Senator John Boozman (R-AR) and Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) introduced S 957 and Congressman Tim Walz (D-MN/1) and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL/9) introduced legislation HR 1855 to ensure a stronger commitment to our nation’s veterans who sustained traumatic brain injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan.
If passed, the Veterans’ Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitative Services’ Improvement Act of 2011 will require the Veterans’ Administration to provide veterans who have Traumatic Brain Injury with ongoing, long-term rehabilitative care. TBI is different from other types of injuries in that the patients require ongoing rehabilitative services to avoid losing the improvements they have made. Maintenance requires intensive services including both medical and non-medical supports such as homemaking and personal care services.
Staying active socially and remaining with friends and loved ones is critical to quality of life for our veterans. This legislation includes supports to allow the veterans to live independently.
This legislation brings our veterans into a model that many Medicaid programs have already adopted for Medicaid recipients. Specifically, the bill would clarify that VA may not prematurely cut off needed rehabilitation services, and that these veterans can get the supports they to remain as independent as possible.
I urge you to ask your Senators and Congressman to support our nation’s veterans through their support of S 957/ HR 1855.
0 comments:
Post a Comment