[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 61 (Tuesday, April 17, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S4589]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

  Mr. BAYH. Mr. President, I wish to speak to legislation to fight a 
discrepancy in access to care that prevents hundreds of our Nation's 
heroes from receiving the best possible care for traumatic brain 
injury.
  Traumatic brain injury has been identified as the ``signature 
injury'' afflicting armed servicemembers returning from Iraq and 
Afghanistan. After sacrificing so much, we have a moral obligation to 
ensure that these men and women receive the best care available to 
them. Unfortunately, administrative and medical capacity problems have 
prevented many of our heroes from receiving the care they desperately 
need and deserve. There is an immediate solution to address this.
  The Department of Veterans Affairs, VA, has made clear progress in 
research and development of rehabilitation treatment for individuals 
who have incurred traumatic brain injuries. However, VA medical 
facilities have not yet reached the level of private rehabilitation 
facilities, which have been developing cognitive treatment for the past 
30 years.
  While VA medical centers offer excellent services, there are barriers 
to receiving the optimal health care options. These include a confusing 
array of benefits, overworked and undertrained case managers, and, most 
importantly, a discrepancy between benefits for those on active duty 
versus those who are medically retired. This discrepancy in benefits 
leads to confusion among families who are forced to try to determine 
what is in the best interest of the servicemember, often without having 
full knowledge of the difference in benefits offered to Active Duty and 
veterans. Currently, the TRICARE plan that is available to Active Duty 
servicemembers permits them to receive coverage for cognitive therapy 
obtained in private nonmilitary facilities. However, medical retirees 
do not have this health care coverage option. Consequently, severely 
injured TBI patients struggle to obtain the critical care they 
desperately need.
  Further, while many armed servicemembers have dedicated family 
members and loved ones who fight to ensure that they receive the best 
care possible, not all servicemembers have family to speak and act on 
their behalf. Thus, many are left without optimal treatment and without 
an advocate.
  The need to ensure that every TBI patient receives the best care 
possible cannot be understated. This is an immediate problem with an 
immediate solution. We have the ability to provide a crucial, temporary 
answer to our armed services members while the VA develops the 
capability to facilitate care for this unique population. We can not 
stand idly by, as hundreds of our bravest Americans are prevented from 
receiving the care they deserve.

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