Driver Rehabilitation Program Helps Get Veterans Back on the Road to Independence

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Chad Watson, a Marine Corps veteran who lost his right leg to a blast injury while serving in Fallujah Iraq last year, receives instructions on using adaptive gas pedal controls from Lyonel Benjamin, driver rehabilitation coordinator for the VA Maryland Health Care System.  The department of motor vehicles requires drivers who suffered traumatic injuries like an amputation or a neurological disorder to successfully complete a driver rehabilitation program in order to earn a driver’s license.

June, 2008

The VA Maryland Health Care System is pleased to announce that renovations to the driver rehabilitation suite are complete and the program has resumed its services to help disabled veterans get behind the wheel again. 

The renovations included relocating the program from a small office at the Baltimore VA Rehabilitation & Extended Care Center to a larger suite in a new section of the Loch Raven VA Outpatient Clinic.  The new suite is complete with contemporary furniture, meeting space for veteran consultations, and a new projection screen for driver simulator scenarios.  Additional improvements to the driver rehabilitation program include the addition a new vehicle to assist those veterans who are ready to test their driving skills on the road. 

The driver rehabilitation program helps veterans with a variety of disabilities and age-related health conditions learn to drive again.  Additionally, veterans with prosthetic arms or legs and those who suffered brain injuries or stroke can also regain their independence through this unique program. 
 
When a veteran begins the driver rehabilitation process, the program coordinator evaluates individual limitations and needs with the use of adaptive driving equipment, driver simulator training, and a series of driving evaluations on the simulator and behind the wheel of a car. “We first evaluate veterans to determine exactly what type of limitation they have and what type of equipment they will need to be a safe driver again,” says Lyonel Benjamin, driver rehabilitation coordinator for the VA Maryland Health Care System. 

Veterans are able to experience the feel of a car in the program’s driver stimulator.  Complete with a driver’s seat, adapted accelerator and brake pedals, and a steering wheel, the simulator allows veterans to react to virtual driving situations that are project on a large screen.  The simulator helps Benjamin test a driver’s reaction times and to better determine what adaptive equipment works best for each veteran.

Through the driver rehabilitation program, a veteran’s vehicle can also be fitted with a variety of adaptive equipment from strategically placed mirrors, to digital steering devices for amputees.  After veterans have successfully demonstrated they can safely drive using their adaptive equipment, they are one step closer to getting back on the road to a more independent lifestyle. 

Veterans who are interested in the VA Maryland Health Care System’s driver rehabilitation program should discuss it with their health care provider.  Veterans can also contact the driver rehabilitation program directly at 1-800-463-6295, ext. 5804.