 The new program's confidential toll-free line, 1-866-554-IWAP
(4927), is available and staffed around the clock by health
professionals to assist veterans, day or night, with the symptoms
associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and to screen for a
possible traumatic brain injury. Information about the program can
also be found at
www.illinoiswarrior.com."The brave men and women serving in
Iraq and Afghanistan have made major sacrifices on our behalf, and
we've been seeing what a serious toll combat can take on their
health. There is no safe place in these combat zones -- only danger,
violence and tragedy that most of us can't even imagine. When they
return home, our service members deserve every opportunity to live
healthy, stable lives, and the Illinois Warrior Assistance Program
will help them make the transition from their tour of duty to
everyday life. I'm proud that, once again, Illinois is leading the
way and establishing a model that can be used by other states and
the federal government to address a serious problem facing our
returning veterans," said Blagojevich.
"Many of our service members are facing multiple deployments, and
the number of veterans suffering from TBI and battling PTSD is only
growing as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue," said
Duckworth, the IDVA director. "We need to meet the needs of our
veterans now, and by offering confidential assistance through the
Illinois Warrior Assistance Program, we hope to make what can be a
difficult transition from combat to daily life easier for our
service members and their families."
The Illinois Warrior Assistance Program provides confidential
assistance for Illinois veterans as they transition back to their
everyday lives after serving our country. Its goal is to help
service members and their families deal with the emotional and
psychological challenges they may be facing. The program has three
major parts:
First, it offers a 24-hour, toll-free line at 1-866-554-IWAP
(4927), which is staffed by health professionals to assist veterans,
day or night, with the symptoms associated with post-traumatic
stress disorder, or PTSD.
Second, it provides traumatic brain injury screening to all
interested Illinois veterans over the phone via the toll-free line
or through the IDVA veteran service officers, known as VSOs.
Third, it makes screenings for traumatic brain injury, or TBI,
mandatory for all returning members of the Illinois Army National
Guard and Air National Guard.
If a veteran has a positive screening for PTSD or TBI and is
uninsured or underinsured, he or she could be eligible for
additional diagnostic review and treatment for PTSD or TBI through
the program. The toll-free line and the network of providers will be
operated through Magellan Health Services.
The Army Surgeon General's Task Force on Traumatic Brain Injury
released a report Jan. 17 recognizing that there were major gaps in
the system when it came to TBI identification, documentation,
communication among levels of care and screening procedures.
According to the report, "TBIs have been called one of the signature
wounds of the current conflicts," yet "it is unknown how many
soldiers have suffered a TBI during OEF/OIF." It goes on to say that
"the TBI screening of over 35,000 redeploying soldiers has revealed
a 10-20 percent rate of a mild TBI while deployed" and that
"systemic, Army-wide screening for TBI upon redeployment is not
currently practiced."
The TBI screening tool was created by Dr. Elliot Roth, senior
vice president and medical director, and Dr. Felise Zollman, medical
director of the Brain Injury Medicine and Rehabilitation Program at
the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
"The brain is the human body's most complex organ, making brain
injury one of the most complicated injuries to treat. Brain injuries
can manifest in ways that are not readily apparent, and the process
of detecting and determining the extent of injury can be highly
complex," said Zollman. "RIC is proud to partner with the state of
Illinois to lend its clinical expertise in the development and
implementation of this screening tool which ensures Illinois
veterans returning from combat unaware that they have a brain injury
receive the care that they need as soon as possible."
[to top of second column] |
 The Defense Department's Task Force
on Mental Health issued a report in June of last year declaring that
the military "falls significantly short" in providing adequate
psychological care to service members. The report also stated that
more than one-third of our troops and veterans suffer from TBI and
PTSD. Some common signs of PTSD and mild TBI:
-
Trouble sleeping
-
Memory problems
-
Trouble concentrating
-
Feeling irritable and
angry
-
Having nightmares or
frightening thoughts
-
Feeling jumpy,
anxious or easily startled
-
Feeling emotionally
numb
-
Feeling cut off from
other people and other relationships
The Illinois Warrior Assistance Program is jointly coordinated by
the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Department of
Healthcare and Family Services, the governor's office, and the
Illinois Department of Military Affairs.
Services covered by the Illinois Warrior Assistance Program
include referral to appropriate service providers, care
coordination, counseling, psychotherapy, prescriptions for
behavioral health pharmaceuticals, intensive outpatient services and
referral to an IDVA veteran service officer to help the veteran
apply for all applicable state and federal benefits.
To be eligible for these services, a
veteran must meet the following criteria:
-
Be a resident of
Illinois.
-
Be no more than 64
years of age, unless uninsured.
-
Have served for at
least 180 days of duty after initial training.
-
Is not an inmate of a
public institution.
-
Is not a resident of
a nursing facility.
-
Does not have health
care coverage or does not have coverage for diagnostic review
and treatment for PTSD or TBI included in their health care
coverage.
-
Is not eligible for
federal VA services or is eligible for federal VA services but
such coverage or services are inaccessible because of one of the
following:
-
Nearest site
providing necessary services is more than 75 miles from the
veteran's home.
-
Veteran does not have
transportation to a covered provider.
-
Veteran must wait
more than three months for an appointment with a covered
provider.
-
Illinois veterans who
do not meet the eligibility requirements will be referred to an
appropriate source of follow-up care.
If you are a veteran or service member suffering from symptoms
associated with PTSD, or if you think someone you care about may be
experiencing post-deployment stress or other combat-related
emotional issues, call the Illinois Warrior Assistance Program's
confidential, 24-hour toll-free line, 1-866-554-IWAP (4927), for
more information and help. You can also visit
www.illinoiswarrior.com
for more information about the program.
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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