VA News Briefings

Judges, States Offering Leniency To Vets. The New York Times (3/16) reports, "Many veterans...have returned from Afghanistan and Iraq burdened by post-traumatic stress, drug dependency and other problems. As veterans find themselves skirmishing with the law, judges are increasingly finding ways to provide them with a measure of leniency." States, meanwhile, are "forming special courts to ensure that veterans in court receive the treatment their service entitles them to."
Impact: Consideration for Veterans in justice system

Scientists Hope Memory Altering Techniques Can Be Used To Treat PTSD. According to the Wall Street Journal (3/16), new techniques that scientists are developing to alter memories could one day be used to treat people who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other anxiety-related conditions. The Journal says such techniques, which involve replacing bad memories with less fearful ones, include treating patients with a hypertension medication propranolol, as well as studying whether behavioral therapy can be used to modify memories.
Impact: Techniques being developed to treat PTSD

What Will The World Look Like With 100 MB Broadband? In a column for the San Jose (CA) Mercury News (3/16), Chris O'Brien writes, "Tucked in the Federal Communications Commission's national broadband plan is an ambitious goal: Connect 100 million households to affordable 100-megabits-per-second service over the next decade." According to O'Brien, Gary Bachula, "vice president for external affairs for Internet2, a nonprofit consortium of universities that delivers 100MB Internet connections to its 400" members, "noted that the US Department of Veterans Affairs has been experimenting with sending patients home and monitoring their conditions via broadband connections, thus reducing the cost of hospital stays."
Impact: Technology possibilities for telemedicine and rural broadband