King urges defense department to begin brain screenings for service members immediately

U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-ME) speaks with reporters following the weekly policy luncheons at the U.S. Capitol June 26, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)

U.S. Sen. Angus King of Maine, an independent, called on the U.S. Department of Defense to immediately begin brain injury screenings for service members in a letter sent to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday.

The letter comes after researchers found significant evidence this spring that mass shooter Robert R. Card II had traumatic brain injuries when he killed 18 people and injured 13 others in Lewiston on October 25.

The post-mortem study of Card’s brain, released with the permission of Card’s family “in an effort to prevent future tragedies,” found he likely experienced traumatic brain injuries through repeated exposure to explosive blast waves over the course of his military career. Card was an instructor at an Army hand grenade training range, where he was likely exposed to thousands of low-level blasts.

“ I am frustrated by continued reports of the department’s lack of urgency and coordination in addressing brain injuries and their effects on mental health,” King wrote in the letter. “The personal stories we are hearing of lives lost and families and communities traumatized are as infuriating as they are heartbreaking.”

King wrote that the billions of dollars in medical research funding for brain injuries approved by the department and Congress are not adequately protecting service members.

Specifically, King called on the Department of Defense to start testing baseline brain health for service members, developing a risk framework beginning with identifying those at highest risk, addressing links between blast exposure, brain injuries and mental health, as well as mobilizing staff to develop proper reporting structures and tracking measures.

“While studies and programs will be helpful, I exhort you to start screening, track the results, and follow-up on the results,” King wrote.

The defense department is expecting results from an analysis and lessons learned on blast monitoring to be completed in September.

The letter to the defense secretary is the latest in a series of efforts from King and other lawmakers to increase mental health funding and address traumatic brain injuries since the Lewiston shooting.

Last month, King and the rest of Maine’s congressional delegation signed a bipartisan letter requesting a review of federal efforts to identify, prevent and treat traumatic brain injuries related to military blasts — a step that came after a February meeting of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee where lawmakers raised concerns about the department’s strategy to address the problem.

King and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican, also cosponsored the Blast Overpressure Safety Act, a bipartisan bill aimed to better protect service members from the physical and cognitive dangers of shockwaves from explosive weapons in combat and training.

Several of the provisions in the act are currently incorporated into the proposed National Defense Authorization Act, specifically amendments to address oversight and funding for traumatic brain injuries.

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