Latest News for Vets with PTSD & TBI: 26 Jan 2018

The Department of Veteran Affairs (the "VA") continues to struggle to provide effective therapy for Veterans with PTSD and TBI.  As such, SFTT has decided to focus most of its attention on helping Veterans and their families cope with the ravages of the silent wounds of war. The devastating effect ...

Will the VA Expand HBOT Therapy for Veterans with PTSD and TBI?

As reported earlier, the Department of Veterans Affairs ("the VA") is now providing hyperbaric oxygen therapy of "HBOT" on a trial basis to Veterans with PTSD and TBI.  This marks an abrupt turnaround within the VA that has repeatedly claimed that there is insufficient clinical "evidence" to support the use ...

Veterans with Service Dogs: Apparently Not for Everyone

While SFTT has long promoted the benefits of service dogs for Veterans with PTSD and TBI, there are some - perhaps many - who resent the intrusion of a dog or service animal in their space. For instance, Anoka County, Minnesota reportedly had to pass an ordinance to protect the ...

Department of Veterans Affairs: Wish List for 2018

As 2017 draws to a close, SFTT is delighted with the early initiatives undertaken by Dr. David Shulkin to overhaul the Department of Veterans Affairs ("the VA"). While SFTT still believes that the VA is "too large to succeed in its mission,"  we applaud the Herculean effort by Dr. Shulkin ...

Celebrate Christmas with a Toast to Our Brave Warriors

Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol" is an entertainment staple of the holiday season. In the story, a wealthy and miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited on Christmas Eve by a procession of three ghosts who accompany him through scenes of Christmases past, present, and future.  It is a story that ...

Sham Veteran Charities: What You Should Know

There are few things more shameful than dishonest hucksters taking money from unsuspecting donors for what appears to be a worthwhile cause.  Our small staff at SFTT goes "ballistic"  when we learn that telemarketers and "spin-masters" use deceptive and misleading advertising to raise money for Veterans. Just this week, Sarah ...

Military Helmet Sensors: Big Contracts but No Findings?

Many years ago (perhaps 10), the US Army started began installing sensors in helmets to track the impact of IED events on brain trauma among combat troops. SFTT reported in 2010 that BAE Systems unveiled its latest concussion sensor for soldier helmets, named Headborne Energy Analysis and Diagnostic System (“HEADS”).  Apparently, ...

HBOT for Veterans: Infrastructure Largely in Place

As SFTT reported earlier, the VA will soon be providing a limited number of Veterans with access to hyperbaric oxygen therapy or "HBOT" at the VA’s Center for Compassionate Innovation ("CCI") facilities in Texas and Oklahoma. SFTT has yet to learn when these programs will begin or how many Veterans will ...

How Will the VA Offer HBOT to Veterans?

In a somewhat surprising but not totally unexpected development, the "VA’s Center for Compassionate Innovation (CCI) will offer Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy ("HBOT') to a small number of selected veterans with chronic PTSD in a pilot program to be run through facilities in Oklahoma and Texas." SFTT joins Bethesda Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy ...

VA Reluctantly Agrees to Provide HBOT to Veterans with PTSD

In a carefully crafted message, "The Department of Veterans Affairs announced this week that it would begin offering hyperbaric oxygen therapy ("HBOT") to some veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, despite a lack of evidence that it works or being approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for ...

Veteran Drug Courts Are Now Needed More than Ever

Over five years ago, SFTT met with Judge John Schwartz,  one of the early pioneers in the Veteran Court system.  Discussing the rationale for Vet Courts, Judge Schwartz stated the following “We offer hope to these troubled veterans who have served our country so valiantly.  It’s simply common sense.” Today, ...

SFTT Offer “Thanks” to our Brave Military on Thanksgiving

SFTT joins millions of Americans in offering our thanks this Thanksgiving to the Veterans and active duty personnel who valiantly defend our freedoms. As we all sit down to enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving turkey, SFTT is reminded of those who have sacrificed their lives for our country and the many ...