Memorial Day is a day to remember those who have given their lives in service to our country.  However,  it is also a time to think of our commitment to our living veterans. Unfortunately, a report from the Inspector General of the US Department of Veteran Affairs found that there are many gaps in treatment for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD or TBIs).

E. Everett McFall wrote "The report found that for Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with TBIs, 'long-term case management is not uniformly provided for these patients, and significant needs remain unmet.' These were the findings even though and earlier report found that, 'specific attention to the long-term needs of
those living with TBI is warranted in part because cognitive and emotional impairments compromise patients' capacity to seek help on their own. Unlike other types of injury, brain injury often causes long lasting emotional difficulties and behavioral problems.
Further, in contrast to amputations and other disabilities, these problems are often not apparent to casual observers even though they exact a huge toll on patients and families.'"

The State of Illinois is in the forefront of providing unique programs for veterans, and a veteran is in the forefront of the Illinois programs.  Tammy Duckworth is the director of the Illionois Department of Veteran Affairs. Duckworth administers a program called the Illinois Warrior Assistance program which was started in January to counsel veterans.  The program offers a 24-hour, confidential hotline for active soldiers and veterans, free phone screening for post-traumatic stress order, and referals for services, including assistance for those without insurance.

In an interview with Triage, Duckworth described the impact.  "We are accessing providers outside the DOD (U.S. Department of Defense) and VA system. The VA right now is experiencing a severe shortage of counselors trained to provide services for people with PTSD. We’ll, we’re not limited to that … we can access providers throughout the state.

"On our hotline, you get a trained counselor with a master’s degree. So you can get immediate counseling day or night. And there is a doctor or a psychiatric nurse who a counselor can refer to 24 hours a day if they have a caller in a crisis mode."

According to Triage, more than 5000 veterans have already been helped. 

Duckworth's own background gives her real insight into what it is like to be injured in the line of duty. The Suntimes Newsgroups writes, "Duckworth, 38, as many know from her high-profile campaign, lost her legs and mangled an arm when her helicopter was hit in Iraq by a rocket-propelled grenade...Before [starting at the Department of Veteran Affairs, she returned] to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington for a few days to get some adjustments to her prosthesis."

Duckworth may some day have a broader purview.  There is a rumor that if Senator Barak Obama becomes president, Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich may appoint Duckworth to fill Obama's seat in the US Senate. Chicago Argus writes,"'Admittedly, it is just a 'SneedScoop,' which means there’s a good chance that it’s wrong. But the Chicago Sun-Times’ columnist Michael Sneed reported Thursday that Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth would be Blagojevich’s likely choice to replace Obama, should he move 'up and out' from Illinois."

Alex Elliot also blogs at Formula Fed and Flexible Parenting