Sec. 711. Modifications to Brain Health Initiative of Department of Defense
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Section 735 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 ( Public Law 117–263 ; 10 U.S.C. 1071 note) is amended— in subsection (b)(1)— by amending subparagraph
(B)to read as follows: The identification and dissemination of thresholds for blast exposure and overpressure safety and associated emerging scientific evidence that— cover brain injury and impulse noise; measure impact over 24-hour, 72-hour to 96-hour, monthly, annual, and lifetime periods; are designed to prevent cognitive deficits after firing; account for the firing of multiple types of heavy weaponry and use of grenades in one period of time; include minimum safe distances and levels of exposure for observers and instructors; and address shoulder-fired heavy weapons. ; and by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs: The establishment of a standardized treatment program based on interventions that have shown benefit to individuals with brain health issues after a brain injury and the provision of that treatment program to individuals with brain health issues after a brain injury resulting from a potential brain exposure described in subparagraph
(A)or high-risk training or occupational activities described in subparagraph (D). The establishment of policies to encourage members of the Armed Forces to seek support for brain health when needed, prevent retaliation against such members who seek care, and address other barriers to seeking help for brain health due to the impact of blast exposure, blast overpressure, or traumatic brain injury. The modification of existing weapons systems to reduce blast exposure of the individual using the weapon and those within the minimum safe distance. ; by striking subsections (c), (e), and (f); by redesignating subsection
(d)as subsection (e); by inserting after subsection
(b)the following new subsections: Not later than January 1, 2027, the Secretary of Defense shall identify and disseminate the thresholds for blast exposure and overpressure safety required under subsection (b)(1)(B). Not less frequently than once every five years following the identification and dissemination under subparagraph
(A)of the thresholds for blast exposure and overpressure safety required under subsection (b)(1)(B), the Secretary of Defense shall update those thresholds. The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that training on the thresholds for blast exposure and overpressure safety is provided to members of the Armed Forces before training, deployment, or entering other high-risk environments where exposure to blast overpressure is likely. Not later than January 1, 2027, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a central repository of blast-related characteristics, such as pressure profiles and common blast loads associated with specific systems and the environments in which they are used. The Secretary of Defense may establish and implement protocols to require waivers in cases in which members of the Armed Forces must exceed the safety thresholds described in subsection (b)(1)(B), which shall include a justification for exceeding those safety thresholds. Not later than one year after establishing protocols for waivers under subparagraph (A), the Secretary of Defense shall establish a Department of Defense-wide tracking system for such waivers, which shall include data contributed by the Secretary of each military department. Not later than one year after establishing protocols for waivers under subparagraph (A), and annually thereafter for a period of five years, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on such waivers that includes— the number of waivers issued, disaggregated by military department; and a description of actions taken by the Secretary concerned to track the health effects on members of the Armed Forces of exceeding safety thresholds described in subsection (b)(1)(B), document those effects in medical records, and provide care to those members. Not later than January 1, 2027, the Secretary of Defense shall establish strategies for mitigating and preventing blast exposure and blast overpressure risk for individuals most at risk for exposure to high-risk training or high-risk occupational activities, which shall include— a timeline and process for implementing those strategies; a determination of the frequency with which those strategies will be updated, which shall be not less frequently than once every five years; and an assessment of how information regarding those strategies will be disseminated to such individuals, including after those strategies are updated. ; in subsection (e), as redesignated by paragraph (3)— in paragraph (1), by inserting or other remote measurement technology after wearable sensors ; and by adding at the end the following new paragraph: Monitoring activities under a pilot program conducted pursuant to paragraph
(1)shall be carried out for any member of the Armed Forces firing tier 1 weapons in training or combat, as identified by the Secretary of Defense. ; and by inserting after subsection
(e)the following new subsection (f): Not later than March 31, 2025, and not less frequently than annually thereafter for a period of five years, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report that includes the following: A description of the activities taken under the Initiative and resources expended under the Initiative during the prior fiscal year. The number of members of the Armed Forces impacted by blast overpressure and blast exposure in the prior fiscal year, including— the number of members who reported adverse health effects from blast overpressure or blast exposure; the number of members exposed to blast overpressure or blast exposure; the number of members who received treatment for injuries related to blast overpressure or blast exposure, including at facilities of the Department of Defense and at facilities in the private sector; and the type of care that members receive from facilities of the Department of Defense and the type of care that members receive from facilities in the private sector. A summary of the progress made during the prior fiscal year with respect to the objectives of the Initiative under subsection (b). A description of the steps the Secretary is taking to ensure that activities under the Initiative are being implemented across the Department of Defense and the military departments. .
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Sec. 711
Modifications to Brain Health Initiative of Department of Defense
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