In the New York Times, an extended feature about injured Iraq veteran James Fair and Homes for Our Troops, a Massachusetts-based organization that has built him a house with high-tech accommodations for his disabilities. Fair is blind, has brain injuries, and has lost both arms below the elbows, the result of an explosion. An excerpt:

[The house] is a test case of the ways design can improve the lives of severely wounded veterans and their families, and of the limits of its power to turn around a situation like Mr. Fair’s.

… Paul Gemme, the projects manager who oversees the construction of most Homes for Our Troops houses, said the work is rewarding but also challenging, in part because the veterans he builds for are often frustrated, and have higher expectations for their new homes than a charity can meet.

“A lot of human emotions come into this,” he said. The veterans “are in a situation they never thought they would be in. We have had to employ a lot of Psych 101.”

From the Associated Press, USA Today:

The government is more than quadrupling the monthly payments to some veterans who sustained mild traumatic brain injuries, acknowledging for the first time that veterans with these wounds could struggle to make a living. The change goes into effect in 30 days.

New government assessments have concluded that some troops with even mild brain trauma could end up with chronic headaches, memory loss or anxiety that could hurt their chances of getting or keeping a job.

A RAND Corp. study earlier this year estimated that more than 300,000 troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan sustained traumatic brain injuries.

From USA Today:

The federal government is spending more money on veterans than at any time in modern history, surpassing the tidal wave of spending following World War II and the demilitarizing of millions of troops.

Expenditures hit $82 billion in 2007, because of the rising cost of health care, the expense of caring for an aging population of mostly Vietnam War veterans and a new crop of severely wounded troops from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

There is concern that costs will continue to be driven upward by the high incidence of traumatic brain injuries among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. A recent Rand Corp. study said annual costs for a severe head injury can reach $400,000.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

A growing number of Americans are spending big money on clinics in developing countries that are promising to cure disabilities with stem cells, using techniques that have not been proven safe or effective. Among their targets: Parkinson’s, cerebral palsy and paralysis.

Mainstream researchers condemn the practice as unethical, dangerous and potentially fraudulent, and say such clinics are raking in millions of dollars from vulnerable people. They urge people to wait until research can determine whether the techniques actually work.

But many patients are desperate. “I went to the Dominican Republic expecting a miracle,” Marcela DeVivo, of Valencia, Calif., wrote on her blog, prayfornathan.org. “Will he walk out of the clinic? Maybe he will say his first full, clear word. What will it be?”

DeVivo’s baby son has physical and intellectual disabilities. She paid $30,000 to have him injected with blood stem cells from aborted fetuses.

Editor’s note: Thanks to Nancy Iannone for sending this along!

From The Boston Globe:

MIT mathematics professor Seymour Papert devoted much of his career to learning, and now caregivers are using theories and insights he developed to help him improve after a brain injury. Papert developed innovative technology to help children learn before a traffic accident left him with impaired speech and memory loss nineteen months ago.

His wife says she was forced to solicit donations from colleagues and friends for a Seymour Papert Recovery Fund to cover the cost of Papert’s $15,000\month medical care after MIT refused to help pay for his home care.

In a statement, MIT said: “Seymour Papert, a retired professor emeritus at MIT since 1996, has been a member of the MIT community for over 40 years and is loved and respected by everyone who has had the privilege of working with him. Since his terrible accident in Hanoi, MIT has provided him with assistance and support.”

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

A recent federal court ruling in Atlanta, coupled with a new Georgia law, are seen as hopeful signs that state-paid services for Georgians with disabilities could be restored.

Advocates say Georgia has cut medical services for hundreds of children in recent years. One example is eleven-year-old Rachael Eaves, whose Medicaid-funded home nursing care was reduced from 60 hours a week to 40.

Fighting a state decision can be tough. Michelle Eaves said the state letter that reduced her daughter’s nursing hours didn’t explain why. The contact number on the letter didn’t work. Despite filing an appeal within 10 days, she said she had to wait a year and a half for a hearing.

Similar battles are being played out in a handful of other states.

Earlier post here.

From National Public Radio:

A ruling in a lawsuit against the Veterans Administration by Berkeley-based Disability Rights Advocates could be handed down as soon as today. Plaintiffs allege that the VA has not provided timely mental health care for returning veterans, and say there is a backlog of 600,000 claims at the VA, some dating all the way back to the Vietnam war.

A recent study by the Rand Corporation found that nearly one out of every 5 troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is suffering from a mental health disorder, including traumatic brain injury, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Related posts:

• Veterans face devastating waits for disability benefits
• How the military has repaid vets with permanent disabilities