Today, in recognition of the brave men and women who fought for our nation’s independence, the House of Representatives passed U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter’s (CO-07), Epilepsy Centers of Excellence Act of 2007 (H.R 2818), to address the critical issues facing veterans who have experienced traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Perlmutter introduced the bill just over one year ago and it was approved today on a voice vote.
“Our service men and women bravely fought for us, now it is time to fight for them and provide them with the best, highest quality medical care available,” said Perlmutter. “We have a moral obligation to our service men and women who are defending our country overseas to help them when they return home. As the father of a daughter with epilepsy, I understand and am committed to making sure our nation provides the critical medical care and research necessary to give these brave veterans the highest quality medical treatment.”
The bill authorizes the establishment of five epilepsy treatment centers co-located at the VA Polytrauma Centers in Palo Alto, Minneapolis, San Antonio, Richmond and Tampa to lead the way in epilepsy diagnosis, research, treatment and surgery.
TBI is one of the most common injuries of the war. Medical experts believe that 30 to 50 percent of brain injuries in military personnel will develop into epilepsy. These Centers will care for veterans’ experiencing seizures and especially those we predict will develop epilepsy as a result of suffering a Traumatic Brain Injury while serving in and .
During Vietnam , a number of men and women returned home with head wounds and head injuries. Of those who came home with these types of injuries, some 53% developed epilepsy within 15 years. Fifteen percent of those who developed Epilepsy did so five or more years after their combat injury.
For these service-connected injuries, the relative risk for developing epilepsy was 25 times higher than their civilian cohorts.
“These statistics indicate the number of veterans’ who will develop epilepsy, due to the extended combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, is going to rise,” said Perlmutter. “That is why we need expert clinical and research staff to work together to diagnose, care, and research the long-term effects of epilepsy.”
The bill now goes to a conference committee with the Senate.
