Creating a better future through brain injury prevention, research, education, advocacy, and support.

BIAV Advocacy Efforts

The Brain Association of Virginia (BIAV) actively advocates at state and federal levels for increased services for persons with brain injury.  Essential to the success of our advocacy efforts are the many families and brain injury supporters who work with us to create a better future for persons with brain injury.  BIAV continually strives to increase services, supports and advocates in Virginia. 

State Advocacy
The Brain Association of Virginia trains persons with brain injury, family members, and professionals how to advocate for their needs through our Advocacy Academy training sessions which focus on how to self advocate with insurance companies, doctors, and school systems.  The training sessions also teach people how to successfully advocate at on a larger scale through the education of policy makers about the needs of brain injury survivors.

The past several years BIAV successfully advocated for increased brain injury services during sessions of the Virginia General Assembly as part of the Virginia Alliance of Brain Injury Service Providers (VABISP).  The VABISP is a network of brain injury service providers working together to enhance services for persons with brain injury and their families throughout Virginia.  Significant advocacy efforts lead by BIAV and the VABISP resulted in funding from the General Assembly in four of the last five years.  These legislative advocacy successes allowed for the creation of several core services for Virginians with brain injury, including case management, transitional day programs, and regional resource coordination.

Each year, the VABISP hosts a Brain Injury Awareness Day during the Virginia General Assembly session, and BIAV plays a critical role in the preparation and execution of this event.  The event features a breakfast reception and a brain injury anatomy lesson provided by Dr. Paul Aravich, Professor of Anatomy at the Eastern Virginia Medical School.  BIAV staff provides materials and personal assistance to survivors and family members who wish to visit their legislators while they are at the General Assembly building.

In the 2008 General Assembly session, BIAV was able to help secure a resolution permanently establishing March as Brain Injury Awareness Month in Virginia, an amendment requiring the Secretary of Public Safety to analyze the incidence of traumatic brain injury in the state and local adult and juvenile offender populations, and a bill and funds for the Department of Veterans Services to establish a “Wounded Warrior” program and to work with the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services (DMHMRSAS) and the Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS) to monitor and coordinate mental health and rehabilitative services for Virginia’s veterans, members of the Virginia National Guard, and Virginia residents in the Armed Forces Reserves.  Last but not least, $200,000 for the expansion of community based brain injury services in 2009 and $400,000 in 2010.

The Brain Association of Virginia and the VABISP continue to advocate for a Brain Injury Waiver. In the 2007 General Assembly session, requested additional information in order to determine the scope and needs related to brain injury in Virginia.  The Joint Legislative Audit Review Commission (JLARC) was asked by the General Assembly to complete an extensive report on the status of state funded brain injury services in Virginia.  The report, released in September of 2007, highlighted several areas of need in the state including neurobehavioral treatment and increased community services.  The report also states that expanding Virginia’s Medicaid Individual and Family Developmental Disabilities Support waiver or implementing a TBI specific waiver program could provide assistance for survivors needing these services.  BIAV will continue to advocate for the establishment of a brain injury waiver in Virginia. 

Federal Advocacy
BIAV advocates on the federal level by participating in the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force’s National Brain Injury Awareness Day each year in Washington, D.C. and through activities organized by the Brain Injury Association of America.  Federal policy initiatives include reauthorization of the TBI Act, funding for programs authorized by the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Act, funding to sustain and increase medical rehabilitation research and 16 TBI Model Systems research centers, the inclusion of TBI specific provisions in the version of the National Defense Authorization Act, the creation of a Traumatic Brain Injury Family Caregiver Personal Attendant training and certification program, and improved TRICARE and private insurance reimbursement for cognitive rehabilitation.

Brain injury resources and services have come a long way but there are still many goals to reach.  The more people who advocate for brain injury services the greater the chances are to secure these services.  Please contact BIAV if you want to help advocate to secure and increase brain injury funding!