Story examples
Recent T. Christian Miller stories from the military health beat.
Injured War Contractors Sue Over Health Care, Disability Payments
Sept. 27, 10:11 a.m.
A class action lawsuit filed in federal court demands $2 billion, alleging that private contracting firms and their insurers abandoned employees injured working for the government in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Gov’t Watchdog Criticizes Pentagon Center for PTSD, Brain Injuries
July 11, 1 a.m.
The Pentagon’s Defense Centers of Excellence are plagued by management weakness and obscure finances, according to recent Government Accountability Office reports.
U.S. Insurance Firm Neglects Survivors of Iraqi Translators, May Face Criminal Charges
May 23, 10:19 a.m.
Chicago-based CNA Financial Corp. faces possible investigation after failing to pay death benefits to survivors of Iraqi translators working to help the U.S. mission in Iraq.
New Survey: Few Troops Exposed to Bomb Blasts Are Screened For Concussion
May 10, 5:31 p.m.
Only about 1 in 5 soldiers and Marines say they have been tested to determine if they have suffered brain injuries. Military officials hope the numbers will improve now that a new policy is in place.
Critical Shortage of Army Neurologists for U.S. Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
April 12, 6:33 p.m.
A military memorandum says that new requirements for diagnosing and treating brain injury has resulted in a shortage of Army neurologists on battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Aftershock: The Blast That Shook Psycho Platoon
March 22, 1:05 p.m.
Five soldiers injured in the same 2009 bomb blast are a case study in a new epidemic among America’s troops, who are grappling with a combination of concussion and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Timeline: How One Blast Affected Five Soldiers
March 22, 1:03 p.m.
Army Plans New Guidelines to Resolve Denials of Purple Hearts to Brain-Injured Soldiers
March 16, 6:33 p.m.
The Army’s move comes in response to an investigation published last September by ProPublica and NPR that revealed some soldiers had been wrongly denied the medal despite regulations that made them eligible for it.
A Partial Victory in Our FOIA Request—But Government Still Hasn’t Provided All the Records
March 14, 3:22 p.m.
Tricare provided ProPublica and NPR with some, but not all, of the reviews criticizing a Tricare study finding that cognitive rehabilitation therapy has not been proven effective.
Scientific Review Kicks Off to Weigh Treatment for Brain-Injured Soldiers
Feb. 7, 4:25 p.m.
The National Institutes of Medicine convened the first of what’s expected to be a series of public panels to help determine whether cognitive rehabilitation therapy could help heal troops who suffered traumatic brain injuries in Afghanistan and Iraq.
More Than 70 Members of Congress Demand Cognitive Treatment for Troops With Traumatic Brain Injuries
Feb. 4, 5:20 p.m.
Citing an investigation by ProPublica and NPR, 74 members of Congress have signed a letter demanding that Tricare, the Pentagon’s health plan, provide treatment for troops with traumatic brain injuries.
Congress to Investigate Pentagon Decision to Deny Coverage for Brain Injured Troops
Jan. 21, 6:21 p.m.
Sen. Claire McCaskill’s committee wants to examine a contract between Tricare, the Pentagon’s health plan, and ECRI Institute, which found insufficient evidence to support cognitive rehabilitation therapy.
American Legion Pushes For Coverage of Treatment for Troops With Brain Injuries
Jan. 5, 2:08 p.m.
Citing an investigation by ProPublica and NPR, the nation’s largest veterans group is demanding that Tricare, the Pentagon’s health plan, pay for cognitive rehabilitation therapy
Pentagon Told Congress It’s Studying Brain-Damage Therapy
Dec. 23, 2010, 9:30 a.m.
The Pentagon told Congress last month that it was studying the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation therapy for brain-injured soldiers, the same treatment the Pentagon’s health plan refuses to cover.
For Brain-Injured Soldiers, Top Quality Care From a Philanthropist, not the Pentagon
Dec. 21, 2010, 3 a.m.
At Project Share, started by philanthropist Bernie Marcus, brain-injured troops get cognitive therapy rehabilitation to relearn basic tasks of life —care the Pentagon’s Tricare health plan won’t pay for.
Pentagon Health Plan Won’t Cover Brain-Damage Therapy for Troops
Dec. 20, 2010, 3 a.m.
The Pentagon’s health care program run by Tricare denies coverage of cognitive rehabilitation to troops with traumatic brain injuries, claiming the treatment does not meet their standards, despite medical groups’ consensus that it improves the quality of life and despite criticism of the study Tricare did to justify its position.
How Our FOIA Request Was Blocked, and Why We’re Still Pursuing It
Dec. 20, 2010, 3 a.m.
A FOIA request for documents on a Tricare-commissioned study that concluded cognitive rehabilitation therapy was not effective was met with contradictory denials and explanations from Tricare and the company that did the study.
This Year, Contractor Deaths Exceed Military Ones in Iraq and Afghanistan
Sept. 23, 2010, 11:33 a.m.
More than 250 civilian contractors have died in Iraq and Afghanistan in the first half of 2010, while 235 soldiers died in the same period, the first time contractor deaths have exceeded military ones.
Congresswoman Calls for Review of Purple Heart Decisions
Sept. 16, 2010, 5:48 p.m.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, a House Armed Services Committee member, says soldiers with concussions should be recognized if they meet the Army’s criteria.
