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Acknowledging of the grim realities of modern war, Illinois has become the first state to mandate traumatic brain injury screening for National Guard members returning from war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Illinois Warriors Assistance Program was officially launched Tuesday morning at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago by Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and Tammy Duckworth, director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs.

“Traumatic brain injury is a signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, due to the increased use of improvised explosive devices,” said Duckworth, who served in Iraq. “Too often mild traumatic brain injury is misdiagnosed as post traumatic stress disorder.”

The program will mandate head trauma screening for members of the Illinois National Guard after their return and provide a confidential, 24-hour helpline for vets suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Illinois vets from all wars will also have access to the TBI screening and the PTSD helpline.

The traumatic brain injury screening tool was developed at the Rehab Institute by Dr. Elliot Roth, senior vice president, and Dr. Felise Zollman, medical director of the Brain Injury Program.

The program will cost about $8 million per year, but the screening charge for vets would be minimal, Duckworth said.

Gov. Blagojevich said Illinois grew tired of waiting for the federal government to act on the issue of traumatic brain injury in vets.

Other states are paying attention.

"We have actually received phone calls from 27 other states to date, asking about our program as a model," Duckworth said.

Maj. Gen. William Enyart of the Illinois National Guard said 9,000 Illinois guardsmen had been deployed overseas since Sep. 11, 2001, and another 3,000  were preparing to go to Afghanistan.

“If the statistics of this war hold true, we can expect that as many as 20 to 30 percent of those folks may received some type of brain injury or may receive PTSD,” Enyart said.

But getting soldiers to take advantage of the program could pose a significant challenge, due to the stigma associated with PTSD and traumatic brain injury.

“When they first come home, many of them are in denial,” said Duckworth. “It’s the biggest single problem.” This is one reason the confidential helpline is so important for reaching out to Illinois vets, she said.

Roscoe Jasper, a Vietnam veteran said at the news conference that PTSD terrorized him for years before he received help.

“If this hotline had existed when I was struggling, I would have had someone to reach out to who I would have felt comfortable enough to talk to … also I feel that I would have received medical help even sooner,” said Jasper.

The program launch came one day after a troubling report from the medical inspector of the Veterans Health Administration, revealing that substandard care at the Marion VA Medical Center led to the death of nine patients and serious injury of 34 more over a two-year period ending in September.

Speaking of Illinois vets, Blagojevich said, “We owe them more than just lip service, we owe them action, real meaningful action to help them when they come home to be able to live good lives and provide for their families.”

The toll-free confidential helpline for veterans suffering from symptoms of traumatic brain injury or PTSD is 1-866-554-4927.