Wounded Warrior Project Discusses Addressing Mental Health at Washington Post Live Event

WASHINGTON, June 13, 2019 -- Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) shared how it is addressing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) – the signature wounds of the global war on terror – during Washington Post Live's The Changing Face of American Veterans event.

"There is a crisis in mental health in America and a need for a national conversation about mental health and suicide prevention," said Lt. Col. (Ret.) Michael Richardson, WWP vice president of independence services and mental health. "According to the National Center for PTSD, nearly 500,000 service members have been diagnosed with PTSD. And of the warriors we serve, 78% report living with PTSD. Wounded Warrior Project is at the front of developing innovative approaches to improve mental health outcomes for veterans."

Wounded Warriors and Families Nudge Away Stress with Goat Yoga

HOUSTON, June 7, 2019 -- At a Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) yoga class in Houston, injured veterans and their families connected with each other – and baby goats.

Tameka Toussaint, her husband Irvin (U.S. Army), their 7-year-old daughter, and Tameka's sister Tamara, were not deterred by the baby goats' occasional shoelace-chewing.

"Our daughter discovered that goats are fun to play with, and she also learned some yoga poses," Tameka said. "It was a new experience, and it was good for us as a family and good for our individual physical activity.

Wounded Warrior Project Announced Formation of Toxic Exposures Coalition

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2019 -- For thousands of service members who served in the post-9/11 generation, environmental and chemical hazard exposures have carried real and potential health risks. Service members and veterans seem to be suffering from uncommon illnesses or unusual early onset of more familiar diseases like cancer.  To combat this new trend, Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) has announced the formation of a new coalition dedicated to tracking and advocating for legislation related to harmful environmental exposures during military service. 

The Toxic Exposures in the American Military (TEAM) coalition will research currently available data to develop resources and advocate for additional exposure treatment for veterans and active duty service members. There are more than 165,000 veterans enrolled in the VA's Burn Pit Registry – all of whom served on or after 9/11 and were deployed to a base or station where open burn pits were used.

Wounded Warrior Project Testifies On VA Job Program Recommendations

WASHINGTON, June 4, 2019 -- Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) testified before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, on efforts to reform VA's Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program. During his testimony, WWP's director of government affairs Derek Fronabarger outlined places where VA has succeeded in its efforts to improve the quality of resources and care available to veterans, and commended it for its incorporation of more modern video and software-based techniques.

"Wounded Warrior Project is extremely pleased with the current IT and case management software updates that VA has and will continue to implement in the upcoming fiscal year," said Fronabarger. "We hope that these new tools will allow the vocational rehabilitation counselors more time to work with veterans and lower the rate of scheduling complications."

Wounded Warrior Project Announces 2019 Partnerships with Veteran Service Organizations

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2019 -- Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) announced investments and partnerships with 24 veteran and military service organizations to assist with meeting the many needs of our nation's wounded, injured, and ill veterans and their families. WWP is granting more than $6.9 million to these best-in-class organizations for their demonstrated abilities to fill gaps and augment WWP's existing programs and services.