As has been reported, our servicemen and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have continued to sustain blast injuries which have resulted in traumatic brain injury. Unfortunately, when our soldiers returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, they encountered difficulties in obtaining needed cognitive treatment.
I have recently learned that soldiers in New Jersey will shortly be deployed overseas to Iraq and Afghanistan. It is essential that these soldiers be given neuropsychological evaluations in order to establish a baseline of functioning so that when they return, any cognitive limitations or impairments suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan can be objectively quantified and documented. This will permit our soldiers to demonstrate the extent of their injuries and assist them in obtaining necessary treatment.