II 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2883 

To require the Secretary of Defense to submit a plan to improve research 

and development on therapies for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, to document information on blast exposures in 

service records of military personnel, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 17, 2018 

Ms. WARREN (for herself and Mrs. ERNST) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Defense to submit a plan to 

improve research and development on therapies for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, 

to document information on blast exposures in service 

records of military personnel, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Blast Exposure and 

5 Brain Injury Prevention Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. MEASURES TO MITIGATE TRAUMATIC BRAIN IN2 JURY AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DIS3 ORDER. 

4 (a) PLAN ON IMPROVEMENTS TO RESEARCH AND

5 DEVELOPMENT ON THERAPIES FOR TRAUMATIC BRAIN

6 INJURY AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.—Not 

7 later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 

8 this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the con9 gressional defense committees a report setting forth the 

10 following: 

11 (1) A plan for the Director of the Defense 

12 Health Agency, in collaboration with the Secretary 

13 of Veterans Affairs, the National Institutes of 

14 Health, and appropriate institutions of higher edu15 cation and private entities, to accelerate cooperative 

16 research and development on therapies for traumatic 

17 brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, in18 cluding the following: 

19 (A) Actions to be taken by the Director to 

20 maximize the coordination and use of scientific 

21 research and development efforts on such thera22 pies that is carried out by other elements of the 

23 Department of Defense, the National Institutes 

24 of Health, the Department of Veterans Affairs, 

25 and such institutions and entities. 


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1 (B) Other actions and processes to be 

2 taken or developed by the Director to accelerate 

3 research and development on and delivery of 

4 such therapies. 

5 (2) If legislative or administrative action is re6 quired to carry out the plan, such recommendations 

7 for such legislative or administrative action as the 

8 Secretary of Defense considers appropriate. 

9 (b) DOCUMENTATION OF INFORMATION ON BLAST

10 EXPOSURES IN SERVICE RECORDS OF MILITARY PER11 SONNEL.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—In accordance with such 

13 guidance as the Secretary of Defense shall issue for 

14 purposes of this subsection, each Secretary of a mili15 tary department shall include in the military service 

16 records of members of the Armed Forces under the 

17 jurisdiction of such Secretary appropriate docu18 mentation of information on any blasts to which 

19 such members are exposed during service in the 

20 Armed Forces (whether in combat or training), in21 cluding the following: 

22 (A) The date of exposure. 

23 (B) The duration of exposure, and the 

24 blast pressures experienced during exposure. 


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1 (C) Whether exposure occurred during 

2 combat or training. 

3 (D) Whether a weapon was the source of 

4 the blast, and, if so, the type of weapon. 

5 (E) Such other information on the expo6 sure as the Secretary of Defense shall specify in 

7 the guidance. 

8 (2) REPORTS.—Not later than one year after 

9 the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually 

10 thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Com11 mittees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 

12 House of Representatives a report on information in13 cluded in military service records under paragraph 

14 (1) during the one-year period ending on the date of 

15 such report. Each report shall include summary de16 scriptions of the information specified in each sub17 paragraph of paragraph (1) that was included in 

18 such records during the year covered by such report. 

19 (c) REVIEW OF GUIDANCE ON BLAST EXPOSURE

20 DURING TRAINING.— 

21 (1) INITIAL REVIEW.—Not later than 180 days 

22 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the As23 sistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, in 

24 coordination with each Assistant Secretary for Man25 power and Reserve Affairs of a military department, 


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1 shall review the firing limits for heavy weapons dur2 ing training exercises. 

3 (2) ELEMENTS.—The review required by para4 graph (1) shall take into account current data and 

5 evidence on the cognitive effects of blast exposure 

6 and shall include consideration of the following: 

7 (A) The impact of exposure over multiple 

8 successive days of training. 

9 (B) The impact of multiple types of heavy 

10 weapons being fired in close succession. 

11 (C) The feasibility of cumulative annual or 

12 lifetime exposure limits. 

13 (D) The minimum safe distance for observ14 ers and instructors. 

15 (3) UPDATED TRAINING GUIDANCE.—Not later 

16 than 180 days after the date of the completion of 

17 the review under paragraph (1), each Secretary of a 

18 military department shall update any relevant train19 ing guidance to account for the conclusions of the 

20 review. 

21 (4) UPDATED REVIEW.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently 

23 than once every two years after the initial re24 view conducted under paragraph (1), the Assist25 ant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, in 


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1 coordination with each Assistant Secretary for 

2 Manpower and Reserve Affairs of a military de3 partment, shall conduct an updated review 

4 under such paragraph, including consideration 

5 of the matters set forth under paragraph (2), 

6 and update training guidance under paragraph 

7 (3). 

8 (B) CONSIDERATION OF NEW RESEARCH

9 AND EVIDENCE.—Each updated review con10 ducted under subparagraph (A) shall take into 

11 account new research and evidence that has 

12 emerged since the previous review. 

13 (5) BRIEFING REQUIRED.—The Assistant Sec14 retary of Defense for Health Affairs, in coordination 

15 with each Assistant Secretary for Manpower and Re16 serve Affairs of a military department, shall brief 

17 the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate 

18 and the House of Representatives on a summary of 

19 the results of the initial review under paragraph (1), 

20 each updated review conducted under paragraph (4), 

21 and any updates to training guidance and proce22 dures resulting from any such review or updated re23 view. 

24 (d) RESEARCH ON IMPROVED PERSONAL PROTEC25 TIVE EQUIPMENT.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary of De2 fense for Research and Engineering shall establish a 

3 research and development program to improve the 

4 efficacy of personal protective equipment to reduce 

5 blast pressure or protect against brain injury from 

6 exposure to blast pressure waves. 

7 (2) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than one 

8 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

9 Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engi10 neering shall submit to the Committees on Armed 

11 Services of the Senate and the House of Representa12 tives a report on the efficacy of existing personal 

13 protective equipment to protect against blast pres14 sure, and recommendations for follow-on research 

15 into technology advancements that could further im16 prove protection from blast pressure. 

17 (3) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para18 graph (2) shall include the following: 

19 (A) An assessment of existing helmet de20 signs, including commercially available helmets, 

21 to determine their efficacy against blasts of var22 ious sizes and locations. 

23 (B) A determination of whether certain 

24 configurations and materials better protect 


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1 against specific types of exposure, including 

2 from explosions and heavy weaponry. 

3 (C) A review of existing personal protective 

4 equipment requirements, including helmets, to 

5 determine the adequacy of requirements to pro6 tect against blast overpressure. 

7 (D) An assessment of the feasibility of 

8 modifications to existing personal protective 

9 equipment, including improved helmet design. 

10 (E) An assessment of the trade-offs be11 tween improved blast pressure protection and 

12 other factors, including weight, field of vision, 

13 cost, and other factors as appropriate. 

14 (F) Recommendations for modified or ad15 ditional requirements for personal protective 

16 equipment, including helmets, to protect against 

17 blast overpressure. 

18 (G) Recommendations for additional re19 search into personal protective equipment ad20 vancements that show promise, including new 

21 materials, technologies, and passive and active 

22 off-board measures. 

Æ 


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