Michigan Personal Injury Blog - Veterans

Veterans Receive False Lou Gehrig's Disease Diagnoses

David Mittleman — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:08:25 GMT

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently made a huge mistake when they sent letters to veterans, informing them that they had Lou Gehrig’s disease. The Department promises that they will send personal apology letters to all veterans, with an additional explanation as to why this error occurred.

VA employees were still unsure of exactly how many veterans received the false letter. So far, they estimate that 1,800 letters were sent, but have been notified by only 10 veterans that reported receiving the notice. Nevertheless, a Gulf War veterans group said that it had received notices from at least 1,200 veterans that received the letter.

Two veterans, former Air Force reservist Gale Reid and former Army Sergeant, Samuel Hargrove, said they were suspicious of the letters. Nevertheless, both individuals sought second opinions and incurred large medical expenses. Reid reported spending $3,000 in seeking a second opinion and hopes that the VA will cover the expenses.

The VA recently stated that the mistake was caused by a coding error in which veterans with undiagnosed neurological disorders were accidentally assigned the code for ALS. The VA uses 8,000 codes for diseases and illnesses. Sadly, the VA agency spokesperson, Katie Roberts, says she is unsure whether the VA will cover the extraneous medical expenses reported by Reid and Hargrove and that “she had to check on any reimbursements.”

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Cognitive Rehabilitation Services for our Wounded Veterans.

Timothy Smith — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:57:25 GMT

I'm pleased to see that the invisible injuries suffered by our veterans as a result of concussive injuries sustained during their duty are starting to be recognized as a serious medical situation requiring the attention of our government. Statistically speaking, proper care of this disease [traumatic brain injury] can cost 10's of thousands of dollars, sometimes even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

To provide our returning veterans with these therapy services under TRICARE is an important step to their recovery and hopeful return as a productive member of our society. Without these benefits, families of wounded veterans will be helpless to cure or accommodate the disease of acquired brain injury.

Here is a brief press release from the National Brain Injury Association:

FY10 National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1390)

On Thursday, July 23, 2009, the Senate passed its version of the FY10 National Defense Authorization Act. During debate, Senator John McCain for Senator Graham offered an amendment that authorizes the Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot program for providing cognitive rehabilitation therapy services under TRICARE. Both BIAA and the Wounded Warrior Project have worked tirelessly to advocate for the inclusion of this amendment. To view the amendment, click on the link below:

http://www.biausa.org/elements/policy/2009/ndaa_cognitive%20_rehabilitation_amendment_2009.pdf

The amendment requires the Department of Defense to consult the Department of Veterans Affairs, The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury and relevant national organizations with experience in treating traumatic brain injury. It also requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to congress evaluating the effectiveness of the program and making recommendations of the appropriateness of including cognitive rehabilitation as a benefit under the TRICARE program.

In response to the adoption by unanimous consent of this amendment into S. 1390, a representative from the Congressional Budget Office reached out to BIAA to ask advice regarding the cost and duration of cognitive rehabilitation therapy in order to formulate a cost estimate for the pilot program. BIAA authored the following comments in response:

http://www.biausa.org/elements/policy/2009/cbo_request_july_09_cog_rehab.pdf

Currently, the Senate is gearing up for a conference with the House to agree on final language. The informal process began this week even though house conferees have yet to be named. With hope that finalization will happen in early September, be on the lookout for BIAA action alerts to urge congress to retain this important amendment as part of the final package.

In conclusion, BIAA is thrilled to have the opportunity to work on this important inclusion in S. 1390 and believes that this is a much needed step forward in providing access to brain injury care for returning service members.

I hope that by December, I will be urging each and everyone of my InjuryBoard readers to contact your representatives once this important package comes to a final vote. Proper medical and therapeutic care is the least we can do for our men and women who put their lives on the line for this great country of ours.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Timothy Smith

Brain Injury Association of Michigan Updates

Timothy Smith — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:38:22 GMT

The nice thing about sitting on the Board of Directors to the Brain Injury Association of Michigan [BIAMI] is the constant updates I receive from the organization that will assist individuals and families who are dealing with closed head or traumatic brain injuries. Some of the most recent information includes:

1. BIAMI has added a new staff member:

Her name is Judy Guezen. She will assist persons with brain injuries and their families to find the services they need to live, love and work in their communities. She is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University and Wayne State University. Not only does she have a 20 year history as an advocate for survivors of brain injury, but her husband Bob is a 30-year survivor from an closed head injury he received as a teen. She is a welcome and needed addition to the team here in Michigan.

2. Individuals are sought to share their story:

Authors Linda Carroll and David Rosnerare currently looking to interview individuals who suffered a severe TBI in a car accident and who still experience some deficits from their injury, or individuals whose injuries were missed for an upcoming book they're writing on TBI for a lay audience. The book, "Invisible Wounds: America's Silent Epidemic of Concussions and Other Traumatic Brain Injuries" will weave people's personal stories with the latest medical science on TBI and will be published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

If you know someone who would like to share their story please contact Linda Carroll at (856) 279-9045, or linda.carroll@att.net, or David Rosner at (646) 421-0186.

3. The Brain Injury Association of America is supporting the Sports Legacy Institute's Brain Donor Registry for military Veterans.

Leading medical experts at the Sports Legacy Institute (SLI), a nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to advancing understanding of the long-term effects of brain trauma, announced Tuesday, June 23, 2009, that they have launched the SLI Military Living Donor Registry, a brain and spinal cord donation registry for active and veteran members of the United States military.

In conjunction with The Boston University Center, the Sports Legacy Institute will compare findings from the brains of military personnel with those from their athlete program, which has signed up more than 120 donors in less than a year, and other brain banks around the world.
Col. Michael S. Jaffee, national director of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, said the Defense Department supported the spirit of the research and could assist in approaching active and retired soldiers to register for brain donation.

BIAA enthusiastically supports this initiative and will continue to advocate on its behalf. For further reading, click here to view the New York Times article.

4. Is Your Congressperson or Senator a Member of the Brain Injury Task Force?

Please take a few moments to let your voice be heard on Capitol Hill regarding the bipartisan Congressional Brain Injury Task Force which serves to improve programs for the millions of Americans who experience TBI each year and their families. The Task Force is co-chaired by Democratic Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. of New Jersey and Republican Congressman Todd Russell Platts of Pennsylvania. The Task Force is comprised of 125 congressional members and 6 Senators.

Current Michigan Representatives include Dale Kildee (MI-05), Thaddeus McCotter (MI-11), Candace Miller (MI-10), Mike Rogers (MI-08) and Fred Upton (MI-06). If your US Congressperson is not on this list, please ask them to join the Task Force. At this time, neither Senators Levin or Stabenow has joined the Task Force - please click here and ask them to join! It will only take about 1 minute!

5. TBI and Depression Video Available on YouTube:

Depression is the single most common symptom following a traumatic brain or closed head injury. The Brain Injury Research Center of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine produced an educational video on depression that may occur after brain injury.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXrxhydUsQo

This video was supported by funds from both the RRTC and the Injury Control Research Center.

6. The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange and the Fulbright Program:

The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange and the Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, strongly encourages more people with disabilities to apply for Fulbright scholarships for study, research, or teaching abroad. Many eligible applicants with disabilities are not applying for Fulbright programs because they either do not know of the program or do not believe their applications would be competitive. The Fulbright program has previously awarded grants to people with disabilities, and it is an excellent means to gain an international experience.

Fulbright deadlines are later this summer, for more detailed Fulbright press releases on the U.S. Scholar Program or the U.S. Student Program, go to the Fulbright Webpage.

Click here for general information regarding the Fulbright Program.

These are all the updates I have for today. Stay tuned for more information that will be of assistance for Michigan families and individuals who are dealing with traumatic brain and closed head injuries.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Timothy Smith

Regulators Discover "Rogue Cancer Unit" at Philadelphia V.A. Hospital

David Mittleman — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:45:02 GMT

Brachytherapy is a new technique to treat Prostate Cancer that has been utilized since 2002 at the Philadelphia Veterans’ Hospital. In the procedure, small metal seeds are permanently injected into the prostate with needles. The seeds are so small that they are approximately the size of a grain of rice. Nevertheless, no matter how small these seeds may be, many veterans have experienced tremendous pain as a result of botched brachytherapy procedures performed at the Philadelphia V.A. Hospital. In fact, 92 out of 116 veterans that were treated over the past six years received incorrect dosages—significantly less than what was needed, while others received excessive amounts of the radiation treatment to nearby tissue and organs.

There might not have been so many botched procedures if the hospital had had some kind of peer review system, where colleagues inspect one another’s work; the hospital operated with nearly no such safeguards. The V.A.’s radiation safety program, The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which regulates the use of nuclear materials, and the Joint Commission, a group that accredited the hospital, all failed to intervene either because their inspections were too limited or they did not probe deeper into problems they did identify. In fact, the chief operating doctor at the Philadelphia V.A. Hospital was allowed to sweep his mistakes under the rug more than once under the discretion of federal regulators, or failed to report his mistakes to them at all—mistakes that included implanting the seeds in the wrong organs and using broken equipment that is used to ensure a patient receives the proper radiation dosage.

Federal investigators are just now probing deeper into the issue, ironically because of a clerical error that mistakenly revealed the substandard implant procedures. In the spring of 2008, a radiation safety official accidently ordered lower strength seeds, which were ultimately implanted. After the error was discovered, the V.A.’s national radiation safety unit asked the hospital to investigate 10 to 20 more cases to see if the problem had occurred before. It had not, but they did discover the procedures where seeds were implanted in the wrong organ. The hospital suspended the brachytherapy program on June 11 of last year and the chief operating doctor, who had performed all but a handful of the botched procedures, was removed from the hospital. No veterans have reportedly died as a result of the procedure, but they have suffered needlessly because of the Philadelphia V.A. Hospital’s lack of oversight and concern for the proper care of our veterans.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Listening to Veterans Can Help Them Recover

David Mittleman — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 10:00:00 GMT

As millions of veterans return from overseas tour of duties, the VFW is asking everyone, from former vets to ordinary citizens, to do something simple: find a vet and offer to listen. The VFW is responding to an alarming rise in military suicides with a concerted effort to give veterans the opportunity to talk about traumatic experiences rather than hold on to them.

A common problem among many returning veterans is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, an expert noted that "whether people have full-blown PTSD or just some of the symptoms, most people do get better over a short period of time with the support of family and friends." This would include the VFW’s plan of lending an ear to a veteran and allowing him or her to speak freely to someone who will just listen.

A 2005 study found that nearly 20% of Iraqi veterans suffered from a psychological disorder. Marines and Army vets were four times more likely to report PTSD than Navy of Air Force vets due to their greater exposure to combat situations. Additionally, women suffering from PTSD were found to have more pronounced and debilitating symptoms.

Given all the sacrifices that our veterans take to preserve our safety, the VFW call for help gives ordinary citizens concrete ways of being able to show their gratitude.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman

Unsanitary Colonoscopy Equipment Puts Veterans at Risk for Hepatitis and HIV

David Mittleman — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:00:15 GMT

Veterans that underwent colonoscopies between May 2004 and March 2009 may be at risk for hepatitis and HIV. This past Monday, a Miami Veterans Hospital sent 3,260 patients letters warning them about the risk. The possible exposure is due to the improper cleaning of equipment. Veterans who may be at risk should contact the Special Care Call Center at (305) 575-7256 or 1-877-575-7256.

This is not the first time Veterans have been exposed to dangerous infections. Last month 6,400 patients in Tennessee were informed that they may have been exposed to infectious diseases from colonoscopies between 2003 and 2008. An additional 1,100 veterans in Augusta, Georgia received a similar notification.

The Veterans Affairs Department stated that 10 people have tested positive for infectious liver diseases after being exposed to contaminated colonoscopy equipment. Four have tested positive for hepatitis B and six have tested positive for hepatitis C–a potentially life threatening form of the disease.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by David Mittleman