Dr. Denise Tate on national committee to evaluate war veterans' medical benefits
Denise Tate, Ph.D. (07/09/2007) Denise G. Tate, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Chair for Research in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, was selected by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to be part of a committee to evaluate medical disability compensation for veterans. The committee was chaired by Lonnie R. Bristow, M.D., past Chair of the American Medical Association. Other key members included Sid Gilman, M.D., also from the University of Michigan and past Chair of Neurology, and current Director of the Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.
Our troops are being evaluated by a system that’s been around since 1945. It rates disabled veterans simply on their ability to hold a job. The IOM said Veterans Administration (VA) must update its rating system and give special focus to conditions such as traumatic brain injury.
Drs. Tate and Gilman, among others on the subcommittee, reported that the new rating system should also give more consideration to how disabilities affect veterans’ overall quality of life, not just their ability to work.
“Our war veterans are getting short-changed by the present system,” says Dr. Tate. “It must be updated to address the new disabilities -- traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. These have a devastating effect on families.”
The report was prepared at the request of the federal Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission. The IOM is an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, a private organization chartered by Congress to advise the government on scientific matters.
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