Maine Sen. Angus King is co-sponsoring a bill that would require the Veterans Administration to conduct additional research on how low-level blasts can affect the brain.
The bill sponsored by King and Republican Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas would direct the VA to create a 10-year research plan on studying the effects of repetitive, low-level blasts. The bill would also require an analysis of which treatments and diagnostic tools show the most progress when dealing with brain-injured veterans. And it would require the VA to report its findings to Congress every two years.
A Boston University lab found evidence of significant damage in the brain of the Army Reservist who killed 18 in Lewiston in October 2023. The gunman, Robert Card, helped instruct West Point cadets in hand grenades during his unit's annual training mission in New York. And while the director of the BU Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Center has said she could not definitively say the damage was caused by that exposure, she said Card's injuries were consistent with brain damage in other veterans repeatedly exposed to blasts.
“Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a common, yet misunderstood and often undetectable, injury — and they can be traced to large blasts in small amounts or smaller blasts that add up over time, so we need to address them in all their forms,” King said in a statement. “We have a duty to expand our understanding of the impact these blasts have on mental health, and to protect the long-term health and well-being of our military community. Here in Maine we know all too well the horrible tragedies that can occur when TBIs are left untreated. This commonsense bill builds off of previous efforts to ensure we deliver on our promise to provide our service members, veterans and their families the very best care and support.”
In 2019, Congress passed a veterans suicide-prevention and mental health bill that required the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop high-tailored, precision treatment for mental health. King's office said the proposal put forward Tuesday builds on that effort.
King, who is an independent, also co-sponsored a bill with Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins earlier this year that requires the Defense Department to better protect military personnel from "blast overpressure," which results from shockwaves from explosions or sonic booms that exceed normal atmospheric pressure.
Several months later, the Pentagon announced new setback guidelines for personnel and trainers while training with certain types of weapons. The Defense Department also plans to conduct baseline cognitive assessments of all new recruits, including reservists, to help detect potential brain injuries during their military service.
Note: the Lewiston mass shooting is the focus of a FRONTLINE | PBS documentary that will air on Maine Public Television at 8 p.m. and again at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10. The "Breakdown in Maine" documentary, as well as a related six-episode podcast series and numerous newspaper articles, were produced by Maine Public and the Portland Press Herald in conjunction with FRONTLINE |PBS.
