GRAND FORKS (AP) - The Veterans Administration Medical Center here is screening soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan for traumatic brain injuries caused by exposure to exploding roadside bombs.

"Right now, I'd say we have close to 200 initial screenings that were positive" for traumatic brain injury, said Deb Kunkel, a social worker and manager of a program assessing returning troops at the VA center.

Kunkel said the soldiers were asked whether they were in or near explosions, whether they suffered physical injuries and whether they were experiencing such things as forgetfulness, irritability or problems with sleep or balance.

"We weren't sure what to expect, but we're surprised the numbers are this high," Kunkel said. She said that one 24-year-old soldier reported being involved in 10 explosions while in combat.

Some of the soldiers may have been involved in falls or other accidents, she said, but the bulk of those identified through the screening were in explosions from roadside bombs or rocket-propelled grenades.

Some brain injury symptoms are similar to those linked to post traumatic stress syndrome, Kunkel said. Soldiers who test positive in the initial screening at Fargo are referred to a trauma center in Minneapolis for more tests. But the Fargo center is setting up its own trauma program this summer, she said.

"We weren't sure what to expect, but we're surprised the numbers are this high," Kunkel said. She said one 24-year-old soldier reported being involved in 10 explosions while in combat.

Social workers in Grand Forks also confirmed that they are working with potential traumatic brain injury cases.

A draft report by the Government Accountability Office, obtained this week by The Associated Press, found said thousands of Iraq war veterans who could have suffered traumatic brain injury may be getting unnecessary or inadequate health care because Veterans Affairs officials have yet to determine whether their initial screening tests are reliable.

VA spokeswoman Alison Aikele said the VA decided to move forward last April with the best screening tool it knew of at the time. Aikele said the VA planned to contract with outside researchers to test the validity of its screening.