Ernst Solution to Mitigate Traumatic Brain Injuries Included in Defense Bill

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, advanced their solution to address servicemembers’ traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.

“Traumatic Brain Injuries have tragically become the signature wound of this generation of servicemembers. That’s why I have long prioritized diagnosing and treating TBIs,” said Senator Joni Ernst, a combat veteran. “Through my bipartisan efforts in this year’s defense bill, we can better meet the challenges of our servicemembers today and prevent future injuries by mitigating exposure.”

This provision, which includes major reforms from their bipartisan Blast Overpressure Safety Act, will:

• Support servicemembers by permanently establishing the National Intrepid Center of Excellence to treat TBIs;
• Enhance efforts to mitigate exposure by modifying existing and future weapons systems to minimize blast overpressure;
• Establish standardized monitoring, treatment, and referral guidelines for servicemembers; 
• Create an intensive comprehensive brain health and trauma program to improve access to care after exposure;
• Increase transparency regarding blast overpressure safety during the weapons acquisition process; and
• Start a pilot program to track blast exposure of individual servicemembers. 

Now that both the Senate and the House have passed the NDAA for FY2025, this will head to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

Background: 

Over the years, Ernst has been a strong advocate for servicemembers’ health and well-being. Her Blast Pressure Exposure Study Improvement Act, which became law in the NDAA FY20, improves research on TBIs and strengthens the capacity to track and mitigate blast pressure exposure.

She has also pressed the Pentagon for answers and pushed to standardize how our armed services diagnose TBIs.

In January 2024, Ernst and Warren called on the Department of Defense to protect servicemembers from blast overpressure.

###