Sponsors (2)
The bill forces a quick DoD review to identify and standardize detection and care for pilot brain injuries—potentially improving health outcomes for affected service members—while imposing short-term resource demands on DoD and possible longer-term costs for taxpayers, with findings limited by a tight 180-day deadline.
Active-duty pilots will likely receive better detection, standardized screening, and improved care for traumatic brain injuries because the DoD must review and summarize existing policies and recommend improvements.
Congress (and thus taxpayers) will receive timely information (required within 180 days) to inform oversight, potential regulatory fixes, or legislation addressing pilot brain injuries.
If the study identifies widespread problems, implementing recommended changes (expanded screening, training, or treatment) could increase costs borne by taxpayers and families.
A 180-day deadline may constrain the study's scope and methods, producing preliminary or incomplete findings that limit the value of recommendations for long-term care improvements.
Preparing the mandated study and report will require DoD staff time and resources, potentially diverting effort from other Defense priorities or programs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the Secretary of Defense to report within 180 days on whether active-duty pilots suffer TBIs from cumulative flight stresses, including study results, current policies, improvement strategies, and recommendations.
Introduced September 26, 2025 by Jason Crow · Last progress September 26, 2025
Directs the Secretary of Defense to deliver a report within 180 days that studies whether active-duty pilots experience traumatic brain injury (TBI) from repeated high-speed maneuvers, catapult launches, and other repetitive flight stresses. The report must include the study’s findings, a current summary of DoD policies and practices for identifying, documenting, and treating mild, moderate, and severe TBI in pilots, a strategy to improve those practices, and recommendations for regulatory or legislative actions.