According to the Defense and Veteran’s Brian Injury Center (DVBIC), a cooperative between the Department of Defense and Veteran’s Affairs, “Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant health issue which affects service members and veterans during times of both peace and war.” Given that the military recognizes that traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major problem, it is a shock that, since 2007, 25,000 veterans who are now known to suffer from traumatic brain injury were not initially diagnosed and treated for TBI. (Tested by doctors who have been found to be unqualified, these veterans were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is terrible, yes, but more treatable than TBI.)
Through this major error, tens of thousands of veterans were not given the appropriate medical and financial help they needed and deserved. Fortunately, the military now realizes its mistakes and can rectify them and prevent them from happening again. For many veterans, who have struggled for years to get the military to recognize its difficulties, though, is it too little, too late?
(To learn more about TBI and the military from past service members, visit http://www.disabledveterans.org/.)