Traumatic Brain Injury Among Military Personnel

Since the mid-2000s, public health and heath care-communities have become aware of the increased rates of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among active duty U.S. military personnel. In response to these public health concerns, Congress passed the Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 2008, which requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in consultation with the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), to determine how best to improve the collection and dissemination of information on the incidence and the prevalence of TBI among persons who sustained these injuries while in the military; and to make recommendations on the manner in which CDC, NIH, DoD, and VA can collaborate further on the development and improvement of TBI diagnostic tools and treatments. This book presents the major findings and recommendations of the members of the CDC, NIH, DoD, and VA Leadership Panel. It also focuses on current efforts of the VA's Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to understand, identify, and treat TBI among veterans.