KTIV News 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and SportsOpportunities Unlimited contracts for veterans care program

A Sioux City organization is helping veterans deal with long term brain injuries from war. Opportunities Unlimited has contract with the federal government to provide services to its veterans.

Thousands of soldiers have returned from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Unfortunately, many of them have been injured. "Brain injury is pretty much one of the signature injuries of the Iraq and Afghanistan systems right now. And so there's a lot of soldiers coming back that have sustained those injuries and really need the services," said Nicky Zemanek. Those injured service men and women get medical help from Veterans Affairs hospitals. But that's only short-term. Now, a long-term solution outside the military realm. The government is contracting with the 21 brain rehabilitation organizations, like Opportunities Unlimited, for the Assisted Living Pilot Program for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury.

It's not short-term care, but long-term in-patient care, providing services to veterans normally offered to other clients. "Speech and cognitive therapy services which basically reaches out to those who may have speaking issues, may not be able to speak at all, or they may need some alternative speaking devices," said Zemanek. They also do physical therapy, and help clients with eating. Some with patients with brain injuries have trouble swallowing. Also, "Cognitive therapy is more so along the lines of problem solving, budgeting and social skills, and those types of things and being able to function out in the community," said Zemanek. In addition, occupational therapy, like working at O-U's Jumpy Monkey business can provide them with the skills they need to get back into the workforce. "A lot of individuals that are looking at going back into the community because they may want a job later. So giving them those skills that they need to be employed later on," said Zemanek. Services that will now be available to veterans through a new partnership between Sioux City's Opportunities Unlimited and the federal government.

The government has not assigned any veterans to the O-U program yet. But for a veteran to become part of the program, they must first talk to their Veterans Affairs representative. If you'd like to do your therapy at O-U, you can specify that as your preferred location. O-U hopes to contract with the V-A pilot program through 2013.