Purple Hearts Routinely Denied for Traumatic Brain Injuries

– Traumatic Brain Injuries Don’t Merit Purple Heart? –

From the VA:

 NPR (9/9, Miller, Zwerdling) reports, “Army commanders have routinely denied Purple Hearts to soldiers who have sustained concussions in Iraq, despite regulations that make such wounds eligible for the medal, an investigation by NPR and ProPublica has found,” reflecting “a broader skepticism within the military over the severity of mild traumatic brain injury.”

However, “Veterans groups that focus on the Purple Heart support awarding it in cases of concussions, as the regulations spell out.” Similarly, “Paul Sullivan, a former Department of Veterans Affairs official who now heads Veterans for Common Sense, an advocacy group,” called the situation “an outrage.” Besides recognition, the medal gives “recipients a higher priority in obtaining medical service from Veterans Affairs medical facilities.”