WASHINGTON, April 20 (UPI) -- All U.S. troops in the Iraq and Afghan wars who apply for veterans' health benefits will be screened for brain injury.
But authorities said that could leave two-thirds of war vets undiagnosed.
That's because two-thirds of discharged military -- about 400,000 people so far -- do not seek veterans' health benefits, according to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group.
IAVA is calling for mandatory TBI screening for all troops returning from either of the two wars.
The Department of Veterans Affairs on April 13 issued a directive that any veteran who reports they were deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom will be asked whether they have been diagnosed with TBI. If not, they will be asked four questions to rule in or out the possibility of TBI. Any positive response will result in the veteran being offered further diagnosis and treatment, if appropriate. The veteran can turn down further treatment.
TBI is brain injury that can result from a concussive blast or a direct blow to the head, two things quite common among injured troops as more than 60 percent of wounds to Americans in Iraq are caused by improvised explosive devices. TBI can leave no external marks and can present symptoms long after the initial injury. It can lead to permanent or temporary impairments of cognitive, physical, and psychosocial functions, including depression.
The New England Journal of Medicine reports that 22 percent of the wounded soldiers from these conflicts who have passed through the military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany had injuries to the head, face, or neck, all of which open the possibility of TBI.
