Traumatic brain injury : better DOD and VA oversight can help ensure more accurate, consistent, and timely decisions for the Traumatic Injury Insurance program : report to the Ranking Member, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

United States. Government Accountability Office

Contributor:

United States. Congress. House. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Department of Defense--Rules and practice.

United States.

United States. Department of Veterans Affairs--Rules and practice.

United States. Department of Defense.

United States. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Brain--Wounds and injuries.

Brain.

Disability evaluation--United States.

Disability evaluation.

Disabled veterans--Services for--United States.

Disabled veterans.

Interagency coordination--United States.

Interagency coordination.

Brain damage.

Disabled veterans--Services for.

Genre:

Rules and practice.

Rules

Physical Description:

ii, 40 pages : digital, PDF file

Other Title:

Better DOD and VA oversight can help ensure more accurate, consistent, and timely decisions for the Traumatic Injury Insurance program

Place of Publication:

[Washington, D.C.] : U.S. Govt. Accountability Office, [2009]

Summary:

In 2005, Congress created a traumatic injury insurance benefit program, known as TSGLI, to help servicemembers with traumatic brain injury and other serious injuries with the financial burdens that they and their families face. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers the program, in collaboration with the Department of Defense (DOD), while the branches of service are responsible for deciding servicemembers' claims. GAO examined (1) the TSGLI approval rate for traumatic brain injury claimants, and whether DOD and VA have assurance that claims are processed accurately, consistently, and in a timely manner and (2) any challenges servicemembers with traumatic brain injury may have faced in accessing TSGLI benefits, and the extent to which DOD and VA have taken steps to address such challenges. GAO analyzed program data and interviewed DOD and VA officials, servicemembers, and medical professionals. GAO recommends that DOD and VA (1) implement a quality assurance review process to help ensure that decisions are accurate and consistent within and across the services and (2) take steps to ensure the data required to assess the approval rate for traumatic brain injury and timeliness of the claims process are reliable and comprehensive.

Contents:

Results in brief

Background

Traumatic brain injury approval rates may be lower than 63 percent, and DOD and VA lack assurance that TSGLI decisions are accurate, consistent, and timely within and across the services

Servicemembers with traumatic brain injury have faced challenges in initiating claims and proving eligibility for TSGLI benefits, and DOD and VA have taken steps to address these challenges

Conclusions

Recommendations for executive action

Agency comments and our evaluation.

Notes:

Title from PDF title screen (viewed Feb. 1, 2009).

"January 2009."

Includes bibliographical references.

"GAO-09-108."

OCLC:

300524486