Colorado lawmakers push VA to pay for specialized care for vets with TBIs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- This week, the entire Colorado Congressional Delegation penned a letter to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, urging the department to authorize community care for veterans with traumatic brain injuries.
It comes after veterans in our state have been denied authorization for treatment at the Marcus Institute for Brain Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz.
For veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI), oftentimes the Marcus Institute (MIBH) in Aurora is their last resort. But it's a final stop that actually ends up saving their lives.
"There's no question from what we've heard over the years we've been doing this: this has been saving lives," said Dr. James Kelly, Executive Director of MIBH. "We've heard that. We've seen it in their written comments back to us. We have heard from these individuals and their family members that their lives are improved, they're back on track."
The Marcus Institute helps vets suffering from brain injuries and post-traumatic stress by using a comprehensive three-week treatment program tailored specifically to the needs of each patient.
"What's special about this, is each patient goes through a very detailed, personalized medicine approach to what the underlying problems are that they have that are interfering with their lives in many ways," said Dr. Kelly. "Then, we take that information and build a treatment program for them, that's specific to them. They stay right here on campus and go through a three-day evaluation period and then a three-week treatment program. It puts them on a trajectory of recovery very quickly, and people are truly better off as a result."
The VA Mission Act of 2018 allows vets to receive care outside of VA medical facilities. The Marcus Institute says because of that, the VA should pay for this treatment, but for the most part, they’re not.
"Right now, around 10 percent of the patients that come to us from a VA connection are ever authorized to be paid for the care that they receive with us,” said Dr. Kelly.
That's why the bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing the VA to reconsider.
"This is on the VA's radar," said Dr. Kelly. "This is not the kind of thing that is secret or we're the only ones knowing that this is a problem. We're actually just saying, as these senators and representatives have pointed out, that the law had an intended purpose, and this is it, so please pay attention to that."
Dr. Kelly says the VA's lack of funding has not stopped them from treating patients. The Marcus Institute takes donations so they can treat all veterans who need help, even if they don’t have the money to pay for this comprehensive treatment.
If you're interested in learning more about MIBH or want to make a donation, click here.
