Congress Report on TBI: 1.5 Million People Every Year
REAUTHORIZATION OF THE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
ACT
AUGUST 1, 2007.-Ordered to be printed
Mr. KENNEDY, from the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions, submitted the following
REPORT
[To accompany S. 793]
The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, to
which was referred the bill (S. 793) to provide for the expansion
and improvement of traumatic brain injury programs, having considered
the same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment in
the nature of a substitute and recommends that the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
I. Purpose and Need for Legislation ………………………………………………………. 1
II. Summary ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
III. History of Legislation and Votes in Committee …………………………………… 3
IV. Explanation of Bill and Committee Views …………………………………………… 4
V. Cost Estimate ……………………………………………………………………………………. 5
VI. Regulatory Impact Statement …………………………………………………………….. 6
VII. Application of Law to the Legislative Branch ……………………………………… 6
VIII. Section-by-Section Analysis ……………………………………………………………….. 6
IX. Changes in Existing Law …………………………………………………………………… 8
I. PURPOSE AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
The purpose of the ‘‘Reauthorization of the Traumatic Brain Injury
Act” is to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services
(HHS) to expand and intensify programs with respect to research
and related activities concerning traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Every year, of the 1.5 million people in the United States who sustain
a TBI, 50,000 die and 235,000 are hospitalized. Estimates
show that at a minimum, brain injuries cost the United States $60
billion per year.
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2
TBI is defined as brain damage from externally inflicted trauma
to the head resulting in significant impairment to an individual’s
physical, psychosocial, and/or cognitive functional abilities. According
to CDC, brain injuries are among the most likely types of injury
to cause death or permanent disability. People ages 15 to 24
years and those over age 75 are the two age groups at highest risk
for TBI. Motor vehicle accidents, sports accidents, falls, and violence
are the major causes of TBI. Whereas motor vehicle accidents
and violence, such as firearm assaults and child abuse, account for
70 percent of TBI in the overall U.S. population, falling is the
major cause in people aged 75 years or older.
TBI is also caused by explosives, and medical experts have described
it as the signature wound of the Iraq war. Up to two-thirds
of injuries in the Iraq war may be brain injuries.
Long known as the silent epidemic, TBI can strike anyone-infant,
youth, or elderly person-without warning and with devastating
results. It is particularly common among young males and
people of both sexes who are 75 years and older. TBI affects the
whole family and often results in huge medical and rehabilitation
expenses over a lifetime.
TBI is different from other disabilities due to the severity of cognitive
loss. Most rehabilitation programs are designed for people
with physical disabilities, not cognitive disabilities that require
special accommodations. Finding needed services is typically a
logistical, financial, and psychological challenge for family members
and other caregivers, because few coordinated systems of care exist
for individuals with TBI. The passage of the Traumatic Brain Injury
Act of 1996 has improved TBI service systems at the statelevel
and also increased the overall visibility of TBI. However, more
work needs to be done at both the national and State level to build
an effective, durable service system for meeting the needs of individuals
with TBI and their families.
REAUTHORIZATION OF THE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
ACT
AUGUST 1, 2007.-Ordered to be printed
Mr. KENNEDY, from the Committee on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions, submitted the following
REPORT
[To accompany S. 793]
The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, to
which was referred the bill (S. 793) to provide for the expansion
and improvement of traumatic brain injury programs, having considered
the same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment in
the nature of a substitute and recommends that the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
I. Purpose and Need for Legislation ………………………………………………………. 1
II. Summary ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
III. History of Legislation and Votes in Committee …………………………………… 3
IV. Explanation of Bill and Committee Views …………………………………………… 4
V. Cost Estimate ……………………………………………………………………………………. 5
VI. Regulatory Impact Statement …………………………………………………………….. 6
VII. Application of Law to the Legislative Branch ……………………………………… 6
VIII. Section-by-Section Analysis ……………………………………………………………….. 6
IX. Changes in Existing Law …………………………………………………………………… 8
I. PURPOSE AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
The purpose of the ‘‘Reauthorization of the Traumatic Brain Injury
Act” is to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services
(HHS) to expand and intensify programs with respect to research
and related activities concerning traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Every year, of the 1.5 million people in the United States who sustain
a TBI, 50,000 die and 235,000 are hospitalized. Estimates
show that at a minimum, brain injuries cost the United States $60
billion per year.
VerDate Aug 31 2005 05:59 Aug 06, 2007 Jkt 059010 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\SR140.XXX SR140 hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMRPT
2
TBI is defined as brain damage from externally inflicted trauma
to the head resulting in significant impairment to an individual’s
physical, psychosocial, and/or cognitive functional abilities. According
to CDC, brain injuries are among the most likely types of injury
to cause death or permanent disability. People ages 15 to 24
years and those over age 75 are the two age groups at highest risk
for TBI. Motor vehicle accidents, sports accidents, falls, and violence
are the major causes of TBI. Whereas motor vehicle accidents
and violence, such as firearm assaults and child abuse, account for
70 percent of TBI in the overall U.S. population, falling is the
major cause in people aged 75 years or older.
TBI is also caused by explosives, and medical experts have described
it as the signature wound of the Iraq war. Up to two-thirds
of injuries in the Iraq war may be brain injuries.
Long known as the silent epidemic, TBI can strike anyone-infant,
youth, or elderly person-without warning and with devastating
results. It is particularly common among young males and
people of both sexes who are 75 years and older. TBI affects the
whole family and often results in huge medical and rehabilitation
expenses over a lifetime.
TBI is different from other disabilities due to the severity of cognitive
loss. Most rehabilitation programs are designed for people
with physical disabilities, not cognitive disabilities that require
special accommodations. Finding needed services is typically a
logistical, financial, and psychological challenge for family members
and other caregivers, because few coordinated systems of care exist
for individuals with TBI. The passage of the Traumatic Brain Injury
Act of 1996 has improved TBI service systems at the statelevel
and also increased the overall visibility of TBI. However, more
work needs to be done at both the national and State level to build
an effective, durable service system for meeting the needs of individuals
with TBI and their families.
