Clinical Care Rehabilitation and Restoration Branch

Overview

For injured or disabled Veterans or Service members, especially those suffering from hearing loss and/or auditory injury, effective clinical patient care is an important aspect of treatment. The primary goal of the Clinical Care, Rehabilitation, and Restoration Branch is to set the standard of care, as well as provide clinical skills training and education across the Department of Defense, or DoD, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, or VA.

Additional responsibilities include:

• Establish, publish, and promote evidence-based clinical standards of care
• Ensure that clinically relevant data is available to appropriate DoD and VA personnel for clinical decision making, disability processing, and education
• Ensure a smooth interagency transition providing transparency and continuity through strategic communications and optimized data management
• Ensure all members of the Armed Forces and Veterans suffering from hearing loss and/or auditory-vestibular injury receive comprehensive, coordinated, high-quality treatment
• Lead an effort to advance the science of hearing loss diagnosis, mitigation, and rehabilitation
• Work to establish outreach guidance via tele-health resources, and
• Standardize hearing aid regulation across services

Goals and Objectives

• Establish and improve processes for the coordination and provision of care, training, and education across the DoD and VA regarding auditory-vestibular system disease and trauma, as well as hearing and equilibrium function
• Establish and promote evidence-based clinical standards of care and clinical practice guidelines, informed by international knowledge, experience, and best practices in outpatient, inpatient, and Operation Enduring Freedom domains, as determined within the DoD, the VA, or civilian medical care centers
• Promote comprehensive, coordinated, and quality care for members of the Armed Forces or Veterans suffering from tinnitus, hearing loss, and/or auditory-vestibular injury, and
• Improve outcomes by fostering greater collaboration between complimentary or strategically aligned audiology or health-related organizations, develop and promote standards of care, and provide information and education