US Sen. Sherrod Brown touts vets help plan in Struthers

STRUTHERS — Though almost 300,000 American veterans struggle with post traumatic stress, and another 25,000 with mild traumatic brain injuries, many veterans face another hurdle: proving the connection between those issues and their military service.

A primary culprit is the lack of documentation and tracking of potential exposures during deployments — something U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, hopes to address with the Significant Event Tracker Act, a piece of legislation he introduced last week.

At the VFW Post 3538, 157 Lowellville Road here this morning, Brown outlined his plan to help active-duty service members better track their exposure to traumatic events and injuries, which then would be added to that service member's medical history, providing the evidence necessary for medical care.

"Veterans should be able to focus on their recovery, not proving the cause of their injury," Brown said.

He added that creation of the SET was "a big idea" from Michael Fairman, an Ohio combat veteran who has struggled with PTS.

Brown was joined at the VFW Post 3538 by Fairman, along with Anthony Kennedy, a Youngstown State University student and a veteran who has been diagnosed with PTS, and James Dill, the post's commander.

For the complete story, read Friday's Vindicator and Vindy.com