Advocacy in Action

After spending the last decade hearing from Combat Veterans and their families, Jayna & Kate pursued PhDs to advocate as research scientists with specific subject-matter expertise. See the "Research" tab to learn more about their research and other scientists' studies of TBI and blast injury outcomes.

Current Policy Work: 
The Froede-Larkin Military Suicide and Traumatic Brain Injury Reform Initiative provides members of Armed Services committees with a roadmap to reduce fatalities from neurotrauma sustained by service members exposed to damaging blast overpressures. Areas addressed:
Bureaucratic Inertia and Institutional Betrayal
Accelerated Acceptance and Implementation of Therapies
Blast Overpressure and Safer Weapons
Ensuring Safe Breaching Protocols
Military Suicide Prevention and Accountability
Expedited Evaluation and Treatment
Purple Heart Criteria for Brain Injuries
Research and Assessment Reform
Survivor Benefits for Children of Fallen Service Members
Military Disability and Casualty Actuarial Adjustment
Wrongful Death and Grounds for Relief

APRIL 12, 2024: Ernst, Warren Announce Bipartisan Bill to Mitigate Blast Overpressure and Protect Servicemembers Most of the Froede-Larkin Reform Act was repackaged into this Bill: 
https://www.ernst.senate.gov/news/press-releases/ernst-warren-announce-bipartisan-bill-to-mitigate-blast-overpressure-and-protect-servicemembers
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https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-ernst-khanna-senators-announce-bipartisan-bill-to-mitigate-blast-overpressure-and-protect-service-members

Purple Heart Advocacy: 
The Army changed the Purple Heart criteria to no longer recognize post-deployment documentation of a TBI as adequate proof of injury. We are working to change this policy back because we understand that most Post-9/11 Combat Veterans who served in the earlier years of the conflicts did not receive documentation of their TBI while in theater---or documents were lost or destroyed.  We wrote a bill to reform TBI care and recognition that was introduced to the Senate and House (see below) are working with policymakers to get the necessary Purple Heart criteria changes into the upcoming NDAA.  

Military Health System Conference 2010 Presentation "Traumatic Brain Injury: Navigating the Health Care System" by Jayna Moceri Brooks, RN, MN & CPT Jonathan Brooks
http://www.google.com/search?q=Jayna+Moceri+Brooks&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

National Public Radio & ProPublica report on Purple Hearts and Traumatic Brain Injury: 
NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127402851
ProPublica: http://www.propublica.org/series/brain-wars
 
American Legion Resolution No. 45: Purple Hearts for Traumatic Brain Injuries:  http://www.legion.org/documents/resolutions/07n045.pdf. 

Congressman Bill Pascrell (Representative of the 8th district of New Jersey) & Congressman Todd Russell Platts (Representing the 19th District of Pennsylvania) letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates highlighting the inconsistancy in awarding Purple Heart medals to combat veterans with TBIs:  http://pascrell.house.gov/list/press/nj08_pascrell/pr182009.shtml