Following a disturbing report showing that service members are sustaining crippling traumatic brain injuries as a result of firing their own weapons, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand visited the Crystal City Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 524 to announce legislation to address traumatic brain injuries among service members and veterans.
Service members who regularly fire heavy weapons are at increased risk of brain injury as a result of repeated exposure to explosions or blasts from their own weapons and explosives – otherwise known as blast overpressure. These brain injuries can cause depression, anxiety, cognitive problems, hallucinations, panic attacks, violent outbursts, suicidal tendencies, psychiatric disorders, dementia, and a variety of other serious health problems. At least a dozen Navy SEALs who have died by suicide over the past decade were later found to have suffered blast injuries, and many more service members have complained of health issues after blast exposure. Despite this, the Pentagon has struggled to properly investigate the impact of blast overpressure, effectively track the prevalence of blast overpressure-related injuries, or offer appropriate care to service members and veterans. Gillibrand is calling for more research and better treatment for those affected.
“After repeatedly being exposed to blasts from their own weapons during both training and combat, our service members are sustaining severe and crippling brain trauma,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This bill will require the DoD to investigate the prevalence and causes of these brain injuries; to track each service member’s exposure to blasts; and to help service members access care. This is a critical bill and I look forward to getting it passed in the NDAA.”
“Supporting our servicemembers and veterans is one of our most important responsibilities as a nation. Government should be taking care of those who have answered the call to serve, and the bipartisan Blast Overpressure Safety Act is a key step to ensuring that happens,” said Chairwoman of the Steuben County Legislature Kelly Fitzpatrick. “Our county’s population of veterans is nearly a quarter of those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thank you to Senator Gillibrand for coming to Steuben County to highlight this issue, and for her efforts to support these troops.”
“The Blast Overpressure Safety Act is an important piece of bipartisan legislation, that will significantly impact and assist servicemembers and veterans who are experiencing traumatic brain injuries or other effects from their service. We should do everything we can to support them with the healthcare and treatment they deserve,” said Gary Smith, Steuben County Veterans’ Service Agency Director. “I am grateful to Senator Gillibrand for her continuous efforts in support of our veterans and military.”
“The Blast Overpressure Safety Act is an integral piece of legislative to assist our service members and veterans and to take preventative measures for their health and safety,” said Ann Marie Hogancamp, VFW Department of NY Legislative Chair.
Gillibrand was joined by Chairwoman of the Steuben County Legislature Kelly Fitzpatrick, Legislative Chair of the VFW Department of New York Ann Marie Hogancamp, and Director of the Steuben County Veterans’ Service Agency Gary Smith.
Specifically, the Blast Overpressure Safety Act would:
- Mandate regular neurocognitive assessments over a service member’s career, including a baseline neurocognitive assessment before training.
- Create blast overpressure exposure and TBI logs for all service members.
- Increase transparency regarding blast overpressure safety in the weapons acquisition process. DoD must consider the minimization of blast overpressure during the acquisition process, require contracting entities to provide blast overpressure safety data, and publish blast overpressure safety data for weapons systems and its plans to better protect service members from in-use weapons systems.
- Improve data on concussive and subconcussive brain injuries service members sustain. This includes information on discharges related to and medical providers trained in these injuries, as well as efforts with allies and partners to better address these injuries.
- Enhance efforts to mitigate exposure and help service members access care. This includes retaliation protections for those who seek care; modifying existing weapons system to reduce blast exposure; updating and making publicly available blast overpressure thresholds and creating a waiver system for exceeding these thresholds; training high-risk service members to help them recognize exposure symptoms and creating strategies to mitigate their risk; and expanding the types of technologies in the Warfighter Brain Health Initiative pilot blast monitoring program.
- Support service member treatment by establishing a Special Operations Comprehensive Brain Health and Trauma program, making the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) a program of record and requiring DoD to provide child care services to those seeking treatment there, and mandating training for medical and training personnel on blast overpressure and exposure and TBI.