I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6823 
To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program to facilitate 
the development of certain traumatic brain injury diagnostics for mem-
bers of the Armed Forces. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 17, 2025 
Mrs. TRAHAN (for herself, Mr. BACON, Mr. KEATING, and Ms. MCBRIDE) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Armed Services 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot pro-
gram to facilitate the development of certain traumatic 
brain injury diagnostics for members of the Armed 
Forces. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. PILOT PROGRAM TO FACILITATE DEVELOP-
MENT OF CERTAIN TRAUMATIC BRAIN IN-
JURY DIAGNOSTICS FOR MEMBERS OF THE 
ARMED FORCES. 
(a) PILOT PROGRAM.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of De-
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fense, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Defense 
for Health Affairs, shall establish a pilot program to— 
(1) assess the feasibility of providing support to 
eligible entities engaged in the research, develop-
ment, test, evaluation, or production of covered diag-
nostic technologies that may be procured by the Sec-
retary and used in the diagnosis of traumatic brain 
injuries among members of the Armed Forces in 
connection with operational deployments, including 
in combat zones; 
(2) assess covered diagnostic technologies to de-
termine— 
(A) whether such technologies are capable 
of distinguishing mild traumatic brain injury 
from moderate or severe traumatic brain injury; 
(B) how such technologies may be used 
with other diagnostics or diagnostic aids for 
traumatic brain injury (including neuroimaging 
biomarkers used in computed tomography, mag-
netic resonance imaging or molecular imaging, 
blood-based biomarkers, electrophysiological bio-
markers, oculomotor tracking systems, and en-
vironmental sensors); 
(C) how such technologies may be inte-
grated with the detection of other indicators of 
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physiological deficit, to enhance the health, sur-
vival, and long-term prognosis of members of 
the Armed Forces; 
(D) how such technologies may improve 
military readiness through the improved brain 
health of members of the Armed Forces; and 
(E) the extent to which such technologies 
may address concerns regarding the growing 
medical burden of traumatic brain injury by 
more accurately assessing and quantifying acute 
exposure; and 
(3) facilitate the research, development, test, 
evaluation, and production of safe and effective cov-
ered diagnostic technologies, including by facilitating 
the research and development of new or updated 
manufacturing processes for such technologies and 
the transitioning of such technologies from the 
prototyping phase to the production phase. 
(b) DESIGNATION.—The pilot program established 
under subsection (a) shall be known as the ‘‘Warfighter 
Traumatic Brain Injury Diagnostics Project’’ (in this sec-
tion referred to as the ‘‘pilot program’’). 
(c) ACTIVITIES.—The pilot program shall include— 
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(1) the conduct of research studies to make the 
assessments specified in subsection (a), including 
studies conducted by, or in consultation with— 
(A) trauma, primary care, and traumatic 
brain injury experts of the Department of De-
fense; 
(B) emergency medical technicians of the 
Department; 
(C) members of the Armed Forces diag-
nosed with traumatic brain injuries; and 
(D) personnel of the Department who are 
experts in the covered diagnostic technologies 
assessed under such studies; and 
(2) such activities as the Secretary determines 
may be necessary to incentivize participation in such 
studies by military medical treatment facilities, units 
of the United States Special Operations Command, 
civilian level one trauma centers, and such other en-
tities as the Secretary determines appropriate. 
(d) GRANTS.— 
(1) AWARD OF GRANTS.—In carrying out the 
pilot program, the Secretary of Defense may award 
a grant to an eligible entity engaged in the research, 
development, test, evaluation, or production of cov-
ered diagnostics, consistent with subsection (a)(3). 
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(2) PRIORITY OF AWARDS.—In awarding grants 
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give pref-
erence to an eligible entity that the Secretary deter-
mines meets one or more of the following criteria: 
(A) The eligible entity has a demonstrated 
history of researching, developing, testing, eval-
uating, or producing a covered diagnostic tech-
nology. 
(B) The eligible entity has a demonstrated 
history of researching, developing, testing, eval-
uating, or producing a covered diagnostic tech-
nology or other related capability in the na-
tional technology and industrial base (as such 
term is defined in section 4801 of title 10, 
United States Code). 
(C) The covered diagnostic technology re-
searched, developed, tested, evaluated, or pro-
duced 
by 
such 
eligible 
entity 
provides 
modularity to support diverse applications. 
(3) USE OF GRANT AMOUNTS.—An eligible enti-
ty awarded a grant under paragraph (1) may only 
use such grant amounts to carry out one or more of 
the following activities: 
(A) Conducting research, development, 
testing, or evaluation activities to validate a 
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covered 
diagnostic 
technology 
(including 
through experimentation, prototyping, or adapt-
ing such technology), to determine or improve 
the potential operational use to the Department 
of Defense of such technology, or to integrate 
such technology with other technologies and 
systems, including with respect to new or exist-
ing pathways of care. 
(B) Addressing manufacturing or other 
production challenges relating to a covered di-
agnostic technology. 
(C) Providing commercially available cov-
ered diagnostic technologies to any Secretary of 
a military department, or commander of a com-
batant command, to support use assessments or 
other testing by members of the Armed Forces. 
(D) Building or strengthening relation-
ships with nontraditional defense contractors in 
the technology industry that may be capable of 
providing unused or underused solutions to spe-
cific operational challenges of the Department 
relating to traumatic brain injury diagnostics 
technology. 
(e) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
on which the pilot program terminates under subsection 
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(g), the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congres-
sional defense committees a report on the results of the 
pilot program. Such report shall include— 
(1) a summary of the results of the pilot pro-
gram; 
(2) a determination of the Secretary regarding 
whether to procure and adopt covered diagnostic 
technologies in addition to tools already used by 
medical providers of the Department of Defense to 
screen for traumatic brain injury at the point of in-
jury; and 
(3) any recommendations of the Secretary re-
garding necessary steps to promote the use of cov-
ered diagnostic technologies that meet the needs of 
the Armed Forces, including any legislative solutions 
that may be necessary. 
(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 to the Secretary 
of Defense for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029 to 
carry out this section. 
(g) TERMINATION.—The authority to carry out the 
program shall terminate on September 30, 2029. 
(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) The term ‘‘congressional defense commit-
tees’’ has the meaning given that term in section 
101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code. 
(2) The term ‘‘covered diagnostic technology’’ 
means a device that aids in the diagnosis of trau-
matic brain injury, including by assisting clinicians 
in making such a diagnosis. 
(3) The term ‘‘civilian level one trauma center’’ 
has the meaning given that term in section 708 of 
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 10 U.S.C. 1071 
note). 
(4) The term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means— 
(A) any entity organized under the laws of 
the United States or any jurisdiction within the 
United States; or 
(B) any entity that is owned by an entity 
described in subparagraph (A). 
(5) The term ‘‘nontraditional defense con-
tractor’’ has the meaning given that term in section 
3014 of title 10, United States Code. 
Æ 
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