Duckworth Awaits VA Post Approval, PTSD Advice for the DoD, Alaska's March Focus on TBI

While Illinois Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth has been tapped by President Obama to be the public face of the federal VA (as assistant secretary of public and intergovernmental affairs), her Senate confirmation hearing has yet to be scheduled. In the meantime, Michael Blecker, a Vietnam vet and executive director of Swords to Plowshares, offers this advice to them both.

More advice: Veterans for Common Sense unveiled its Four PTSD Priorities for 2009 asking the DoD to: 1) "implement the 1997 Force Health Protection law, PL 105-85, Section 761-771, that requires the military to provide pre- and post-deployment medical exams to all service members; 2) implement a strong anti-stigma program as required by the National Defense Authorization Act for 2009; 3) hire additional mental health professionals to meet the increasing demand for examinations and treatment; and 4) urges VA to work more closely with DoD implementing the Force Health Protection law so VA has sufficient records to provide medical care and process disability claims."

And in state news, legislators in Alaska are gearing up to designate March as Brain Injury Awareness Month. "Sadly, Alaska is number one per capita for TBIs [at about 800 reported cases every year] and it is one of the leading causes of death for young people in our state," said sponsor Sen. Lesil McGuire, R-Anchorage. In related news, the Pentagon reports that current wartime brain injuries are thought to be in the 180,000-360,000 range, or about 20 percent of those who have deployed to Afghanistan and/or Iraq.