Report on House Committee Holds TBI Hearing - VFW Report 7-15-16
 

By VFW 7-15-16 The Veterans of Foreign Wars www.friendsoffreedom@vfw.org


House Committee Holds TBI Hearing

On Wednesday, the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs held a hearing on inadequate examinations for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) claims. In 2008, the VA issued a directive stating that any veteran who files a disability claim for TBI, and who hadn’t been previously diagnosed with TBI, must have the initial examination performed by either a psychiatrist, physiatrist, neurologist or neurosurgeon. A later report found that 24,000 veterans’ initial exams did not meet the directive’s guidelines. On May 16, 2016, the VA sent letters to all affected veterans, giving them one year to contact the VA for reexamination. Hearing participants discussed what caused the failures and whether or not the single letter is sufficient notification to these veterans. Watch the full hearing, which starts at the 28:47 mark.