TBI Blog: TBI Legislation and "Patient's Advocates"

Jack Sisson's TBI Blog

A hug is duct tape for the soul.

From ABC NEWs:

April 11, 2007— "Where do I go to get my brain back?"

That's what a member of the armed services recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center said when Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., asked him how he was doing last week.

Clinton recounted the story Wednesday on a conference call with journalists to announce new legislation aimed at helping victims of traumatic brain injury.

The legislation, sponsored by Clinton and Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., would allow TBI victims to extend their "active duty" status for up to one year from the date that their injury is determined.

Brain Injuries Plague Veterans

"We are not addressing the unique challenges posed by TBI in the way that we need to be," Clinton said.

Under the current system, those recovering from TBI are forced to choose between remaining on active duty and receiving the best state-of-the-art care from the Department of Defense or entering retired status and returning to their hometowns to receive care under the umbrella of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Patient's Advocate for Victims

The bill would also provide that every TBI victim be given a "patient's advocate" to help the patient wade through what can be an enormously complicated and frustrating system.

All of this is very good news, of course, but a "patient's advocate" is a big step forward and a subject dear to Jack's heart. He believes that if he'd been given a "caretaker / advocate / physiatrist / case manager" -- whatever you want to call it -- his care and recovery during those first couple of years would have been much improved. Jack strongly believes this is necessary for all TBI patients.

Read the complete article.

Labels: Hillary Clinton, Iraq veterans, TBI, traumatic brain injury, V.A.