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FEDERALhearing transcript

High Impact

Congressional Hearing on Inadequate VA Brain Injury Exams

Original title: TBI CLAIMS: VA'S FAILURE TO PROVIDE ADEQUATE EXAMINATIONS

January 1, 2018

veterans affairs traumatic brain injury disability claims medical examinations oversight

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The Frame

What this does

The VA's failure to use required specialists for exams potentially impacted the disability claim outcomes for 24,000 veterans, affecting their access to benefits and medical care.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Veterans

Veterans who filed TBI claims between 2008 and 2015 may have received examinations from non-specialists, contrary to VA policy.

Department of Veterans Affairs

The agency is under congressional oversight to explain why its internal policies regarding TBI examinations were not followed.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2018.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

A House Subcommittee held an to address reports that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) failed to provide required specialist examinations for over 24,000 veterans filing Traumatic Brain Injury () claims between 2008 and 2015. The hearing investigated why the VA did not follow its own policy requiring these exams to be conducted by specific medical specialists.

Key Facts

Between 2008 and 2015, over 24,000 veterans received inadequate TBI examinations.
VA policy established in 2008 required initial TBI exams to be performed by a neurologist, psychiatrist, physiatrist, or neurosurgeon (the 'big four').
The VA discovered the failure to follow this policy only after a 2015 news report identified 300 veterans in Minnesota who received exams from unqualified professionals.
TBI is characterized by symptoms including headaches, mood changes, tinnitus, and difficulty concentrating.
The hearing was held by the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs on July 13, 2016.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 'big four' specialists?

The VA policy requires initial examinations to be performed by a neurologist, psychiatrist, , or neurosurgeon.

How many veterans were affected by the inadequate exams?

The document states that over 24,000 veterans received inadequate examinations between 2008 and 2015.

Why It Matters

The VA's failure to use required specialists for exams potentially impacted the disability claim outcomes for 24,000 veterans, affecting their access to benefits and medical care.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Failure of Internal Oversight

The VA failed to detect a policy violation affecting 24,000 veterans over seven years until a third-party news report brought it to light.

Department of Veterans Affairs

Connected Entities

personRalph Abraham“Chairman of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs”Map →

organizationVeterans Benefits Administration“Division of the VA responsible for disability claims”Map →

personDina Titus“Ranking Member of the Subcommittee”Map →

personDave McLenachen“Deputy Under Secretary for Disability Assistance, Veterans Benefits Administrati”Map →

organizationDepartment of Veterans Affairs“Federal agency responsible for veteran benefits and healthcare”Map →

organizationVeterans Health Administration“Division of the VA responsible for medical assessments”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance85
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy75
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment40
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz20
Current news / social attention level

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