An American Academy of Pain Press Release

Department of Defense Required to Develop Pain Care Policy

October 28, 2009 -- Important military pain care provisions requiring the Department of Defense (DoD) to develop and implement a comprehensive pain control policy throughout its health care system were signed into law by President Obama on October 28. The provisions were attached as part of the defense authorization bill for 2010 (HR 2647).

The requirements imposed on the DoD are identical to those imposed on the Department of Veterans Affairs by the Veterans Pain Care Policy Act, which was enacted into law last fall. As a result, a consistent, comprehensive pain care plan should extend throughout both the VA and the DoD.

"These two bills result from a growing awareness of how early and continuously effective pain management will positively effect the longitudinal, quality-of-life outcomes of our warriors' battlefield and deployment-related injuries, such as physical trauma, traumatic brain injury, and PTSD. I am particularly pleased for the health care workers throughout the military and VA health systems who now dedicate themselves day and night to pain management, and also for the families and community organizations that join these health teams in ensuring effective pain care for these men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country," says AAPM President Rollin Gallagher, MD, MPH.

The military pain care provisions require that the DoD's comprehensive strategy include development of educational and training programs for health care personnel, as well as research programs related to acute and chronic pain.