Many of the men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering from some of the most severe physical injuries. However, even more of these brave servicemembers have invisible wounds -- difficulties with adjusting to not being on the battlefield or dealing with long-lasting visions and experiences that they encountered. My bill is intended to ensure that these men and women receive the readjustment counseling and mental health services necessary to transition into what we hope to be a full and productive life after combat.

This issue is especially relevant following the release of a mental health care study conducted by the Army Institute of Research which revealed that as many as 35 percent of Iraq war veterans received mental health care services in the year after their return home. The study concluded that "the high rate of using of mental health care services among Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans after deployment highlights challenges in ensuring that there be adequate resources to meet the mental health needs of returning veterans."

As we all know, the transition period for these soldiers is extremely critical. So critical that it can, in some cases, mean the difference between short-term readjustment issues and severely chronic psychological conditions. This bill supports and encourages greater cooperation between VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) through the expansion of innovative Reunion and Re-entry activities carried out by Vet Center staff. These activities provide members of the National Guard and Reserves with counseling services during the transition from their deployment overseas to civilian life.

Demobilization often occurs so rapidly for these returning servicemembers that they sometimes do not receive or are overwhelmed by the benefits information they need. It is understandable that our servicemembers are much more focused on being reunited with their loved ones than caring about what benefits they are eligible to receive. My bill provides a comprehensive approach by providing group session counseling, a one-hour private counseling session, a presentation to family members about counseling-related matters, and other services that are deemed appropriate by the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and Defense. My bill ensures that these services are provided no later than 14 days upon return and that servicemembers be retained on active duty until they receive these crucial counseling services.

In order to provide feedback and reflection about how to better serve veterans in this capacity, my bill requires a report from VA. The report would detail the costs associated with the provision of counseling services, an assessment of the efficacy of the services provided to meet the readjustment needs of veterans, and a survey-based assessment regarding the satisfaction of veterans receiving these services, that would include the manner in which these services are provided.

Servicemembers have paid a great price in defending freedom. Access to treatment and counseling to heal invisible wounds must be considered a continuing cost of war. In that spirit, this legislation would authorize $180 million for the provision of readjustment counseling services. Colleagues, if there's one lesson we've learned thus far, it is that the earlier we provide these services, the better chance we have of preventing more serious mental health conditions. We need to invest in our future now. If we don't provide these services, we will be paying a much, much higher price in the future.

The safe counseling havens of VA include Vet Centers, which are great conduits for the delivery of these types of transition activities. All Vet Centers are staffed by veterans who can relate to the experiences that these OIF/OEF veterans commonly share.

In 2005, Vet Centers cared for more than 44,900 veterans of the Global War on Terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq. In addition, Vet Centers provided bereavement counseling to more than 800 surviving family members of over 525 servicemembers who were killed while on active duty serving their country. Despite increases in the number of veterans coming to Vet Centers for care, the budget for the program has remained relatively stagnant.

My bill would also address PTSD benefits for veterans. Instead of being proactive and allocating resources to address these challenges while at the same time caring for older veterans, a fear of rising costs prompted a reactionary response from many in Washington. Some policy makers believe that reducing veterans' compensation for PTSD by reexamining 72,000 previously awarded claims might be a good way to save money. This is a bad idea.

Many times, VA compensation is the only source of income for severely disabled veterans and their families. I am thankful that VA set aside its plan to move forward with the PTSD Review late last year. However, there are ongoing efforts to re-evaluate how PTSD is compensated. The Institute of Medicine and Disability Benefits Commission are currently reviewing veterans' disability compensation. This bill requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit a report to Congress six months prior to modifying how PTSD is compensated under the disability compensation rating system. Veterans will no longer have to worry that the Administration will cut disability compensation in order to save money.

Through budget shortfalls and constraints, we must remain steadfast in ensuring that our servicemembers and their families do not suffer in silence from the invisible wounds that they receive in the name of freedom. Many of us fail to give invisible wounds the attention they require. I urge my colleagues to join me in taking another step towards healing our veterans by enacting this important measure.

I ask Unanimous Consent that the full text of the bill be printed in the Record.