Rep. Duckworth – An Iraq War Veteran, Former Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs – Announced House Introduction of SET Act

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With nearly 300,000 American veterans struggling with Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) and another 25,000 veterans facing mild Traumatic Brain Injuries (mTBI), U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and U.S Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (IL-8) outlined a new plan to help active duty service members better track potential exposures during deployment that could be later connected to mental health injuries and mild TBIs. Without proper documentation or a visible, physical injury, it is often difficult for veterans to establish a connection between injuries and military service. This lack of documentation can lead to improper medical care and increases in the disability claims backlog.

“Veterans should be able to focus on their recovery, not have to prove the cause of their injury. When veterans seek claims for war-related injuries like post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury, the burden for establishing the connection should be on the Department of Defense, not on the veteran,” Brown said. “When Mr. Fairman, an Ohio combat veteran, shared the frustrations many veterans face in filing claims, I knew we could do better. The SET Act will ensure that the Department of Defense does a better job at tracking significant events so that retired service members have full records of their service upon seeking the benefits they’ve earned at the VA. I would also like to thank Rep. Duckworth for her service to our country and her willingness to sponsor this legislation in the House.” 

“As a nation, we have a commitment to our Veterans to make sure that they receive the care they need, and that means reducing barriers to care however we can,” Duckworth said. “When an average of 22 Veterans commit suicide every day, we are failing. The SET Act will help VA and DOD take the necessary steps to make sure that we are documenting when members of our military suffer TBIs or begin to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress. Veterans in need of treatment for these conditions should not have to spend their time and resources fighting the VA for access to care.”

Brown and Duckworth were joined on the call by Michael Fairman, an Ohio combat veteran whose experiences in the military helped establish the legislation. Fairman highlighted how the SET Act would help create more in-depth individual reports documenting exposure to traumatic events through an online Significant Event Tracker (SET).

“The idea behind the SET Act was driven by three very personal reasons; my own struggles, the loss of one of my Marines to suicide, and most importantly for my son’s future who is off on his first deployment,” Michael Fairman, an Ohio combat veteran and Co-Founder of Summit for Soldiers said. “Thousands of veterans, including those who currently living with PTS or a mTBI related diagnosis, know all too well  the struggle of trying to satisfy the burden of proof required by the VA  when dealing with an injury. Veterans understand the difficult tasks placed on the Department of Defense and the VA, however, a veteran seeking treatment when they are suffering should not have to prove their experiences. That’s why the SET Act is so crucial. Veterans will now have a vetted and verified document that would not only simplify the process, but would help set the stage for eliminating future backlogs. Most important, the SET Act would expedite the care and compensation that our service members and veterans deserve while working to reducing the stigma around mental health care. I urge Congress to move on this legislation.”

The Significant Event Tracker (SET) Act would ensure that unit commanders document events that individual service members are exposed to which might later be connected to PTS, mTBI, or other injuries. The DoD would then furnish these Significant Event entries to the VA to ensure better treatment for veterans and faster processing of claims. The SET Act would allow unit commanders and their delegates to report unit and individual exposures to traumatic events. By creating an individualized SET, injuries that are not currently documented through physical injuries, awards, or other service-related means will now be included on an individual’s medical history.

Currently, veterans who file compensation and disability claims, or seek medical care, must provide the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with evidence that connects their claim to previous military service. In cases and conditions such as PTS and mTBI, veterans must provide either a written testimony from another service member who witnessed the accident, submit relevant medical documentation that supports the claim, or possess military orders that prove the veteran was in a unit or location that supports the claim. These types of documentation however provide only a secondary account of the claim and may not fully illustrate the veteran’s claim of service connected PTS and mild TBI.

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