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(EMAILWIRE.COM, December 24, 2010 ) LegalView, a leading online legal resource, has updated its brain injury portal.
A recent investigation by National Public Radio and ProPublica, found that Tricare, the governmentÂ’s health care system that is supposed to cover veterans, does not cover cognitive rehabilitation therapy for those suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Cognitive rehabilitation therapy is a painstaking and lengthy process in which patients relearn simple tasks such as counting, cooking, or remembering directions on how to get to their home. Patients can spend up to 30 hours hours a week in therapy.
During the past few decades, many health experts agree that cognitive rehabilitation therapy can benefit those who have suffered a TBI. This brain injury treatment is not a quick fix; it takes months, sometimes years, for patients to fully recover- and itÂ’s expensive. According to NPR and ProPublica, that is one of the reasons why Tricare does not cover the treatment even though Congress and health and military experts have recommended coverage.
Tricare produced a study that examined cognitive rehabilitation therapy in detail. Tricare says that the scientific evidence for cognitive rehabilitation therapy does not justify providing coverage. However, NPR and ProPublicaÂ’s investigation found that reviewers of the Tricare study said that the methodology that was used was flawed.
Additionally, some medical groups do not agree with TricareÂ’s stance. Last year, a panel of more than 50 civilian and military brain specialists convened by the Pentagon unanimously agreed that cognitive rehabilitation therapy could benefit those who have suffered a traumatic brain injury. Also, a similar panel convened by the National Institutes of Health more than a decade ago reached a similar agreement. The National Academy of Neuropsychology and the British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine, among others, are also in support of the treatment.
Many in Congress would like the Pentagon to pay for the treatment. In 2008, more than 70 House and Senate members signed letters urging Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, to support funding for cognitive rehabilitation therapy. Then- Sen. Barak Obama led a group of 10 senators advocating that Tricare pay for the treatment, also.
Veteran brain injuries are one of the leading causes of TBI. Other causes include: falls, gun-shot wounds, or automobile accidents. However, combat TBIs seem to be increasing with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and are very serious- sometimes leading to death.
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