Good afternoon, Madam Chairwoman and members of the Subcommittee.  I am pleased to be here to discuss the ways the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) encourages rehabilitation through sports.

Rehabilitation is the process of returning an individual to a rewarding and productive life following an injury or disease that causes a functional decline in the individual’s mental and/or physical abilities.  Most people have experienced or know someone who has experienced such a decline.  The immediate intervention usually involves interaction with a medical professional and, in some cases, hospitalization.  After the acute disease process or injury has been stabilized, physicians can determine if a loss of function has occurred.  This can result from loss of limb, cognitive impairment, neurological injury or even de-conditioning from inactivity.  The psychological impact of functional decline can be difficult, and each individual must first accept their condition and then learn to function in a new and different capacity.

Acute rehabilitation usually involves an interdisciplinary model with interventions from Physiatry, Nursing, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Pathology, Recreation Therapy, Psychology and Social Work or Case Management.  These services are usually begun while an inpatient.  Once the individual has reached the maximum level of functionality both physically and emotionally, he or she is usually discharged from the hospital to continue his or her recovery as an outpatient.  At this point, the individual may need to redefine his or her role identity based upon the injury.

VA is dedicated to ensuring every veteran involved in rehabilitation is able to focus on his or her abilities to participate fully in daily life.  One of the most effective programs VA offers is the National Rehabilitation Special Events Program, which consists of four major events: the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival, and the National Veterans Golden Age Games. These four events demonstrate VA’s commitment to rehabilitation as each event serves a specific population to provide a large cross section of veterans with a wide range of rehabilitative services.

The National Veterans Wheelchair Games

Wheelchair sports began in the United States after World War II, when disabled veterans began playing basketball in VA medical centers (VAMCs) across the country as a recreational and therapeutic exercise.  In 1980, VA established a Recreation Therapy Service, and began developing the idea of using wheelchair athletics to promote rehabilitation of disabled veterans.  In 1981, the “International Year of Disabled Persons,” 74 veterans from 14 states participated in the first National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Richmond, VA.  Tom Brown, recreation therapist and current National Director, and two colleagues founded this event, which offered a variety of sports where veterans could participate.  Events ranged from table tennis to weightlifting, and was immensely popular and grew rapidly.

In 1985, Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) joined with VA to host the Games and offered expertise and resources to ensure these Games would continue providing rehabilitative services to veterans with disabilities.  PVA recruited corporate sponsors and individual donors to allow more veterans to participate.  Each year, a different VAMC volunteers to host the Games.  Hosting requires a total commitment from the VAMC and the local PVA chapter to ensure the success of each year’s Games. In planning the Games, the local VAMC and its employees reinforce the value of rehabilitation through wheelchair sports and become even more committed to providing the best care possible to veterans.  The Games require approximately 2,000 volunteers, most from the host city, providing another avenue for promoting rehabilitation through sports in the community-at-large and emphasizing the ability of veterans to overcome everyday obstacles and lead productive lives.  The games are the largest annual wheelchair sporting event in the world.  In 2007, 513 wheelchair athletes from 45 states, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom competed at the Games in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The Games offer 17 medal events and one exhibition event, which is used to introduce additional events to the competitors.  These exhibitions have proven extremely popular.

Table 1

Number of Athletes Competing in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games

(1981- 2007)

Table 2

Annual Events

Exhibition Events (change from year to year)

                                                                                                         The National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic

In the early 1980s, Sandy Trombetta, a recreation therapist at the Grand Junction, Colorado VAMC began taking veterans with disabilities skiing as part of their rehabilitation program.  Because of the success of these early efforts, Mr. Trombetta, currently the National Director of the Winter Sports Clinic, founded the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in 1987 to teach veterans with disabilities the benefits of overcoming their physical challenges through participation in winter sports.  In September 2008, VA will launch a pilot program for a Summer Sports Clinic based upon the same principles. The Winter Sports Clinic was first held at Powderhorn Resort outside of Grand Junction, CO with 90 participants and 20 VA staff members sharing this amazing opportunity. The Winter Sports Clinic has had three homes over its 21 year lifetime: Powderhorn Resort, CO; Crested Butte, CO; and Snowmass Village-Aspen, CO.

In 1991, Disabled American Veterans (DAV) became a co-sponsor of this event and has assisted with corporate and individual fund-raising efforts to ensure the provision of hands-on instruction and rehabilitation for America’s veterans with disabilities. Participation in this event is open to U.S. military veterans and active duty military with traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, visual impairments, neurological diseases, and other disabilities.  In the 2007 Winter Sports Clinic, in addition to other veteran participants, 124 active duty service members from Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) participated.  More than 200 certified ski instructors for the disabled and hundreds of volunteers, both from VA and the community, make this event a success every year.  The Winter Sports Clinic teaches participants that having a physical or visual disability does not preclude participating in or achieving an active and rewarding life.  It offers opportunities to overcome challenges faced in their daily lives through learning winter sports skills and participating in the adaptive workshops while enjoying the camaraderie and support of other veterans.

Table 3

National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic -- 1987- 2007

Table 44

National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic Activities 

Adaptive skiing with mono-skis and bi-skis
Instruction in adaptive Alpine (downhill)
Instruction in Nordic (cross-country) skiing for stand-up skiers, including the visually impaired
Scuba diving
Sled hockey
Snowshoeing
Snowmobiling
Rock climbing
Trap shooting
Fencing
Golf
Snow Cat/Gondola Rides
Educational and instructional workshops on self-defense and other topics

The National Veterans Creative Arts Festival

The National Veterans Creative Arts Festival began as two separate competitions: “VET ARTS”, and “The national Music Competition for Veterans.”  The first was developed by Muriel Barbour, a recreation therapist at the VAMC Center in Richmond, VA in 1981. The second competition was a performing arts competition, created in 1982 by Shirley Jefferies, a recreation therapist at the VAMC in Waco, TX.  These two programs merged in 1989 to become the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival.  Drama and dance divisions were added that year to the Festival.  In 2005, the fifth division, creative writing, was added.  The competition includes 50 art categories, with original artwork to crafts and paint-by-number kits.  There are 120 categories in the areas of music, dance, drama and creative writing.  Creative writing includes original works in poetry, essay and short stories.

VA, the American Legion Auxiliary, Help Hospitalized Veterans co-sponsor the National Creative Arts Festival in conjunction with other local and national sponsors.

The Festival showcases the artistic achievements in the five divisions from veterans from VA hospitals across the United States.  This event does not represent a competition at the Festival itself as all entries have been judged locally prior to being invited to the national Arts Festival.  More than 2,800 veterans from nearly 100 VA medical facilities entered the competitions in 2007.

During the week of the Festival, community artists offer workshops to the participants, educating them in various artistic modalities.  Each year highlights a live stage production, complete with orchestral accompaniment, which is performed by participating veterans who have achieved medal-winning status prior to attending.  This production is developed, rehearsed and presented at the culmination of the week’s activities.

The National Veterans Golden Age Games

This event was first held in 1985 in Albany, GA with 115 competitors from VA facilities across the country.  The Golden Age Games provide therapeutic recreation through sports and other events for veterans 55 years of age and older who are receiving care at any VA facility.  The Games have become the “premier senior adaptive rehabilitation program” in the United States.  They offer multiple sporting events, which have been adapted to meet the specific needs of the competitors, including those with visual impairments and those using wheelchairs.  There are separate age groups and gender divisions.  The over-70 group makes up the largest category of competitors in the Games, and the aging Vietnam veterans comprise the largest group by period of service.  The program has grown from 115 competitors in 1985 to 622 competitors in 2007, making it the largest of VA’s rehabilitative special events.  This program emphasizes the importance of wellness and fitness for our aging veteran population. (Table 5)

Table 5

National Veterans Golden Age Games:  1985-2008

Conclusion

The Department of Veterans Affairs National Rehabilitation Special Events program demonstrates VA’s commitment to the rehabilitative needs of veterans.  This program offers services for the acutely injured or infirmed and for those with chronic or progressive disabilities to encourage participation of the newly injured, both veterans and active duty service members.  The participants in these programs act as mentors and comrades to their fellow veterans, offering encouragement and support as the newest participants learn the value of therapeutic recreation as a means to overcome seemingly insurmountable barriers in their daily lives.  Lessons learned by participating in these events offer life-changing opportunities, which carry over for the novice and for the most experienced participants.

The National Rehabilitation Special Events are managed by VA’s Office of National Programs and Special Events, which was established in 2000.  This office also oversees the National Veterans Day program and other special events.  In addition, it is also responsible for implementing VA’s current memorandum of understanding with the United States Olympic Committee for Paralympic Athlete Development.

Table 6

Websites for the National Rehabilitation Special Events

http://www1.va.gov/OPA/speceven/

http://www1.va.gov/vetevent/nvwg/2007/default.cfm

http://www1.va.gov/vetevent/wsc/2007/default.cfm

http://www1.va.gov/vetevent/caf/2007/default.cfm

http://www1.va.gov/vetevent/gag/2007/default.cfm

[The PowerPoint presentation, entitled, "Rehabilitation through Sports," submitted by Dr. Scott, Director, National Veterans Wheelchair Games, will be retained in the Committee files.  The video presentation entitled, "National Disabled Veterans Sports Clinic," provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs National Rehabilitation Special Events, will be retained in the Committee files. ]