U.S military medical records will now document service member’s blast exposures in an attempt to aid and inform future medical treatments and VA benefits eligibility.
According to an article published by Connecting Vets, “Troops are often exposed to explosions and the concussive wave that they produce. This can include soldiers who work around artillery, infantrymen working with explosive breaching charges, Explosive Ordinance Techs who destroy munitions, and many other occupations in the military. Additionally, soldiers are sometimes caught near detonations in combat, often caused by Improvised Explosive Devices. These explosions can result in a physiological disorder called Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI which the Center for Disease Control defines as, “a disruption in the normal function of the brain that can be caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head, or penetrating head injury. Everyone is at risk for a TBI, especially children, and older adults.”
The Department of Defense is now required to track blast exposure, durations, and if possible, blast pressure readings as outlined by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Relevant pages: Veterans Disability