Archive of Statewide Webinar Series on TBI : Veteran Culture & VA Service Coordination

Thank you to all who participated in our Statewide Webinar Series on TBI : Veteran Culture & VA Service Coordination Webinar.  The purpose of the webinar was to Fostering collaboration and cross referral between VA and community organizations to better serve the unique needs of veterans, veterans with TBI and multiple disabilities. On the three webinars, we had various individuals representing the Department of Rehabilitation throughout the state, Independent Living Centers, TBI Service Sites, Community Colleges, Veteran Service Organizations and countless others joining in.

 Currently, California has over 2 million veterans living in the state, with another 30,000 returning being discharged every year. Many are coming back with TBI, PTSD, and poly-trauma. The State wide webinar touched on several different points to better serve our veterans on a statewide level. 

Brock McNabb and Jeremiah Ridgeway, Readjustment Counseling Specialist with the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs touched on Veteran Culture. Both made the point to say, that in order to serve veterans, one must understand the culture, values, language and mentality that they lived by as well as the life experiences they have witnessed that separate them from the Civilian Sector. Once that understanding is made, then the process or assisting in reintegration becomes possible. 

Dr. Cynthia Boyd, a Neuropsychologist and Co-Senior Scientific Director of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center at Naval Medical Center San Diego presented on What is Unique about Veterans w/ TBI. Dr. Boyd elaborated on the difference between severe, moderate and mild TBI. She also touched on the distinguishing characteristic of TBI, PTSD, chronic pain, medication and substance abuse as many of these can have overlapping characteristics.

Laura Gomez and Alfonzo Molina, from the  Department of Veteran Affairs Palo Alto Care System under OEF/OIF/OND Programs. Both spoke on Service Coordination: VA Services and System, what the process is for most vets, what resources are in the community already and how service organizations could fit in.

Finally, Chris Lopez, Former Readjustment Counseling Specialist with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and presented on Veteran Outreach and collaboration . Chris presented a veteran perspective of TBI. He severed in the U.S. Army as an infantryman and was medically retired after he was wounded with a TBI and back injury in Iraq in a fire fight.

The webinars have been archived on our website at http://catbi.org/media.html#archives. If you have any follow up questions regarding the webinars, please contact Crystal Loutzenhiser at cloutzenhiser@cccil.org.