The U.S. government announced recently two positive developments in the care of military veterans.

One has to do with the treatment of veterans who have traumatic brain injury. The inspector general of the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that the VA needs to improve the long-term care for veterans "living with TBI."

A recent study by the department found that long-term care is important because people afflicted with such injuries have trouble soliciting help on their own. Thinking problems and emotional issues have prevented such self-help in several cases.

Auditors who studied the cases of 52 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans discovered that the VA failed to provide at least 10 of the veterans or their families with medical care. Nor were the patients made aware of VA vocational assistance or counseling.

Brain injuries have become "the dominant wounds" in the Iraq war, USA Today reports. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are essential.

The Pentagon also said last week that it will alter its security clearance for combat veterans seeking mental health care. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced last week that military veterans who have received such care will no longer have to mention that when filling out security clearance forms, unless the treatment was court-ordered or involved violence.

Six of 10 service members said that they believed their career would suffer if they sought help for mental health problems, according to a study by the American Psychiatric Association. In the same study, 53 percent said they thought others would think less of them if they sought therapy.

The defense secretary's announcement "reflects the Pentagon's understanding that mental health treatment works," said Carolyn Rabinowitz, president of the American Psychiatric Association.

Both changes in the care of military veterans reflect a better understanding of the health issues involved. Consequently, veterans will receive better care, and that is a good thing.