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VA Expands Benefits for Traumatic Brain Injury: Adds Five Illnesses Related to Service-Connected TBI

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Traumatic-Brain-InjuryWASHINGTON – Some Veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who are diagnosed with any of five other ailments will have an easier path to receive additional disability pay under new regulations developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The new ruling, which takes effect January 16th, 2014 impacts some Veterans living with TBI who also have: Parkinson’s disease and/or certain types of:

  • dementia
  • depression
  • unprovoked seizures or
  • certain diseases of the hypothalamus and pituitary glands.

“We decide Veterans’ disability claims based on the best science available,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “As scientific knowledge advances, VA will expand its programs to ensure Veterans receive the care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve.”

This regulation stems from a report of the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine (IOM) regarding the association between TBI and the five diagnosable illnesses.  The IOM report, Gulf War and Health, Volume 7:  Long-Term Consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury, found “sufficient evidence” to link moderate or severe levels of TBI with the five ailments.

The new regulations, (Read the final ruling on Regulations.gov), say that if certain Veterans with service-connected TBI also have one of the five illnesses, then the second illness will also be considered as service connected for the calculation of VA disability compensation.

Eligibility for expanded benefits will depend upon the severity of the TBI and the time between the injury causing the TBI and the onset of the second illness.  However, Veterans can still file a claim to establish direct service-connection for these ailments even if they do not meet the time and severity standards in the new regulation.

Information about VA and DoD programs for brain injury and related research is available at: www.dvbic.org.

Information about VA’s Gulf War Exposures programs for Gulf War I Veterans (August 2, 1990 – March 3, 1991), includes Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield is available at: www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/gulfwar/hazardous_exposures.asp.

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