GOP House members warn VA neglecting vets’ brain injury exams.

House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Calls for Investigation into Alleged VA Exam Failures

Three members of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, who are also veterans themselves, are urging the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to investigate troubling allegations against a neurologist at the Tomah VA Medical Center in Wisconsin. The allegations suggest that the neurologist may have failed to provide hundreds of veterans with thorough and adequate compensation and pension (C&P) exams over an 18-year period.

Committee Members Call for Action

The committee members, including Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.), Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-Texas), and Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), have sent a letter to VA Inspector General Michael Missal, stating that incomplete disability exams can result in veterans being denied or losing entitlement to their earned benefits. Bost served in the Marine Corps, while Luttrell and Van Orden are Navy SEAL combat veterans.

The lawmakers are calling on the VA to not only follow up and expand on its review showing that 22 of 72 examinations performed by Dr. Mary Jo Lanska were incomplete but also to investigate the possibility of a bigger and more widespread problem with faulty and inadequate examinations.

VA Criticized for Delayed Response

In their letter, the lawmakers criticized the VA for taking so long to discover the problems with Dr. Lanska’s exams. They wrote that “it is unacceptable that VA identified these errors almost three years after the provider stopped completing C&P exams, and only after these concerns were brought forward publicly.”

The letter also questioned whether these deficiencies are limited to the Tomah VAMC neurologist or whether they indicate a possible systemic failure in the VA’s ability to provide veterans with adequate traumatic brain injury (TBI) disability exams and conduct effective quality review of such exams.

Tomah VA Medical Center Responds

The Tomah VA Medical Center issued a press release and veterans service announcement on April 21, stating that “after an initial review of Neurology Compensation and Pension (C&P) examinations conducted by a Tomah VA provider determined some of those examinations were considered incomplete.” The VA is reviewing all available options, including exploring potential re-examinations where appropriate, and urges any affected veteran to contact VA.

Rep. Morgan Luttrell Brings Personal Experience to the Issue

Rep. Morgan Luttrell brings particular focus, experience, and expertise to the issue of quality neurological and brain injury care. During a training exercise in 2009, off the coast of Virginia, Luttrell fell from a Black Hawk helicopter onto a moving ship. He broke his back and sustained a TBI. Amazingly, Luttrell, after a difficult rehabbing and recovery, continued to serve. He retired in 2014 with a medical discharge granted for his spinal injury.

Following his discharge, Luttrell went on to complete his master’s degree in applied cognition and neuroscience. He puts to use his real-life experience and trauma, and his academic training and credentials to help veterans with TBI and other neurological disorders. One pathway he researches and develops ways to provide this support is through the use and application of artificial intelligence (AI).