CHICAGO - More than 160,000 veterans treated by VA are considered legally blind, and another million have low vision that challenges daily activities.

WASHINGTON — The use of trained dogs has been accepted therapy since the 1960s for persons with visual, hearing and mobility impairments. Only recently, however, have service dogs been trained to assist men and women suffering from mental health issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

BOSTON - A compound approved for treating traumatic brain injury (TBI) in nearly 60 countries does not appear to approve function or cognitive status in patients, according to a new study.

Former Military Personnel at Higher Risk
BETHESDA, MD - In late 2005, Thomas J. Murphy, a veteran who served in the Marine Corps during the 1970s, heard a radio advertisement seeking volunteers who were former smokers to participate in a lung cancer early detection CT screening study.

CHICAGO - If VA and DoD expect to use the Lovell Federal Healthcare Center (FHCC) in Chicago as a blueprint for future joint facility integration projects, the departments will need to develop some kind of way to evaluate the success or failure at Lovell - something they have yet to do, according to an Institute of Medicine report.

BETHESDA, MD — It never occurred to Lt. Col. Eric Holt, DO, that he wouldn’t fully recover from the multiple injuries — including traumatic brain injury — he suffered when an IED hit his vehicle in Afghanistan. The blast ripped the vehicle apart and threw Holt into a compound wall.

WEST HAVEN, CT - The median age of the 24,000 veterans with HIV receiving care at the VA today is 53 — and many look and feel far older.

LOS ANGELES—Nearly 40% of veterans receiving antiretroviral therapy for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection also have hepatitis C virus (HCV), yet many of them never are treated for the underlying condition.

Washington — Hurricane Sandy, when it hit the northeast in October took a huge toll on the VA New York Harbor Healthcare System’s Manhattan facility, which continued to be closed from storm damage as of early this month.

Researchers Call for Larger Studies at Lower Oxygen Doses
WASHINGTON — The use of hyperbaric oxygen to improve mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) resulted in no symptom relief at the exposure pressure tested, according to a new report, which calls for larger studies at lower total oxygen doses.