External Resources
BRAIN INJURY & DEPLOYMENT HEALTH
Afterdeployment
A mental wellness resource for service members, veterans, and military families. If you’ve deployed, or know someone who has, you know that spending time in a war zone means being changed in some way. Some of these changes may be causing problems for you or for someone you know. Having problems after a deployment is normal. Unfortunately, less than half of the service members having difficulty after a deployment seek services. Afterdeployment.org can help you and the people close to you to manage your after-deployment concerns and ensure a smoother transition back to home life.
American Veterans with Brain Injuries (AVBI)
A peer chat room and forum for American service members and veterans, as well as for family members and caregivers. Both the forum and chat room are interactive and designed for participants to ask questions, get information, and share personal experiences with others.
BrainLine.org
BrainLine.org is a new national multimedia project offering information and resources about preventing, treating, and living with TBI. BrainLine.org is a service of WETA, the public TV and radio station in Washington, DC and is funded by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center through a contract with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.
Deployment Health Clinical Center (DHCC)
DHCC launched its web site in 2001 to assist busy clinicians in the delivery of post-deployment healthcare. It represents a comprehensive source of deployment-related health information for both healthcare providers and service members, veterans, and family members.
The Journey Home - the CEMM TBI Web Site
This site provides an informative and sensitive exploration of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), including information for patients, family members, and caregivers. Topics include types and symptoms of brain injury, TBI treatment and recovery, and helpful insights about the potential long-term effects of brain injury. Animation is used to help patients clearly understand the brain, and the results of injuries to different parts of the brain. Survivors and their caregivers share courageous stories about their own experiences, providing down-to-earth facts along with inspiration and hope.
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCICP)
NCICP, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), supports data collection and follow-up studies in more than 15 states to track and monitor TBI in the United States, to link people with TBI to information about services, and to find ways to prevent TBI-related disabilities.
- Facts about Traumatic Brain Injury (2-page pdf file): Includes information on the problem, consequences, causes, cost, groups at risk, collaborating organizations, and references.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Created in 1950, the mission of NINDS is to reduce the burden of neurological disease — a burden borne by every age group, by every segment of society, by people all over the world. Its TBI information page includes extensive resources and links to related websites.
Real Warriors Campaign
The Real Warriors Campaign is an initiative launched by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) to promote the processes of building resilience, facilitating recovery and supporting reintegration of returning service members, veterans and their families. The Real Warriors Campaign combats the stigma associated with seeking psychological healthcare and treatment and encourages service members to increase their awareness and use of these resources.
ReMIND.org
A movement of the Bob Woodruff Foundation that educates the public about the needs of injured service members, veterans and their families as they reintegrate into their communities and empowers people everywhere to take action.
TRICARE
The United States military's healthcare plan for military personnel, military retirees, and their beneficiaries.
US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
Its mission is "to serve the needs of America's veterans by providing primary care, specialized care, and related medical and social support services."
SERVICE BRANCH PROGRAMS
Air Force Crossroads
The Official Community Website of the United States Air Force.
Air Force Wounded Warrior (AFW2)
VISION: The Air Force will take care of its Wounded Warriors. We will fully support the Office of the Secretary of Defense programs to keep highly skilled men and women on active duty. If this is not feasible, the Air Force will ensure Airmen receive enhanced assistance through the AFW2 program.
Army Reserve Family Programs (ARFP)
ARFP is committed to offering education, training, awareness, outreach, information, referral, and follow-up. Our mission and vision statements reflect our commitment to the Army Reserve community.
Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2)
Taking care of wounded warriors is an important part of the Army's mission. The Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2) is the official U.S. Army program that assists and advocates for severely wounded, injured, and ill Soldiers and their Families, wherever they are located, for as long as it takes.
Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS)
MCCS exists to serve Marines and their families wherever they are stationed. Every day, throughout their careers and into retirement, MCCS programs and services provide for basic life needs, such as food and clothing, social and recreational needs, and even prevention and intervention programs to combat societal ills that inhibit positive development and growth.
Military HOMEFRONT
The Department of Defense website for official Military Community and Family Policy (MC&FP) program information, policy and guidance designed to help troops and their families, leaders, and service providers. Whether you live the military lifestyle or support those who do, you'll find what you need!
National Guard Family Programs
Welcome to the National Guard Bureau-Family Program website! Our goal is to make this website your “one-stop shop” to find information on programs, benefits, resources and more.
National Military Family Association (NMFA)
GOALS: To educate military families concerning their rights, benefits and services available to them and to inform them regarding the issues that affect their lives and... To promote and protect the interests of military families by influencing the development and implementation of legislation and policies affecting them.
VETERANS SERVICES
DoD Disabled Veterans
The Department of Defense (DoD) provides employment opportunities for disabled men and women who honorably served on behalf of our Nation. As the largest Federal employer of veterans, we are committed to providing every disabled veteran who wants to serve our country as a DoD civil servant the opportunity to do so.
Interactive VA personal health site
My HealtheVet, VA’s online Personal Health Record, is up and running and growing each day, welcoming over 181,000 Veterans nationwide each week.
US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Our goal is to provide excellence in patient care, veterans' benefits and customer satisfaction. We have reformed our department internally and are striving for high quality, prompt and seamless service to veterans. Of the 25 million veterans currently alive, nearly three of every four served during a war or an official period of hostility. About a quarter of the nation's population –approximately 70 million people –are potentially eligible for VA benefits and services because they are veterans, family members or survivors of veterans.
VOCATIONAL & RE-EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
America's Heroes at Work (AHAW)
An initiative from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) focusing on the employment challenges of returning service members living with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and/or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Operation Warfighter
The Department of Defense (DoD) is sponsoring Operation Warfighter, a temporary assignment/ internship program for service members who are convalescing at military treatment facilities in the National Capital Region.
Vocational Rehabilitation and Education
This program's primary function is to help veterans who have service-connected disabilities become suitably employed, maintain employment, or achieve independence in daily living.
Vocational Rehabilitation and Information
The Department of Veterans Affair's Veterans Benefits Administration's Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) service is vested with delivering timely, effective vocational rehabilitation services to veterans with service-connected disabilities. Enabling our injured soldiers, sailors, airmen, and other veterans with disabilities for a seamless transition from military service to a successful rehabilitation and on to suitable employment after service to our Nation.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY & ACCOMMODATIONS
Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP)
CAP provides assistive technology and services to people with disabilities, federal managers, supervisors, IT professionals, and wounded service members.
Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
The Job Accommodation Network is a service provided by the US Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). JAN is one of several ODEP projects. JAN's mission is to facilitate the employment and retention of workers with disabilities by providing employers, employment providers, people with disabilities, their family members and other interested parties with information on job accommodations, entrepreneurship, and related subjects.
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