By Dave Lucas
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-910652.mp3
Albany, NY – US Senator Kirtsen Gillibrand is leading new efforts to improve treatment and monitoring of "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" for Veterans. Capital District Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.
With thousands of new veterans experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) symptoms after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, Senator Gillibrand is announcing new measures to bolster monitoring and treatment. Estimates based on data from the RAND Corporation indicate that nearly 8,000 recent New York veterans suffer from PTSD, more than 7,000 suffer from TBI, and more than 4,000 suffer from both. Gillibrand's legislative agenda focuses on cutting red tape by coaxing government bureaucracies to interact more effectively. The Senator says the DOD and the VA have no shared definition of what constitutes traumatic brain injury. Gillibrand says she has written letters to top officials to get policy changed and she expects the policy change will be paid for through normal budgeting channels.