The co-chairman of a congressional task force on brain injury has asked Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to account for potentially thousands of troops who suffered concussions in Iraq or Afghanistan before 2010 and were never diagnosed or treated.
Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., cited a USA TODAY story published Thursday that reported enhanced efforts to diagnose brain injury that were implemented in 2010. As a result of the new procedures, a record number of the wounds have been identified while the patients were still in the war zones. Last spring, 16 troops per day suffered traumatic brain injuries in combat, most of them mild and due to blast exposure, Pentagon data show.
STORY: Better tests find record concussions among U.S. troops
"Despite this progress, I remain concerned that soldiers who could have been injured in theater before this policy took effect in June 2010 could continue to slip through the cracks," Pascrell wrote in his letter to Panetta.
The Pentagon would not comment on the letter.
"It's standard department practice not to comment on congressional correspondence," spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said. "We'll respond to the congressman as appropriate."
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