Veterans Today: Veterans' Families Seek Aid For Caregiver Role

IAVA Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff recently spoke to Veterans' Today for this article about families of soldiers with traumatic brain injuries who are seeking formal certification and compensation for their caretaking.

In the last session of Congress, families and veterans groups persuaded lawmakers to introduce legislation that, among other things, would allow families of soldiers with traumatic brain injuries to be paid for their caretaking after training and certification by the Veterans Affairs Department. The Keils think they would benefit because Mr. Keil has minor brain trauma as well. The bill did not come up for a vote but the families think it stands a better chance next year because President-elect Barack Obama has endorsed other supportive legislation and the future first lady, Michelle Obama, has said helping veterans’ families will be a priority to her.

The Veterans Affairs Department opposed the legislation, saying it would create unacceptable liability; if a veteran was injured by a family member trained by the department, it would be liable. But Paul Rieckhoff, executive director and founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said families of veterans suspected that the government was not compensating them for another reason: because they know they would do the work anyway. “They are kind of being taken advantage of,” Mr. Rieckhoff said.