Medical Histories Must Include Troop Blast Exposure Orders Pentagon

The $738 billion National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2020 was signed into law by President Donald Trump in December 2019. The NDAA included requirements for the Pentagon to document blast exposure in troops’ medical histories.

Blast Exposure and Why It Matters

The NDAA specifies covered incidences or blast exposure that should be included in troops’ medical histories as "a concussive event or injury that requires a military acute concussive evaluation by a skilled health care provider." Links between blast exposure and traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been made by the Department of Defense, the Department of Veteran Affairs, and the Centers for Disease Control.

The date of the blast exposure, the duration of exposure, and (if possible) the measured blast pressure are directed to be included in these medical histories. Services branches and the Department of Defense are required to report progress of medical history compiling within one year’s time.