Minnesota Rep. Tim Walz Calls for Nationwide Inquiry into VA Brain Injury Exams

A Minnesota congressman is calling for a nationwide investigation to determine how many unqualified Veteran’s Administration doctors have been doing traumatic brain injury (TBI) exams. The request comes in the wake of disclosures that unqualified doctors performed hundreds of TBI exams at the Minneapolis VA’s Compensation and Pension (C&P) Department. Those exams resulted in veterans being improperly denied benefits. In a letter to the Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN) says he’s concerned that problems exposed at the Minneapolis Veterans Medical Center may exist “throughout the VA system.” VA policy says that initial TBI exams must be done by doctors in one of four specialties — including neurology and neurosurgery. In recent weeks, however, Minneapolis station KARE 11 has documented cases in which veterans were examined by unqualified medical personnel.

Source/more: KARE-11

David Wingate is an elder law attorney at the Elder Law Office of David Wingate, LLC. The elder law office services clients with powers of attorneys, living wills, Wills, Trusts, Medicaid and asset protection. The Elder Law office has locations in Frederick and Montgomery Counties, Maryland.