COWAC curated content on Blast Overpressure Science & Legislation

By Timothy J. Grossman, President

Coverage window: Oct 5 to Oct 12, 2026

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This week at a glance. Two items stand out. First, new peer-reviewed imaging evidence: an FDG-PET study in NeuroImage: Reports reports metabolic and white-matter microstructural brain alterations tied to repetitive low-level occupational blast exposure, measured while accounting for PTSD symptoms and aging. In case you missed last week’s update, the Army reported that 97 percent of soldiers have completed baseline brain-health (neurocognitive) testing, a central piece of the Defense Department’s blast-overpressure monitoring effort, with high-blast occupations retesting every year.

On Capitol Hill, H.R. 9237, the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, saw no change in status. It remains stalled after House leadership pulled it from the floor in July, the Senate companion S. 4744 is still in committee, and veterans service organizations are continuing to press their case. Our three tracked provisions, Sections 311 and 310 (which we support) and Section 108 (which we oppose), all stand where they were.

Science & Research

NEW STUDY  Metabolic and microstructural brain alterations associated with occupational blast exposure

This is the first study to use fluorodeoxyglucose PET (FDG-PET) to characterize cerebral metabolic changes from repetitive low-level occupational blast, reported alongside white-matter microstructural alterations, with PTSD symptoms and aging treated as confounders. It adds objective imaging evidence that repeated low-level exposure leaves a measurable mark on the brain.

Source: NeuroImage: Reports, 2026 Sep 29; 6(4):100416. doi:10.1016/j.ynirp.2026.100416

A recap of last week’s most important finidngs: Army reports 97 percent of soldiers have completed baseline brain-health testing

The Army is close to establishing a cognitive baseline for the entire force, which gives clinicians a point of comparison for detecting blast-related decline later on. Soldiers in the highest-blast jobs (field artillery, combat engineers, EOD) will test again every year. The reporting also carried the finding that Army mortarmen saw suicide rates about 40 percent higher than soldiers not exposed to blast.

Sources: [DoD / War.gov, Sept 28], [Soldier Systems, Sept 29], [Task & Purpose, Sept 30], [The Defense Post, Oct 2].

Recent background from prior weeks, for context: the GAO review of how the Defense Department manages blast brain health (GAO-26-107829, Aug 18), the Walter Reed blast-biomarker work (DHA, Aug 14), and the MSMR cohort study of high-risk occupations (Sept 1).

Legislation & Policy

Standing item: H.R. 9237 / S. 4744, Take Care of America’s Veterans Act

Status this week: no change. The bill is still stalled. House leadership pulled it from the floor on July 16, 2026 before a final vote, after veterans service organizations split publicly over Section 108. The wider package of more than sixty provisions was formally delayed, and the Senate companion S. 4744 has not moved out of committee. The American Legion, VFW, DAV, and MOAA are still advocating, but no vote was scheduled this week and the text was not touched.

Nothing this week affected whether our tracked sections stay in, get amended, or get stripped or split out.

• SUPPORT  Section 311, VA Blast Overpressure Task Force, directly on topic for this digest. Unchanged.
• SUPPORT  Section 310, Precision Medicine for Veterans Initiative and suicide reporting. Unchanged.
• OPPOSE  Section 108, which restructures VA ratings for tinnitus and obstructive sleep apnea as a budget offset. It is unrelated to blast overpressure but rides the same bill. Unchanged.

Sources: [congress.gov, H.R. 9237], [Military.com, omnibus delayed], [MOAA], [VFW].