Hatch's Traumatic Brain Injury Act Reauthorization Moving through Congress

Apr 10, 2008 by Elizabeth Ziegler

(KCPW News) A bill to fund treatment and outreach programs for traumatic brain injuries sponsored by Utah's Senator Orrin Hatch is once again up for reauthorization. Brain Injury Association of Utah executive director Ron Roskos attributes the passage of the bill in 1996 for greatly improving the screening and treatment options here.

"This traumatic brain injury act opened a lot of doors that may have been closed prior to that," Roskos says. "We look at the acquired brain injury waiver, the traumatic brain injury fund that just passed, the grant that the state of Utah received through the traumatic brain injury grant, and then the ongoing research and information we receive through the Centers for Disease Control. Those are phenomenal things."

The CDC reports that in Utah, there are 44,000 Utah men and women living with disabilities stemming from severe head injuries. These disabilities include memory loss, personality changes and reduced motor-skill coordination. Across the nation, 1.4 million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury, also known as TBI, in motor vehicle crashes and falls. And a growing number of veterans are coming back from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan with the injury. Advocates estimate roughly two-thirds of the more than 30,000 men and women injured in the war so far have TBI. It is so common, in fact, that it is known as the "signature wound" of the Iraq war because of the number of improvised explosive devices used against the US troops. Utah Department of Veterans Affairs Director Terry Schow says he supports Hatch's effort to secure funding for TBI treatment.

"We certainly would advocate for increased funding for TBI treatment, and I know many of the veterans organizations also advocate funding for that to make sure that these folks who are injured get the proper treatment," Schow says.

The Traumatic Brain Injury Act Reauthorization has passed through the Senate and House, where it was amended. It now heads back to the Senate for approval. Meanwhile, Utah's Legislature approved a TBI fund this year to help disabled Utahns access treatment. More information about the federal and state efforts to improve TBI services is available here, and here.

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