A new effort is underway to properly diagnose and treat service members who suffer from traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs.
Jeff Pierce is a Navy veteran and the commander of VFW Post 9596 in East Syracuse. He said he knows the immense toll traumatic brain injuries can take on the lives of service members.
"(It affects) every aspect, even the way you deal with yourself,” Pierce said. “Because you don't know what ‘normal’ is."
That’s why Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said she’s supporting a bill called the Blast Overpressure Safety Act. It focuses particularly on TBIs caused by an explosion or blast from a service member’s own weapons.
"These kinds of injuries are not just a health and safety issue for our service members,” she said. “They're also a threat to our national security because every time a service member or veteran gets injured, it reduces the people that are being able to support our national security."
The bill would require the Department of Defense to improve screening, tracking, prevention, and treatment for these TBIs. Gillibrand said it would also improve transparency about the types of weapons being used in training or combat.
Anne-Marie Mancilla, the director of the Onondaga County Veterans Service Agency, supports the bill.
"Residuals on TBI can impact cognitive abilities and mental health. TBI is referred to as this generation of service members' signature wound,” she said.
Gillibrand said the bill has bipartisan support, and she’s hopeful it will pass by the end of the year.
