Platts Amendment to Better Track American Troops' Long-Term Blast Exposure Adopted

Amendment is Platts' first as a Member of the House Armed Services Committee

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Todd Platts (PA-19), the newest member of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, submitted an amendment to the 2010 Defense Authorization Bill yesterday which directs the Secretary of Defense to work with the Secretaries of the military services to track long-term blast exposures to American troops.  Congressman Platts’ amendment was adopted unanimously by the committee.

“Congress has acknowledged that traumatic brain injuries from blast exposures are the signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Congressman Platts.  “Establishing such a long-term blast exposure tool will help to improve long-term medical treatment for all service members and facilitate critical research into traumatic brain injuries and other blast-related health issues.”

Congressman Platts’ amendment directs 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 Army National Guard has a similar program in place already.

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 Democratic Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ-8) as co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, which has fought to better educate the public about traumatic brain injuries.  The task force recently advocated for passage of H. Res. 178, a resolution designating a National Brain Injury Awareness Month, which passed the U.S. House on March 23, 2009.  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.