With the expected change in the administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs (“the VA”), hope could well be on its way to provide more effective and timely treatment for the tens of thousands of Veterans suffering from PTSD and TBI.

Regardless of one’s political affiliation, the VA doesn’t seem to have a handle on treating Veterans with serious brain injury.  One hopes that the “new” VA will be more open to alternative therapy provided in the private sector, rather than current dogmatic approaches that have produced few – if any – positive approaches to treating PTSD and TBI. Maj. Ben Richards explains in far more detail below:

I just finished watching an exceptional documentary on PBS by Bob Woodruff entitled Medical Medicine Beyond the Battlefield.   The video, which may be watched below if you can spare 58 minutes – details some incredible medical breakthroughs in helping Veterans recover their lives after they have lost limbs in combat.  Truly miraculous!

Approximately 36 minutes into the video, Mr. Woodruff focuses on how the VA is dealing with brain injury.  Shortly thereafter, he chronicles the issues faced by Elana Duffy, an intelligence Sgt. First Class who suffered traumatic brain injury while serving in Iraq (39 minutes).

It is evident that the VA is not making as much progress in treating neurological disorders as they are on other medical rehabilitation fronts.

While concerted efforts are being made to understand and treat PTSD traumatic brain injury, it appears that “progress” within the VA has been impeded by dogmatic positions maintained by Dr. David Cifu and others. In effect, Veterans suffering from PTSD and TBI are given few treatment alternatives outside the narrowly defined treatment programs so vigorously defended by VA administrators.

SFTT has long held the view – based on feedback from many Veterans – that the VA is not in a position to provide the necessary care and treatment to truly help Veterans suffering from PTSD and TBI.   This is a huge problem for Veterans and their families and one needs to “think outside the box” or the confines of VA orthodoxy to embrace new treatment alternatives.

It is terribly sad that the VA has become a political ping pong ball to the chagrin of many Veterans. The release of the Commission on Care report recommending 18 major reforms within the VA triggered an immediate backlash from employees and lobbyists who felt threatened  by the findings.

Like others, “I was appalled by the outburst of J. David Cox, the President of the American Federation of Government Employees, who threatened VA Secretary with ‘physical violence.’Cox was ‘prepared to whoop Bob McDonald’s a – -,’ he said. ‘He’s going to start treating us as the labor partner … or we will whoop his a – -, I promise you.'”

Against this particularly toxic background, it is difficult to know whether a new VA Secretary will be able to implement the reforms outlined in the Commission on Care report.

Former U.S. Senator Scott Brown to Head Department of Veterans Affairs?

According to recent information, former U.S. Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts is apparently a front-runner for the post of Secretary of Department of Veterans Affairs in the new Trump administration.

As reported in the Boston Herald and several other respected media sources, Scott Brown is

 . . . under consideration for the Cabinet post of Veterans Affairs secretary — said he would create a 24-7 manned hotline for suicidal soldiers, take back bonuses and raises awarded to incompetent VA staffers and outsource PTSD and other serious mental health cases to private professionals.

“People are hurting and they need some real help,” Brown said last night, hours after he spoke with President-elect Donald Trump. “There are some great angels working in the VA right now and they need a morale boost.”

If true, this could very well accelerate outsourcing the treatment of Veterans suffering from PTSD and TBI to private healthcare providers.   Sen. Brown is quoted as saying, “The VA’s trying to do it all — they can’t. We need to outsource that and get those people help right away.”

There is no way of knowing whether Sen. Brown will be offered the job of VA Secretary or will be confirmed to this “cabinet-level” position, but implementing the steps recommended by the Commission on Care would be a major step forward in getting Veterans the help they deserve.

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