Traumatic brain injury often causes trouble with concentration, reading comprehension and memory -- the very things that would likely prevent academic success. For veterans attempting to navigate the rhythms of college life, they can spell disaster.
Student veterans tell us how much they love the benefits offered to them in the Post-9/11 GI Bill. But those benefits still can't guarantee success -- especially on campuses unprepared to serve students returning from war.
Sgt. Andrew Napier was a medic: He was trained to recognize the signs of TBI in his men. Now, he sees them in himself as he navigates life back home.
We want your help telling the story of the student veteran experience. Tell us what it's been like to transition from the military to the classroom. What's been easy? What's been difficult? How is the GI Bill working for you?
"If the current GI Bill wasn't an option, I would be one of the many veterans who are currently unemployed or struggling with a low-income job. The GI Bill is helping me build a future in work and in life."
Nearly 5 years after the Post-9/11 GI Bill went into effect, there's no authoritative data on its progress. But this year, the Department of Veterans Affairs and student-veteran groups are pairing up to change that.
"I am a 26-year-old college student, where my classmates are 18. I am just starting my life, after I have lived a complete one already."
"I deployed twice to Iraq as a student and I was away for three semesters each time. Each time I came back, it was hard to get back the momentum I once had."
The National Institutes of Health has found clear evidence of trauma-linked disease in the brain of former NFL star Junior Seau, who died last May.
Federal courts have turned down a constitutional challenge to the long wait times for veterans mental health and disability claims.
