Tag: military

Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Not Being Covered for Military Victims

traumatic brain injury lawyers in new jersey and philadelphiaMilitary healthcare officials are collectively refusing to pay for a new treatment to rehabilitate traumatic brain injury victims, despite widespread support from doctors and lawmakers

Traumatic Brain Injury and Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy

While Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI, may bring on significant physical limitiations, it can also cause cognitive limitations. Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy (CRT) aims to repair those limitations. It addresses concentration, language skills, learning, memory, reasoning, judgement, and social skills. Through various techniques and learning exercises, therapists and neuropsychologists help patients regain the cognitive abilities they lost after sustaining a traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic Brian Injury Treatment and the Military

Military health officials have recently decided to disallow coverage for CRT because it has yet to be scientifically proven. Tricare Management Agency, an insurance company covering uniformed service members, retirees, and their families, said of the TBI treatment:traumatic brain injury lawyers in nj and pa

“There is insufficient, evidence-based research available to conclude that cognitive rehabilitation therapy is beneficial in treating traumatic brain injury.”

Tricare has said that CRT can be covered if it is bundled with other forms of treatment, such as speech or behavioral therapy, but can not be submitted for coverage as it’s own medical service.

Many doctors and medical providers believe that the real reason for withholding coverage is cost. CRT can be very expensive, costing as much as $50,000 for only four months of treatment. Dr. James Malec, research director at the Rehabilition Hospital in Indiana, commented:

“It seems to me this is motivated by an effort to control costs, that anything quote-unquote ‘new’ is going to be denied.”

Dr. Malec was asked to review Tricare’s study of Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy and, upon doing so, opposed their decision to deny coverage. Tricare denied that cost played any part in their decision to deny coverage, saying that they base their decisions on “safety and efficacy of…treatment.”

Lawmakers’ Response to Denial of Treatment

traumatic brain injury lawyers in nj and pa

In 2008, Defense Secretary Robert Gates received a letter from lawmakers on Capitol Hill, urging that he push Tricare to provide coverage for the cognitive treatment. They even formed a Congressional Brain Injury Taskforce to continue the efforts of getting CRT covered. The task force, in a 2009 letter, wrote:

“Study after study has shown the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitative therapy in improving the health and functionality of TBI patients.”

Tricare has said that the formal policy on CRT coverage remains under review.

Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

Men and women in the military sacrifice their bodies, their minds, and their lives to fight for our freedoms, and for the freedoms of the disenfranchised. Today, violence in Iraq and Afghanistan is claiming the cognitive abilities of many soldiers, and they are returning home to find that the treatment they need is being denied them. The effects of traumatic brain injury, be they mild or severe, can change one’s life forever if the correct therapy and treatment is not promptly provided. Hopefully, Tricare will reconsider and change their position on coverage of Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy.

If you or a loved one have suffered a traumatic brain injury due to the negligence of another, and you are now facing cognitive and/or physical limitations, as well as medical bills, that you aren’t prepared to handle, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation. The traumatic brain injury lawyers at the Mininno Law Office are experienced and skilled in earning victims the full and fair compensation that they need and deserve. You may also call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.

Let the team at the Mininno Law Office work for you.

Brain Injury Prompts Change on the Battlefield

Traumatic Brain Injury is a serious and occasionally devastating event that can change the course of person’s life forever. Concussions, though outwardly showing almost no symptoms, can be fierce catalysts for traumatic brain injuries.
Proffessional sports organizations have been forced to take precautions when players suffer concussions, and now, military forces will be forced to take those same precautions.

new jersey philadelphia attorneys traumatic brain injury concussion
This is an image of abnormal brain activity after a concussion. Red signals overactivity and blue signals underactivity.

Military Precautions Regarding Traumatic Brain Injury

A story done by NPR on Tuesday, October 12th, revealed that Mike Mullen, United States Navy Admiral and current Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, has ordered that soldiers near a bomb blast must be removed from battle for at least 24 hours, and must be checked for traumatic brain injury.

The reason being that energy and shockwaves from an explosion can reach the brain and cause damage, even if the head is totally intact. Concussions rarely leave visible symptoms, aside from dilated pupils. It is imperative that soldiers are checked for concussions, as they often cause fuzzy, slowed, or perhaps even irrational thinking.

Director of Brain Research at UCLA, David Hovda, explains why fuzzy thinking on the battlefield is dangerous:

“If you’re going to call in a mortar strike, you have to do some fancy math and some really sophisticated calculations in your head, and you could create a problem if this isn’t done correctly.“

Hovda also explains that after a concussion, the brain’s metabolism is slowed, leaving brain cells starved for energy. The risk of increased injury is greater when soldiers are allowed to return to the battlefield after sustaining a concussion.

“During the time when this metabolism is altered,” Hovda says, “the brain not only is dysfunctional, but it’s also extremely vulnerable, so that if it’s exposed to another mild injury, which normally you’d be able to tolerate really well, now there can be long-term devastating consequences.“

Traumatic Brain Injury Effects

Long term effects of multiple concussions are visible in many of the soldiers that have returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan in the past few years. Jake Mathers, of Monroe, Louisianna, suffered a number of concussions while on a 7 month tour as a Marine in Iraq. All of the concussions came from bomb blasts that occured close to him. He was never physically injured, but he now finds that his memory has changed.

“I’ll lose my pack of smokes like three or four times a day, and I’ll buy different packs of smokes ’cause I forget that I bought them,” he says. “Or sometimes I’ll be driving down the road and forget where I’m going or lose my car keys, cell phone.“

Mathers also suffers from headaches, nightmares, and occasional insomnia.

Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers at the Mininno Law Office

A traumatic brain injury can be life-altering, not only for the victim, but the victim’s family and friends as well. If you’re loved one suffered a traumatic brian injury due to the negligence of another, you’ll need to seek the assistance of a skilled and hard-working traumatic brain injury lawyer. The brain injury lawyers at the Mininno Law Office are dedicated to fighting for those who have been wronged and earning them the compensation they will need and deserve.

Contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation or call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.

Listen to NPR broadcast here