As of Feb. 20, over 2,500 veterans have answered the survey, American Legion announced Friday.
The survey follows a Feb. 13 report commissioned by the Department of Veterans Affairs from the Institute of Medicine regarding the long term effects of blast injuries to veterans who served in the Gulf War.
As mentioned in the report, the Institute of Medicine says that the Veterans Affairs should create a database integrated with Pentagon records for troops who have suffered blast-related injuries, create a blast-injury registry and develop clinical practice guidelines for PTSD, TBI and blast-related injuries.
Jeff Greenberg, a doctor from the Data Recognition Corp., a firm that supports Legion’s survey, said that the information from the survey and the report is expected to “lead to a more pronounced understanding of services received, aimed at supporting the goal of improved quality of care and better standardization of care.”
“In the case of veterans with PTSD and TBI, there should be little doubt about the importance of continued research efforts aimed at improving health care, and ultimately long-term health outcomes, for those who have so nobly served this nation. Scientists, practitioners and those who would serve veterans are not at the end of the journey. Rather, there is a long distance to travel,” Greenberg added.