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Modification of traumatic brain injury oversight strategy and action plan of the Department of Defense

Division A · Title VII: Health Care Provisions · Subtitle C: Studies, Reports, and Other Matters

Plain-language summaryAI

The Department of Defense must include specific requirements in its traumatic brain injury oversight strategy, such as baseline and regular neurocognitive assessments for service members, maintaining records of these assessments and exposure to blast overpressure, and setting standards for repeated exposure. These requirements must be put into effect within one year. Additionally, reports on suicides must now include data on the number of suicides linked to service members' history of brain injuries or blast exposure, broken down by military job type when statistically valid.

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Section Text · Sec. 756.
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(a) Clarification of strategy and plan requirements

Section 724 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 ( Public Law 118–159 ; 10 U.S.C. 1071 note) is amended—

(1)

by redesignating subsections (b) through (d) as subsections (c) through (e), respectively; and

(2)

by inserting after subsection (a) the following new subsection (b):

(b) Requirements; implementation

(1) Requirements

The oversight strategy and action plan under subsection (a) shall include the following requirements:

(A)

Establishment of a baseline neurocognitive assessment to be conducted during the accession process of all members of the covered Armed Forces before the beginning of training.

(B)

Establishment of annual neurocognitive assessments to monitor the cognitive function of such members to be conducted—

(i)

at least every three years as part of the periodic health assessment of such members, and yearly for members determined to be at a high risk, as determined by the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness; and

(ii)

as part of the post-deployment health assessment of such members.

(C)

Establishment of standards for recurrent and prolonged exposure.

(D)

Ensuring that all neurocognitive assessments of such members, including those required under subparagraphs (A) and (B), are maintained in the electronic medical record of such member.

(E)

Establishment and maintenance of blast overpressure exposure logs and traumatic brain injury logs for every member of the covered Armed Forces.

(2) Implementation

Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall implement each requirement under paragraph (1).

(b) Modification of reports on suicide

Section 741(a)(2) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 ( Public Law 116–92 ; 133 Stat. 1467), as amended by section 736(2)(B) of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 ( Public Law 118–159 ; 138 Stat. 1959), is amended—

(1)

by redesignating subparagraphs (I) through (M) as subparagraphs (J) through (N), respectively; and

(2)

by inserting after subparagraph (H) the following new subparagraph (I):

(I)

The number of suicides identified under subparagraph (A), as a whole and disaggregated by the military occupational specialty (or other similar classification, rating, or specialty code) of the member, excluding such specialities that the Secretary determines would not provide statistically valid data, with respect to which the member had a history of one of the following:

(i)

Concussive or subconcussive brain injuries, including traumatic brain injuries.

(ii)

Exposure to blast overpressure.

(iii)

Other head trauma, regardless of whether it required the treatment of a medical provider.