Traumatic Brain Injury

It has been said that TBI—caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs), gunshot or shell fragment wounds, falls and other traumatic injuries—is the signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Severe TBI resulting from blast injuries that severely shake or compress the brain within the skull often causes devastating and permanent damage to brain tissue. Likewise, veterans who are in the vicinity of an IED blast or involved in even a minor military motor vehicle accident can suffer from a milder form of TBI that is not always immediately detected but that can produce symptoms that mimic PTSD or other mental health disorders.

It is believed that many Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have suffered mild brain injuries/concussions that have gone undiagnosed and that symptoms will only be detected later, when these veterans return home. We are concerned about emerging literature that strongly suggests that even “mild” TBI patients may have long-term mental and medical consequences. The Department of Defense (DoD) admits that it lacks a system-wide approach for proper identification, management, and surveillance for individuals who sustain mild to moderate TBI/concussion, in particular mild TBI/concussion.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must coordinate with DoD to better address mild TBI/concussion injuries and develop a standardized protocol utilizing appropriate clinical assessment techniques to recognize neurological and behavioral consequences of TBI as recommended by the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board. Also the influx of servicemembers returning with brain trauma from mild to severe has increased opportunity for research into the evaluation and treatment of these injuries in newer veterans. New and ongoing studies on TBI must include older veterans of past conflicts who may have also suffered like injuries that went undetected, undiagnosed and untreated. VA must move forward on this research as a priority.

Help Ensure That VA Has Sufficient Funding for Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injuries – Contact Congress to Support Assured Funding for VA Health Care