Brain Injury Treatment Benefits Expanded In Tampa, U.S.

The numbers of veterans with brain injuries suffered during their service are extraordinary. And the federal government announced expanded benefits for their brain injury treatment this week.

Per McKnights.com, the documents are available for public viewing via the Federal Register.

The new rule could speed up and simplify cases. The proposal, which requires a 60-day public comment period, could open the door for tens of thousands of veterans to file treatment claims with the Veterans Benefits Administration.

More than 250,000 service members — including some on active duty — have received diagnoses of traumatic brain injury (TBI) since 2000, according to the Defense Department. The causes of TBI include blast exposure, vehicle crashes, training accidents and sports injuries.  Currently, veterans need to provide medical evidence that their illness was caused by military service. About 51,000 military personnel receive benefits for service-connected traumatic brain injuries. Veterans of prior conflicts also will be eligible under the new regulations.

This is awesome news for the thousands of Florida brain injury veterans living among us in the Tampa Bay area. If you know a veteran with a brain injury in the Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tampa or Bradenton areas, definitely alert them.