Search

Background: The increase in provision of assistive technology devices (ATDs) has spurred controversy over Medicare policy aimed at reducing cost-policy that forces social isolation and conflicts with legislation, facilitating participation for individuals with disabilities. In contrast, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) policy does not limit provision of AT to "in home" use only but rather, states "all enrolled and some non-enrolled veterans are eligible for all needed prosthetics.", Objectives: Examine ATD provision policy by comparing 2 systems, Medicare and VA. Empirically analyze differences in ATDs provided, cost, and duplication in provision., Research Design: Retrospective study of VA databases, including VA Medicare data., Subjects: A population based study of 12,0461 veterans post-stroke., Measures: Frequency of provision of ATDs by Health Care Common Procedural Code, purchase price, and capped rental payments., Results: Of the poststroke veteran cohort, 39% received no AT, 56% received AT from the VA only, 1% received AT from Medicare only, and 3% received AT from both the VA and Medicare. Most ATDs were for activities of daily living, followed by walkers/canes/crutches. In specific ATD comparisons, VA costs were substantially lower than Medicare for purchased items and slightly lower than Medicare for capped rental payments., Conclusion: VA provides a broader variety of ATDs at a lesser cost than Medicare. Analyses of policy differences between VA and Medicare suggest VA policy is driven by veteran need whereas Medicare policy is driven at least in part, by containing costs that have skyrocketed as a result of fraudulent claims.

Objectives: To examine variation in provision of assistive technology (AT) devices and the extent to which such variation may be explained by patient characteristics or Veterans Health Administration (VHA) administrative region., Design: Retrospective population-based study., Setting: VHA., Participants: Veterans poststroke in fiscal years 2001 and 2002 (N=12,046)., Interventions: Not applicable., Main Outcome Measure: Provision of 8 categories of AT devices., Results: There was considerable regional variation in provision of AT. For example, differences across administrative regions in the VHA ranged from 5.1 to 28.1 standard manual wheelchairs per 100 veterans poststroke. Using logistic regression, with only demographic variables as predictors of standard manual wheelchair provision, the c statistic was .62, and the pseudo R(2) was 2.5%. Adding disease severity increased the c statistic to .67 and the pseudo R(2) to 6.2%, and adding Veteran Integrated Network System further increased the c statistic to .72 and pseudo R(2) to 9.8%., Conclusions: Our research showed significant variation in the provision of AT devices to veterans poststroke, and it showed that patient characteristics accounted for only 6.2% of the variation. VHA administrative region and disability severity accounted for equivalent amounts of the variation. Our findings suggest the need for improvements in the process for providing AT and/or provider education concerning device provision., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of individuals who participate in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games (NVWG) and the Winter Sports Clinic (WSC) for veterans with disabilities. In addition, it was of interest to determine how these events had impacted their lives., Method: Participants were recruited at the 20th Winter Sports Clinic, held in Snowmass Colorado and the 26th National Veterans Wheelchair Games held in Anchorage, Alaska. Data of interest included demographic, sport participation information, community integration, self-esteem, and quality of life. A secondary data analysis was completed to determine how comparable individuals who attended the NVWG/WSC were to individuals who did not participate in these events., Results: The 132 participants were a mean age of 47.4 + 13.4 and lived with a disability for an average of 13.4 + 12.1. Participants felt that the NVWG/WSC increased their knowledge of sports equipment (92%), learning sports (89%), mobility skills (84%), and acceptance of disability (84%). The majority of participants stated that the NVWG/WSC improved their life. Of those who participated at the NVWG/WSC, they tended to be more mobile, but have increased physical and cognitive limitations as measured by the CHART when compared to the non-attendees., Conclusions: Recommending veterans participate in events such as the NVWG and WSC can provide psychosocial benefits to veterans with disabilities.

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a frequent complication for military personnel, veterans, athletes, and travelers at high altitudes. Symptoms may occur in individuals with less cerebrospinal fluid volume and less ability to accommodate increased brain volume. No studies on AMS exist in individuals with neurological impairments. We studied 64 subjects, including active and sedentary controls and those with tetraplegia, paraplegia, multiple sclerosis, and traumatic brain injury at the 2007 National Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Snowmass, Colorado. Subjects completed three Lake Louise Score surveys to quantify symptoms. We found a higher than expected occurrence of AMS overall (51.6%) but no differences among groups, and few participants sought treatment. Fatigue and weakness were common symptoms. High subject activity levels may explain these findings. More research is warranted on larger sample sizes and on preventative medications and treatments for AMS, especially since many military personnel with neurological impairments are returning to full active service.

Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) report decreased satisfaction with their mobility devices compared with individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCIs). This study (1) investigated the demographic differences between veterans with MS (V-MS) and veterans with SCI (V-SCI) who were issued a wheelchair by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and (2) described differences in mobility device prescription. We merged two VHA databases to obtain demographic and wheelchair information for all V-MS and V-SCI in 2000 and 2001. Descriptive information for issued wheelchairs was available for 2,154 V-MS and V-SCI. We found that V-MS were significantly less likely to receive higher quality wheelchairs (manual or power) compared with V-SCI (p < 0.001). The disparity in VHA wheelchair prescription between these two groups indicates a need for further research regarding the assistive device prescription process in these populations.

Little is known about the reasoning process clinicians use when prescribing wheeled mobility equipment (WME) or about the outcomes of this process, i.e., how many devices are prescribed, to whom, how often, and at what cost. This study characterized veterans who received WME from the Veterans Health Administration. We analyzed variance in wheelchair provision based on sex, race/ethnicity, diagnosis, and age. Three years of data from the National Prosthetics Patient Database and the National Patient Care Database were merged, yielding more than 77,000 observations per fiscal year. Logistic regression analysis revealed associations between WME provision and age, sex, and race/ethnicity, when analysis was controlled for diagnosis and number of comorbidities. Hispanics (odds ratio [OR] = 1.864), African Americans (OR = 1.360), and American Indians/Asians (OR = 1.585) were more likely than Caucasians to receive standard wheelchairs. Hispanics (OR = 0.4), African Americans (OR = 0.7), and American Indians/Asians (OR = 0.4) were less likely than Caucasians to receive scooters.

PTSD is often treated with anxiety management techniques, including relaxation training. A case report is presented which describes a PTSD combat veteran who experienced dissociative states induced by relaxation training. Hypnotherapy subsequently identified traumatic memories which were recalled during relaxation training but triggering mechanisms for the recall of these traumatic memories were not identified.