity.  Many brain injury survivors have problems with impulse control.  They say things they wouldn’t normally say; they take physical actions they wouldn’t normally take; or they demonstrate poor judgment failing to fully think things out.

Affective instability.  Many persons with brain injuries show exaggerated displays of emotion that are way out of proportion to the situation or to the person’s pre-injury self.  As mentioned above, some persons become explosively angry at something that doesn’t seem justified.  Others may become extremely sad over something that doesn’t warrant such a response.

Apathy/Lack of Motivation.  Apathy is very common in persons with brain injuries.  One study has found that more than 60% of brain injury victims suffer some form of apathy.

Depression.  Some studies find that between 30 and 60 percent of brain injury victims have depression.  This doesn’t include the significant percentage of victims who experience some symptoms of depression, but not enough for a formal diagnoses.  Additionally, if victims had depression prior to their injury, a brain injury can make that depression much more severe.

Psychosis.  Psychosis is an infrequent (but high impact) occurrence with brain injuries.  Typical symptoms of psychosis might be delusions, hallucinations, or schizophrenia-like problems.  As I said, these are rare problems in brain injuries, but when they occur, they are very problematic for the affected person.

General Anxiety Disorder. Many brain injury victims describe feelings of anxiety.  If a person has experience anxiety before their injury, then they are much more likely to experience even worse anxiety after the injury.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  A small percentage of brain injury victims develop OCD after their injury.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  There are a number of studies finding that victims of brain injuries are also likely to experience PTSD.  This is a problem that is being highlighted by the experiences of our soldiers in the middle east conflicts.  PTSD is also problematic because it makes recovery much more difficult.

Substance Abuse.  Several studies find that victims of brain injuries are much more likely to experience substance use disorders.

Dementia.  There are substantial studies finding that brain injuries both increase the likelihood that the victim develops dementia and also may result in earlier-onset dementia for those who are already pre-disposed to developing dementia.

For couples, a healthy sexual relationship can be a source of joy and resilience throughout life. However, that relationship can become difficult to maintain in light of the issues many veterans face when returning from combat.

According to at least two studies of veterans who served after 9/11, about one in three suffer from erectile dysfunction or other forms of sexual dysfunction. The risk is three times higher among veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The causes of the problems are multifactorial. Medication can be an issue. The average American veteran uses 17 prescription medications, some of which are known to affect sexuality. Most psychiatric drugs, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac and Zoloft, are associated with lower sexual interest, difficulty becoming aroused and difficulty achieving orgasm.

Additionally, PTSD is strongly associated with sexual dysfunction. Among other issues, PTSD sufferers can find it difficult to be intimate with others, sexually or platonically. Although treatment for PTSD will sometimes resolve sexual problems as well, sometimes specific treatment aimed at improving sexual function is necessary.

Finally, many health care providers fail to discuss or treat sexual problems. Health care providers are more likely to detect problems when they take the time to discuss the effects of combat service on the likelihood of later sexual dysfunction with patients, rather than briefly asking about whether or not the veteran has erectile dysfunction.

There are a number of effective treatments available for sexual dysfunction. Treatment for sexual dysfunction includes medication, therapy and even surgery. There are also adaptive devices available for veterans who have injuries that would affect their sex lives, including missing arms or legs.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Later in the flight, the situation escalated. Calley was travelling with Sun, his service dog, who is trained to respond to Calley in moments of stress. During an period of turbulence, Sun put her front paws up on the empty seat next to Calley. A flight attendant came in from another cabin and began yelling at Calley about the dog’s conduct. Other passengers, including a fellow veteran, found the steward’s approach so rude and unwarranted that they began to speak up for Calley and Sun, pointing out that the dog was not bothering anyone. The Lansing State Journal reports that nearly a dozen passengers filed complaints about the steward’s conduct upon disembarking.

US Airways has since apologized, although the airline refuse to reveals what measures have been taken in response to the incident.  

Calley is determined to turn the incident into a platform for good. He told his story to reporter Louise Knott Ahern of the Lansing State Journal to raise awareness about the need for service animals for veterans with PTSD in Michigan.

Calley described to Ahern how the use of a service animal has helped him. The dog monitors his heart rate, breathing and tension levels, and she intervenes by providing calming contact when necessary. Calley says that the dog is able to pull him out of difficult moments, including flashbacks.

But he also says that in Michigan, veterans in need of service dogs must go through a waiting list that is two years long.

In order to combat this problem, Calley works with an organization called Liberty’s Legacy, which aims to make more service dogs available to Michigan veterans. In an addendum to her article, Ahern points out that the organization benefit from penny drives held at schools, and that any school can volunteer to hold a drive for Liberty’s Legacy.

Ahern encourages people interested in supporting Liberty’s Legacy to contact her through the Lansing State Journal, so that she may connect with Calley for further information.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

This initiative follows a recent directive to the Army’s Review Board Agency (ARBA) to help those veterans whose discharges were under “other than honorable” conditions, and who assert that they suffered from PTSD or related conditions that might have facilitated the misconduct that led to their discharge.

While this directive is focused on those veterans who served before PTSD was a recognized as a debilitating medical condition, it applies to all veterans (who have “other than honorable” discharges). This comes as welcome news for the thousands of Vietnam-era veterans who may have been given punitive discharges as a result of their conduct caused by PTSD.

The ARBA is the Army’s highest level of administrative review for actions taken by lower level organizations, and it includes several boards that hear claims of soldiers and veterans who appeal unfavorable information in their personnel records – which include discharge statuses for veterans.

Upgrading one’s discharge can be crucial for veterans seeking benefits offered by Veterans Affairs. Less than honorable and other than honorable discharges are very often a disqualifying factor from benefits.

Veterans’ organizations, like the Vietnam Veterans of America, estimate that one third of the 250,000 other than honorable discharges issued to Vietnam-era veterans may have been PTSD-related. Three veterans organizations, along with five Vietnam-era combat veterans, recently filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking relief for those tens of thousands of veterans who fall into that category.

Under the new directive, veterans who were previously denied upgrades can re-apply and the ARBA will consider the case on a blank slate. However, this only applies to veterans with other than honorable discharges, and not those who were discharged under “less than honorable” conditions due to serious infractions.

While we do not work on discharge upgrades, if you have a VA disability claim you can contact attorney Kristina Derro at (800) 693-4800.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

The report also claims evidence that an overwhelming number of veterans who are aware of the opportunity to resubmit a claim may choose not to do so because they perceive the process to be too complex to navigate.

In 2011, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) conducted random sampling, discovering that more than one in four MST-related claims had been improperly denied. If the sample accurately represents claims made over the last several decades, thousands of survivors of military sexual assault were denied benefits in error.

In response, the VBA created a 2013 initiative to allow resubmission of all denied MST-related claims. However, the initiative has not been widely publicized, and the GAO’s new report asserts that when the VBA did notify some veterans of the opportunity to submit a claim, the letter that was mailed was confusing and lacked essential contact information.

Meanwhile, criticism of the VBA’s handling of MST-related claims continues to mount. The Veterans Administration (VA) has faced a barrage of lawsuits alleging discrimination against victims of military sexual trauma.

Since 2008, data have shown that year over year, MST-related PTSD claims are denied more frequently than combat-related PTSD claims — despite medical experts’ testimony that sexual assault is even more likely to result in PTSD than combat. The new report from the GAO affirms that while more MST-related claims are now being approved, their approval rate still lags behind that of combat-related PTSD claims.

One of the reasons widely cited for the difficulty in approving MST-related claims is the struggle to provide evidence that sexual trauma occurred. Embarrassment and fear of retaliation cause many servicemembers to conceal an incident.  

The most recent lawsuit, filed by the Yale Law School’s Veteran’s Legal Service Clinic, is seeking to make a servicemember’s own testimony sufficient to establish that an incident of military sexual trauma did occur.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

What makes the study particularly comprehensive is the fact that it followed service members through their adult lives, and it has served to buttress many of the arguments that were made in the wake of the VA’s first analysis on the subject of the mental injuries as a result of war, which was released in 1992. That landmark study surveyed 2,348 Vietnam veterans and ushered in the acceptance of PTSD as a potential consequence of the traumatic experience of military service during a war. (2)

The government’s acknowledgment of PTSD as a plausible downside of experiencing the traumas of war is, perhaps surprisingly, a relatively recent development. While Washington’s acceptance of the condition has legitimized PTSD-linked disability claims, there remain many veterans suffering from PTSD who have yet to avail themselves of the benefits they have earned and could use to help them cope with the disorder.

According to the VA study, a vast majority of veterans with PTSD do learn to cope with the disorder, but most of those who do not — accounting for 11 percent of all Vietnam vets who were surveyed — would have to endure the deleterious effects of PTSD for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, the study also found that the lives of more than 18 percent of veterans afflicted with PTSD are cut short by retirement age, a percentage that is about double that of those vets not suffering the disorder. (3) The VA’s study has shed more light on how many veterans have been impacted by PTSD and, in the case of many of them, for a long time.  More research on understanding what could be the causes of long-term affliction with PTSD is welcome, but in the meantime there is an immediate need for all vets with PTSD to seek the benefits they are entitled to, regardless of when they served in the armed forces.

www.TampaVeteransLawyer.com

David W. Magann, P.A.

813-657-9175

Source: (1), (2), (3) The New York Times 2014

Unfortunately, treatment does not ensure that veterans are feeling any better. A new study, commissioned by the American Legion, suggests that nearly two-thirds of veterans report no improvement or worse symptoms after treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI).

The organization is calling for a larger, multi-step research program to confirm these findings and develop effective long-term solutions.  

But the study also found that 30 percent of veterans stopped treatment before the end of their treatment plan. 

The consequences of dropping out of treatment can be dire. A recent House Veterans Affairs Committee heard the testimony of parents whose sons, struggling with PTSD and TBI treatment, had committed suicide.

The American Legion has argued that more professionals must be trained specifically to treat PTSD and TBI. A new federal bill will provide loans for those pursuing a career in mental health with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Many veterans affected by PTSD and TBI do not even seek treatment. But getting more veterans into treatment may not matter if the quality of care cannot be improved. As veteran Army sergeant Josh Rensler testified before the House Committee, “[The VA] must dramatically improve its mental health care delivery. Access is an issue, but we have to ask ourselves, “Access to what?””

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

In 2012, Washington and Colorado became the first two states to legalize, regulate and tax recreational possession of cannabis. The laws in those states permit a person 21 years of age to buy up to one ounce of the drug at authorized storefronts. These existing laws are close cousins to laws regulating the use of alcohol and nicotine: smokers may not smoke in public, employees may not work under the influence and states may have blood test limits relating to driving under the influence.

Since the advent of medical marijuana use, many states have limited forms of punishment for possession of cannabis to a small fine. California took the lead to legalize marijuana for medical use in 1996 and gave the nod to storefront dispensaries in 2004.

In 2014, 21 states and Washington, D.C. have laws in place allowing residents to use the drug for medical reasons. Florida is not one of those states.

Medical use may include smoking cannabis for cancer, epilepsy, PTSD, HIV/AIDS, glaucoma, intractable pain and severe nausea. More than 30 million people across the United States use cannabis as prescribed by a physician and under the wing of the appropriate state legislation.

Despite what state laws may allow, marijuana use, growth, sale and distribution is still illegal under federal law. Cannabis is classified as a dangerous drug offering no medical benefits. Therefore, possessing marijuana, no matter what laws exist in your state, is federally illegal. However, those laws are rarely enforced due to lack of federal personnel who consider it a high priority.

The federal government has often looked the other way, effectively allowing state-regulated marijuana sales to flourish. But in some cases, the government has decided to challenge state laws, suggesting that they are pre-empted by existing federal law. Penalties may be used to bring states back into line with the federal position, including withholding funds for states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use.

The laws relating to marijuana vary depending on where you live, and they are constantly in a state of flux. If you live in Orlando and are arrested for hash or cannabis offenses, you need a criminal defense attorney to mitigate or attempt to get your case thrown out of court, to ensure that you retain your driver’s license, to negotiate for probation where possible and to attempt to reduce prison time if the case has solid evidence.

Thomas C .Grajek is a criminal defense lawyer in Tampa, Lakeland, and Polk County Florida. To contact a Lakeland criminal defense lawyer or to learn more, visit http://www.flcrimedefense.com/ or call 863-688-4606.

Stiggy’s Dogs is a great charity dedicated to helping get veterans – and dogs – back on their feet. Stiggy’s rescues and trains shelter dogs to be psychiatric service dogs for military veterans living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The service is at no cost to the veterans.

The veteran-dog match making charity scored some nice publicity on Channel 4 recently (you can check out the report online at: http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/live-in-the-d/Live-in-the-D-Stiggy-s-Dogs/26726778).

 While the charity has experienced growth in recent years, their mission has always been the same: to reintegrate veterans back into society. Veterans are matched with the dogs, and they train together for six months to one year, with each dog individually trained to meet its veteran’s unique needs.

With recent studies showing that one in eight soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan will experience some form of PTSD symptoms, the work of Stiggy’s Dogs is becoming even more important and pressing.

Stiggy’s Dogs was founded by Jennifer Petre in memory of her nephew, Benjamin (“Doc Stiggy”) Castiglione. Doc Stiggy dedicated his life to preserving and improving the physical and emotional health of those serving in his unit, and all who serve. He gave his life working as a Hospital Corpsman Third Class (HM3) in Southern Afghanistan, taking care of “his Marines” until September of 2009.

Since its founding, the charity has rescued countless dogs in addition to helping veterans. There are an estimated five million dogs sitting in shelters across America, many of whom will be euthanized. Many of these dogs could make an excellent service dog for a veteran living with PTSD or a TBI.

By uniting these dogs with those who have served our country, Stiggy’s Dogs is “Rescuing One to Rescue Another.”

Brigadier General Carol Ann Fausone (ret.) and the team at Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC has had the pleasure of working with Stiggy’s Dogs and helping them grow over the years. General Fausone currently serves on their board of directors. Please visit www.stiggysdogs.org to learn more about how you can help!

Like Stiggy’s Dogs on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stiggysdogs

And Follow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StiggysDogs

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

A new study released Thursday has started to unveil the brutal legacy that has been left on members of the U.S military and its veterans after more than a decade of war.

The study found that over the past year, on average, each service member visited the doctor more than once a month. This marks the highest rate ever for out-patient treatment of U.S. military members.

Doctors have encountered out-patient visits at a shocking pace of 14 out-patient visits per service member in the past year of 2013. This is a whopping 60% increase from average out-patients visits by U.S. military members in 2004.

Among the most frequently treated problems, more than 20 million out-patient visits by troops were primarily for joint and back problems and mental disorders.  Rates for both of these ailments have increased by 30% since 2009.

The study also found that women in the service visited doctors more frequently than their male counterparts, even after discounting issues related to pregnancy. The most common behavioral health problems men were treated for were alcoholism, anxiety, and adjustment issues.  For women, the most common issues were anxiety, adjustment disorders, and depression.

 The negative effects of war on the health of those serving in the military are becoming ever more apparent. Veterans who have served are struggling through a growing list of medical problems, making the need for veteran aid more apparent.

With this new study, and reports of poor veteran treatment like the “secret waiting list” at the Phoenix VA*, this country needs to renew its dedication to properly caring for those who have protected our freedoms in times of war.

*Read LHFV’s past post on the “secret waiting list” issue here: http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/2014/04/an-absolute-disgrace-veterans-dying-on-va-hospitals-secret-list/

You can read more in the Army Times article here: http://www.armytimes.com/article/20140508/BENEFITS06/305080052/Troops-go-doctors-more-than-ever-new-survey-shows

To read the full report, check out the April edition of the Pentagon’s Medical Surveillance Monthly Report. It can be found here: http://phc.amedd.army.mil/PHC%20Resource%20Library/MSMRv21_n04.pdf

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your PTSD, TBI, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, TDIU, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Whatever the cause of homelessness among veterans, the statistics are clear: while veterans constitute only 7 percent of the general population nationally, they account for 13 percent of the adult homeless population. In short, veterans are twice as likely as the civilian population to become homeless.

Unfortunately, two traits common among veterans — a sense of pride that discourages seeking help and a lack of awareness of job and housing programs — often combine to make former members of the military more likely to struggle onward without a home. And, as is the case for many homeless individuals, job loss, extenuating circumstances and divorce are common causal factors that make the struggle even worse.

Nationwide, 140,000 homeless veterans stayed in a shelter at some point in 2012, according to the Department of Housing and Development. And an extraordinarily high number of them are socially isolated upon arrival.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that 96 percent of veterans arrive at shelters alone and without family. The lack of a social support network can be especially devastating for a demographic group with an already high percentage of individuals with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

There are programs in Michigan, including the Grand-Rapids-based nonprofit housing agency Community Rebuilders, that help homeless veterans find housing. Legal Help for Veterans stands ready to help veterans secure the benefits that can assist them in their time of need. They have earned our support through their service to our country.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your PTSD, TBI, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, TDIU, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Jim Fausone, Esq.

Veteran Disability Lawyer

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a widely accepted disability today and I have been writing on the topic frequently. It was not always so. Now the condition is at the center of a lawsuit against the US Military. The lawsuit, which seeks class action status, could ultimately affect tens of thousands of veterans.

Five Vietnam War veterans sued the U.S.military on Monday, March 3, saying they were denied some veterans services after receiving other-than-honorable discharges for actions that resulted from PTSD.

The lawsuit called on the military to upgrade the discharges of veterans of the conflict who suffer from PTSD. Veterans need an honorable discharge status to receive benefits and services. However, the military did not recognize PTSD in the 1960s and 70s at the time of Vietnam.

According to the lawsuit, “The military gave these service members other than honorable discharges based on poor conduct such as unauthorized absence without leave, shirking, using drugs, or lashing out at comrades or superior officers. These behaviors, however, are typical of those who have recently experienced trauma and were symptoms of the veterans’ underlying, undiagnosed PTSD.”

The lawsuit further notes that theUSarmed forces now have procedures in place to diagnose PTSD and will offer honorable discharges to soldiers, sailors and airmen who suffer from the condition, but have not retroactively applied those benefits to Vietnam veterans.

The men involved in the lawsuit were 17-20 years old when they enlisted in 1967-70, and all are in their 60s today. One was the victim of a poison gas attack on his first day inVietnam, and another’s duties included sorting through body parts of soldiers killed in combat.

Law students working in Yale’s Veterans Legal Services Clinic prepared the suit on behalf of the five veterans.

After repeatedly running into cases of veterans with PTSD who were effectively being denied benefits because of their condition, the law clinic decided to file suit. We applaud this effort and we recognize the problem is real and the court solution maybe a long shot.

At Legal Help For Veterans, our experienced staff can also help with PTSD claims. You can learn more about our PTSD veterans’ services at our website, http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/practice-areas/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/.

To read more about this lawsuit, see the Reuters report at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/03/us-usa-veterans-ptsd-idUSBREA2225S20140303

Also check out LHFV’s past blog on changing the stigma behind PTSD for veterans:

http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/2014/03/a-new-way-to-erase-the-ptsd-stigma-for-vets/

We often report on the issues and hardships facing our nation’s veterans. But what many don’t realize is the impact these returning veterans have on families and their children. Life goes on after and life beyond the touching homecoming video clip or news report and it is not always a “happily-ever-after” scenario.

It’s estimated that as many as 5 million kids have had a parent or sibling serve inIraqorAfghanistansince 9/11. Approximately 30%, or 1.5 million, of those kids are significantly more likely to consider suicide and have mental health problems compared to non-military kids.

A recent 60 Minutes report told the story of 15 year old Abigail Barton, who expected her father, an Iraq War veteran, to return home and still be the “fun parent” that he was before he left. That was not the case.

Abigail’s older brother, Alex, attempted to commit after his dad returned home. Their mother said it has been “devastating” for her kids to see the changes in their father as he deals with the post-traumatic stress ofIraq. It is as if they, too, are dealing with PTSD.

And sadly, the Barton kids receive no help from their school or the VA.

The VA spent almost $500 million last year for PTSD treatments for veterans of Iraqand Afghanistan. But their family members may receive counseling “if determined to be essential to the effective treatment and readjustment of the veteran.”

Simply put, veterans’ kids who have mental health issues are largely on their own, if they get help at all. Compounding the problem is a lack of awareness on this issue.

Christal Presley, who has started a group called United Children of Veterans, had a similar experience with her father, Delmer Presley, a Vietnam veteran. “While my dad was hiding away in his room, I would lock myself away in my room,” Christal said in the 60 Minutes report. “I would vacillate between depression and rage just like my father.”

Then, at the age of 30, Christal began picking up the phone to get her father to talk about the war. After dozens of phone calls, slowly, her father began opening up. And talking helped both Christal and her father.

After a lifetime of silence, Christal dared to go public and shared her story in a blog that went viral and eventually became a book. She’s received emails from thousands of veterans and the children of veterans as far back as WW II. “I think part of me still feels the relief of, ‘Christal, you’re not alone,’” she told 60 Minutes. “And the other part of me feels so sad, because I wasn’t alone.”

Christal says that now she understands that talking and sharing your story can be a matter of life and death.

The stories of veterans’ lives upended by PTSD are all too familiar, however, we should not forget about their children whose stories are unknown – and children who are on their own in dealing with their mental health issues.

You can learn more about Christal Presley’s United Children of Veterans at her website, http://unitedchildrenofveterans.com/.

Watch the 60 Minutes report here: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/collateral-damage-the-mental-health-issues-facing-children-of-veterans/

Former President George W. Bush offered an interesting take on erasing the stigma that comes along with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for military veterans: drop the “D” in PTSD.

At a summit convened on veterans’ issues, the former President said that the condition has been mislabeled a “disorder” and that simply calling it “post-traumatic stress” would go a long way toward removing the stigma for veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The summit was organized by the George W. Bush Institute — the former President’s policy think tank — to highlight how Americans can more effectively help the 2.5 million post-9/11 veterans move to civilian life.

It’s estimated that 11-20% of Veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from PTSD, in addition to about 10% of Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm) vets, and about 30% of Vietnam vets. The condition has serious consequences beyond that of veterans’ health, especially their ability to find a job when returning home.

“Employers would not hesitate to hire an employee being treated for a medical condition like diabetes or high blood pressure,” said Bush. “And they should not hesitate to hire veterans with post-traumatic stress.”

While others, including high-ranking military officials have previously called for such a change, Bush is the most prominent individual to suggest that PTSD be viewed from a different angle.

Due to the stigma of the condition being a “disorder” – which makes it seem permanent – some veterans are reluctant to get help, while others are unaware of treatment options. Doctors who have been pushing for a name change — perhaps to “post-traumatic stress injury” — praised Bush’s stand as major progress.

PTSD can develop after a trauma in which an individual is harmed or feels the threat of physical harm – which can be triggered by events such as combat or by sexual harassment. Key aspects of the condition are recurring symptoms, such as reliving the event or avoiding situations reminiscent of the event.

Bush was also joined by Jill Biden, wife of vice president Joe Biden, as well as high-ranking military officials, non-profits and representatives from businesses such as Bank of America and 7-Eleven. Hopefully this push to erase the “D” from PTSD will continue and yield results – our veterans deserve it, and we owe it to them.

Read more on former-President Bush’s speech here: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20140219-bush-wants-change-in-how-ptsd-is-handled.ece?nclick_check=1

For an overview of PTSD basics, check out the VA’s PTSD informational page: http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/basics/how-common-is-ptsd.asp

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

However, the link between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the risk of IBS is a real concern for veterans, according to national medical researchers. The Department of Veterans Affairs has determined that IBS is a disorder that can be classified as a disability if related to military service – though the exact cause of the syndrome is difficult to pinpoint.

“The link between being a veteran and having a higher risk of IBS is unclear, partly because the underlying cause [of IBS] is unclear” says Dr. Phillip Schoenfeld, a University of Michigan medical school professor and expert in gastroenterology, including IBS.

Certainly, stress induced from service during wartime may exacerbate symptoms by inducing chemical and hormonal changes. For example, one research finding is that female veterans suffering from PTSD are much more likely to have IBS than female veterans who don’t have PTSD, says Dr. Schoenfeld, who leads the gastroenterology division at the Ann Arbor VA hospital.

In 2010, Congress did request the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences to begin a comprehensive review of best treatments for chronic multi-symptom illnesses, or CMI, faced by Gulf War veterans. The report confirmed a growing consensus that no “specific causal factor” will be identified for IBS, however “stress and crowded war theater conditions” that may exacerbate the spreading of infections are suggested as triggers for IBS.

Whatever the cause, the correlation between PTSD and IBS is no laughing matter for veterans. “Irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder that really compromises the daily lives of veterans,” Dr. Schoenfeld says.

Schoenfeld further notes that while it is difficult to put a value on what disorders need more research dollars, IBS is not one that should be dismissed as having a negligible impact on veterans’ lives.

Learn more about the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences’ study on CMI illnesses here: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13539

Read more on the issue of PTSD and IBS here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2014/01/16/263087761/doctors-say-reid-request-for-bowel-research-money-no-joke

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Unfortunately, homelessness among former members of the armed services is not all that uncommon. The Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that, on any given night, there are 57,849 homeless veterans. During the course of a year, about twice as many veterans endure homelessness at least once.

The vast majority of homeless veterans are male (about 92 percent), and a majority are single, urban dwellers suffering from alcohol abuse, substance abuse and/or other disorders. Veterans account for approximately 13 percent of the homeless population in the United States.

The causes of homelessness among veterans are many: a lack of affordable housing, insufficient income, difficulties in transferring military skills into a post-military professional environment and an absence or shortage of a supportive network of family and friends.

Among all possible causes, two of the most telling are inadequate access to health care and the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These causes suggest that many of the delays in diagnosis and treatment at Veterans Administration health care facilities — as well as restricted eligibility requirements and less-than-prompt care for veterans with PTSD — are taking a greater toll on veterans than one might imagine.

In Michigan, the Detroit-based Michigan Veterans Foundation assists homeless veterans to stabilize their lives and regain their self-sufficiency by offering temporary housing. But a more comprehensive, national effort is needed to help veterans find housing, to provide them with nutritious meals, to get them the health care and counseling they need, and to offer them more options for job counseling, training and placement.

Only then will this nation begin offer a better chance and a more hospitable welcome for our military heroes.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

In most cases, dementia is typically linked to a degenerative brain disease. That presumption may be about to be challenged by a U.S. psychiatrist who has discovered a connection between dementia, TBI and PTSD. All signs point to war veterans having twice the normal chances of developing dementia, largely due to their exposure to head pounding sound waves from improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The latest research is pointing to serious brain injury as being the link to an increased risk of dementia and, by extrapolation, hastening the onset of Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is usually associated with the build-up of tau protein in the brain. Speculation has it that brain injuries are also precursors to tau build-up, or that the TBI is a precipitating factor in opening the door for Alzheimer’s. This observation would then be applicable to those who play contact sports and suffer a large number of serious concussions.

The group, led by Dr. Kristine Yaffe, was the first to prove that there is a connection between PTSD and a risk of developing dementia. However, they are not the only group to have come to the same conclusion.

While researchers are not certain about the precise mechanism of the detected linkages, they believe that chronic stress, such as that experienced in a battle zone, or changes within the brain, are the potential precursors to dementia/Alzheimer’s. This raises an interesting question. If PTSD were to be successfully treated, would that lower the risk of dementia?

This isn’t a question that can be answered any time soon, and most of the men and women who have TBI and/or PTSD would need to be cognitively monitored as they age. Are there solutions for coping with these diseases? Currently, while there is some progress in treating vets and sports victims with brain injuries, not much can help mitigate the ongoing battle they face every day to regain what was once a normal life.

While research is ongoing and funding is in place to address these issues, only time will weigh in with answers. Recently, there was a $60 million project, funded by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD), to track down the links between neurological degeneration and TBI. It’s a can of worms that once opened may lead to some form of assistance for those who have sustained head injuries that have robbed them of the ability to be, think and act they way they used to.

What is the connection between TBI and the law? In the sports arena, if players are not adequately informed of the risks of playing, even with a good helmet, and are repeatedly sent on to the playing field despite having sustained a concussion, and they develop dementia, the negligence of the coach and team owners come under scrutiny. Should their case win in court, they may be awarded compensation for their injuries.

Perlmutter & Schuelke, LLP is one of the premier trial firms in Austin Texas. Contact a personal injury lawyer by calling 512-476-4944 or learn more at http://www.civtrial.com/.

Unfortunately, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an all too common condition for soldiers returning home after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Many veterans choose to seek counseling to cope with this and other effects of their service overseas.

Recently, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) began a program by which these therapy sessions are conducted over the internet.  The veterans can see and interact with their counselor through a video-chat program such as Skype or Cisco Jabber.

In the long term, veterans using this “Skype therapy” progressed at the same rate as veterans receiving traditional face-to-face therapy.  Traditional therapy is never going away – but this new online therapy is only going to get bigger.

Of course, there can be technical problems with online therapy such as pixilation, choppiness, and freezing.  If the internet connection is lost, that will end the session.  In one case, a study found that a therapist did not notice for three sessions that his patient was in a wheelchair.  Some also believe that this new approach will decrease empathy because the therapist is unable to shake the patient’s hand, hand tissue to a crying patient, or otherwise physically interact with the patient.

Even with the drawbacks, this new approach is certainly a blessing for veterans who do not live near a VA hospital or clinic.  These veterans will now have the ability to get the treatment they need from the comfort of their own home.

If you have questions about PTSD or benefits for veterans, contact Legal Help For Veterans, a practice group of Fausone Bohn, LLP, at 800-693-4800 or online at www.legalhelpforveterans.com.

To learn more about the VA’s new online therapy program, please visit: http://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/skype-therapy-it-s-working-for-veterans-1.229089#.Udg7dhg-uZk.gmail

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Veterans have to really prove up PTSD to VA rating officials to receive about $25,000 a year in disability payments.  But here is a report of a student locked up and forgotten by DEA for five days and he gets $4.1 million from the federal government.  This is not fair.

A UC San Diego student who was forgotten in a Drug Enforcement Administration interrogation room for five days without food or water described the incident as a “really, really bad, horrible accident.”

Daniel Chong, 25, will receive $4.1 million from the government to settle his claim.  For reasons that remain unclear, Chong was left for five days in a 5-by-10-foot windowless room without food, water or toilet facilities after being swept up in a campus raid on April 20, 2012.

He claims his quick weight loss allowed him to slip out of a pair of handcuffs.  He also claims to have suffered hallucinations and having to drink his own urine to survive. He tried to break a fire sprinkler to get water but failed. He screamed for help but soon became too weak.

DEA employees found him covered in his own feces and severely dehydrated.

Veterans are stuck pursuing claims within an administrative system.  Maybe if they had the right to file a civil suit, they could settle for fair and large dollar amounts.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your PTSD, TBI, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, TDIU, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

The unusual number of sports players who experienced TBI (traumatic brain injury) and later committed suicide, and the number of military vets who experienced TBI while in combat and later committed suicide may not be a coincidence, say researchers.

“Research on traumatic brain injury is of utmost concern right now for veteran disability advocates,” commented veterans disability lawyer James Fausone.

A new study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry has proposed a link between multiple concussions or traumatic brain injuries and suicidal actions later. In addition, the researchers found that a significant number of the men who experienced military-related TBI had a sports-playing history, which indicates that they may have experienced TBI on the playing field years earlier, as well.

The study, conducted by an Air Force psychologist, looked at 161 individuals sent to his clinic for suspected concussions. Those interviewed were asked about any history of head trauma, any battles with depression, PTSD or struggling with suicidal thoughts. The study concluded that many of the head injuries referenced by the study participants, in some cases as many as 6 injuries by one individual, were sustained prior to military service. Approximately 20 percent of the study participants reported that they experience concussion during their basic training, and some reports that they had sustained as many as 15 different head injuries during their tour of duty.

Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression are both high-risk factors for suicide, and combat experience typically would only increase their severity, said the researchers. Individuals who already experience one or both of these conditions and then join the service would explain why there are such high levels of suicide in the Armed Forces.

The researchers suggest that head trauma may set up a pre-existing disposition towards suicidal idealization or action which is then exacerbated by additional head trauma during combat. Exposure to an IED (improvised explosive device) buffets the brain within the skull by concussive shock waves, which can cause bleeding in the brain at numerous, hard-to-detect sites, causing damage. Subtle traumatic brain injury can be impossible to detect by an average physical; it is possible that many military personnel entered the service well enough to serve, and then subsequent damage further made them more susceptible to suicidal thoughts than someone who had not sustained sports-related concussions or other head injuries.

Source

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/foreign-affairs-defense/a-new-link-between-traumatic-brain-injury-and-suicide/

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your PTSD, TBI, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, TDIU, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

A new study has determined that vets with mental health conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression typically must wait an average of two years after returning from deployment before their mental health issues are addressed by Veterans Affairs.

 ”When the vets do begin to receive mental health treatment, the study also found that care is often fragmented and not as effective as is needed,” commented veterans disability lawyer James Fausone.

The study, published in the journal Psychiatric Services in December 2012, looked at vets of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars between 2001and 2011 processed by Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers.  These men and women typically were given with eight sessions of mental health treatment, a number considered far lower than that in the civilian population looking for PTSD or depression support, and widely considered “minimally adequate.” Seventy-five percent of vets who went to the VA for support did not even receive what researchers dubbed “minimally adequate care.”

Numerous issues may delay mental health care for veterans, including the social stigma that still may longer around mental health issues for some people, including concern that seeking care may jeopardize future job prospects. The overburdened VA system also means that many vets have long waits to get appointments for initial assessment; the average wait for a mental health evaluation at the VA was 50 days, according to a 2012 report from the VA’s inspector general.

The VA has announced that it is adding additional staff and partnering with community health centers to broaden support for veterans in their communities; 15 clinics in sevenU.S.states are now able to treat veterans with the VA’s approval.

But more is needed, say mental health advocates.  The VA inspector general’s report found that approximately 30 percent of high-risk (i.e., potential suicidal) vets were not receiving the mandated multiple follow-up mental health visits within 30 days after an emergency hospitalization. There was no documented contact by the VA of even reaching out to those vets to remind them of follow-up appointments.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/31/for-veterans-mental-health-care-often-fragmented/

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Sometimes we get asked: “Why do I need a law firm to help on my disability claims the doctors agree?”  About thirty years ago, I learned a very valuable lesson from a wise old trial judge.  Judge Stacey leaned over the bench and said in a stern voice, “keep talking counselor and you could lose this motion!”  You have to know when you have won and then shut up, sit down and claim the victory.  It is human nature to keep talking and trying to answer questions, even if not asked.  But, more often than not you just give the other side ammunition not to agree with you.

Controlling the flow of information to VA is equally important.  An example recently occurred with John Q. Veteran.  On May 5^th he underwent a complete PTSD review.  Upon our office reading the Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) form, we found the rating physician wrote “Total occupational and social impairment.”  This was one of those occasions the VA Comp & Pen report says everything you need.

A month later, John Q. Veteran went to his treating physician and received a letter addressed to the Department of Education that stated he is “totally disabled and is unable to work in any capacity.”

The PhD psychologist was specific and detailed in her conclusions.  The treating physician’s statement was general and for some other purpose.  If you sent in the physician’s statement, it may give VA a reason to stop focusing on the controlling DBQ and send out for consideration of the physician’s statement.  It is time to sit down and wait for the win.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your PTSD, TBI, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, TDIU, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

A number of groups representing military associations and vet service organizations had lobbied the White House to instruct the Defense Department to lower the ranking of the new drone medal. They would like the Distinguished Warfare Medal to be ranked below the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

The Distinguished Warfare Medal had been announced by former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. The new Defense Secretary, Chuck Hagel, then asked the Pentagon to review the metal’s ranking after public outcry. The 19 organizations banded together as part of the request stated in their letter to president Obama that they would like the Distinguished Warfare metal to be demoted to below the Purple Heart, and were soliciting the president’s “personal involvement.”

The groups included The American Legion, The Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans of America, and other associations representing both active duty and reserve duty members of the Navy, Army, Air Force and Marines.

The Distinguished Warfare Medal was to be awarded to recognize the actions of the drone pilots and cyber warfare specialists when they have “a direct impact” on operations of combat. But critics said they were concerned that decorating a service member who may be hundreds or even thousands of miles from active action would be given precedence over those who risk their lives and are not fighting from remote, secure locations.

The Distinguished Warfare Medal was to rank just below the valor award that is the Distinguished Flying Cross, and above the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Drone operators and cyber warriors can contribute tremendously to any combat operation in which they are involved, critics agreed, but they argued that the proposed new medal awarded to individuals who do not physically serve in a war zone and yet would be ranked above injury and valor medals from physical combat seemed unjust.

President Obama could, as Commander-In-Chief, order the medal’s ranking be changed or direct the Defense Secretary to do so, said former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Lawrence Korb. But with the Department of Defense withdrawing the plan, neither Obama nor Hagel needed to do so.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your PTSD, TBI, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, TDIU, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your PTSD, TBI, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, TDIU, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

The wars in Iraqa and Afghanistan have dragged on for over a decade now. Since 2001, the U.S. has sent more than 2.2 million troops to battle, more than 6,600 were killed, and 50,000 were injured. This is a dismal reality of war.

However, the strides that have been made in medicine as a result of the war are astounding. The signature wounds of both conflicts, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), have led the Department of Defense to apportion hundreds of millions of dollars for research studies and treatment.

In the past six years, the Department of Defense has invested a minimum of $2.7 billion in understanding psychological and neurological injuries. $700 million has been apportioned for TBI research which has included an effort to develop a portable diagnostic tool for TBIs. Additional funding has gone towards researching combat wounds that failed to heal, partly attributable to unique bacteria present in Afghanistan.

The VA has its own set of priorities when it comes to researching. The VA is currently faced with rehabilitating veterans who have suffered complex wounds and are considered “polytrauma”, those who have sustained injuries to more than one organ system, or have severe brain injuries, or are amputees, or were severely burned. VA has worked on improving how it coordinates care to this group of veterans. It’s also worked on developing hearing and vision implants as well as robotic prosthetic devices. It even has pioneered its own TBI program which explores different treatment modalities like personalized medicine and nerve regeneration.

There are challenges in coordinating massive research programs and implementing them for our troops and veterans. A January 2012 report by the Government Accountability Office found that the Department of Defense’s mental health and TBI research needed better quality control mechanisms to report financial data. However, despite these limitations, some of the world’s best researchers and massive amounts of money are being utilized in an attempt to assist our nation’s troops and veterans.