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August 6, 2010 - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) spends a lot of time and a lot of money helping soldiers suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Unfortunately, funding to the tune of $6.3 million given to the VA for TBI research and treatment is missing. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki has been asked to launch an investigation to determine:
In 2007, Physician Robert Van Boven was made Director of a VA brain imaging lab in Austin, TX. His questioning into why millions of dollars intended for brain injury research were seemingly being mis-spent lead to his removal from the agency. Van Boven contacted two Congressmen, Sen. Richard Burr (R.-NC), and Rep. Brad Miller (D.-NC) who in turn contacted Sec. Shinseki asking him to look into Van Boven's retaliatory firing.
The letter Sen. Burr and Rep. Miller wrote a letter to Sec. Shinseki accusing the VA of diverting the millions of dollars and firing Van Boven to cover up their actions. Their letter classified the VA's actions as an "abuse of taxpayers' funds." Unfortunately, this is not the first time the VA has been accused of being in this exact same position. Radiologist Anna Chacko was allegedly fired from her position at the Pittsburgh VA following her questioning of their spending.
The VA defends their actions in both situations. How they will explain diverted or missing $6.3 million remains to be seen, but Sen. Burr and Rep. Miller do not seem as if they are going to let the VA off the hook. The VA's Inspector General already performed an investigation into the situation and concluded not one dime of the money directed towards the TBI program was used how it was supposed to be used.
According to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, 10-20% of military personnel who have been in combat suffered some level of concussion from roadside bombs and explosions. That is a large number of soldiers needing help with their brain traumas and not getting it because the money isn't there to help them.
Soldiers can return home with a number of conditions, injuries, and aggravated preexisting conditions. If you believe you have a service-connected physical or psychological injury you may be entitled to Veterans’ Disability Compensation.
At LaVan and Neidenberg, we are determined to secure veterans their rightful disability compensation and disability rating. We wrote this book for you! In it you will find valuable tips on how to navigate the claims process and avoid common pitfalls. Request your FREE copy today!
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