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.

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 coll...

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Bibliographic Details
Corporate Authors:	United States. Government Accountability Office, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Format:	Government Document eBook
Language:	English
Published:	[Washington, D.C.] : U.S. Govt. Accountability Office, [2009]
Subjects:	United States. > Department of Defense > Rules and practice. United States. > Department of Veterans Affairs > Rules and practice. Brain > Wounds and injuries. Disability evaluation > United States. Disabled veterans > Services for > United States. Interagency coordination > United States.
Online Access:	https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/LPS112122

Description
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.
Item Description:	Title from PDF title screen (viewed on Feb. 1, 2009). "January 2009." "GAO-09-108." Electronic resource.
Physical Description:	ii, 40 pages : digital, PDF file.
Format:	System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Mode of access: World Wide Web from GAO web site. Address as of 1/30/09: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09108.pdf ; current access available via PURL.
Bibliography:	Includes bibliographical references.