Platts Applauds Inclusion of Benefits in Defense Authorization Bill to Assist American Soldiers Afflicted with Traumatic Brain Injuries

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives today approved the conference report to the Fiscal Year 2010 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2647), which included a pilot program advocated by Congressman Todd Platts (PA-19) for providing cognitive rehabilitative therapy services under the military’s TRICARE health benefits program.  This action follows approval by the House Armed Services Committee in June 2008 of two directives to the Secretary of Defense authored by Congressman Platts.  These directives require the Secretary of Defense to work with the Secretaries of the military services to track long-term blast exposures to American troops, as well as to review the procedures for awarding the Purple Heart to service members who receive Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) due to enemy action.

An estimated 320,000 American soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan have experienced a possible TBI.  These injuries can include those caused by shrapnel that penetrate the skull, but also injuries with no visible signs caused by shockwaves from improvised explosive devices and mortars.

“Congress has acknowledged that traumatic brain injuries from blast exposures are the signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Congressman Platts, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.  “These improvements will help to improve long-term medical treatment for all service members, facilitate critical research into traumatic brain injuries and other blast-related health issues, and help provide these American heroes with the recognition they have earned.”

Congressman Platts has long-advocated for the need to provide cognitive rehabilitation therapy services under TRICARE.  Studies have shown the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation therapy in improving the health and functionality of TBI patients.  Cognitive rehabilitation therapy was cited as key to the recovery of ABC News journalist Bob Woodruff, who was injured by a roadside bomb in January 2006 while reporting from Iraq. Woodruff has since started a foundation to increase wounded soldiers’ access to cognitive rehabilitation services.  This amendment was adopted during the U.S. Senate’s consideration of H.R. 2647, after being introduced by Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. 

The aforementioned provision to track blast exposures to American troops was added to the committee report accompanying H.R. 2647 after an amendment submitted by Congressman Platts was unanimously adopted by the House Armed Services Committee during its mark-up of H.R. 2647 in June.  Congressman Platts’ amendment directed the Secretary of Defense to create a database which updates service members’ personnel records in the event of a blast exposure, documenting such incidents in the event of later problems associated with traumatic brain injury or exposure to contaminants.  The database will aid in the determination of eligibility for appropriate treatment, care, and disability entitlements. 

The final provision mentioned above directs the Secretary of Defense to conduct a review of the policies and procedures for determining eligibility and awarding of the Purple Heart to service members who receive a traumatic brain injury due to enemy action.  The Secretary will report his findings and recommendations to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees by March 31, 2010.  This provision was included in the original draft of the committee report accompanying H.R. 2647, following requests by Congressman Platts and Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ-8).

Congressman Platts has been a leader in the effort to raise awareness to the impact of blast exposures to American troops.  Since 2005, he has served with Congressman Pascrell as co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, which has fought to improve medical services for soldiers suffering from TBI, while also educating the public about such injuries.  During the 110th Congress, the task force introduced the Traumatic Brain Injury Act, legislation which authorized the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to study the incidence of brain injury among our nation’s veterans.  President George W. Bush signed the bill into law on April 28, 2008.