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WASHINGTON - Senators Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today lauded SASC's approval of The Mental Health Care for our Wounded Warriors Act of 2007 that they introduced in April. The bill, which was included in the Wounded Warriors bill approved by SASC, addresses two significant challenges facing the Department of Defense (DoD): the absence of designated, centralized facilities—or "Centers of Excellence"—to research and coordinate all aspects of military mental health policies and services, and the shortage of mental health professionals to provide care to members of the armed forces. "We have no greater obligation than to care for our wounded service members," Lieberman said. "Not all of the wounds they suffer are visible, though. We know that an estimated one in six returning service members has a diagnosable condition of post-traumatic stress disorder and one in ten service members may suffer a traumatic brain injury. These are the signature injuries of our war in Iraq and Afghanistan. We need to give our troops psychological armor. If we provide the right care at the right time for our troops, we will not only be protecting them, but making our military stronger and more effective. Senator Boxer and I are committed to working with each other, our Senate colleagues, and the Department of Defense to solve these pressing problems."
Boxer said, "I am so pleased that the Senate Armed Services Committee recognized the need to take care of both the physical and mental health needs of our service members. The two amendments Senator Lieberman and I worked to include will help ensure we are providing the best mental health care services to our military, and in particular, the women serving in our Armed Forces. The health and well being of our service members must be a priority for the Pentagon and for all Americans."
The bill would establish Centers of Excellence within the DoD to research and guide the development and implementation of comprehensive strategies to prevent, identify, and treat combat-related mental health conditions, emphasizing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries. The centers would also develop, identify, and disseminate best practices for treatment of combat-related mental health conditions and brain injuries and develop measures to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health illnesses.
The bill would also require the DoD to report back to Congress within 45 days on the need for Congressional intervention to provide financial incentives to reduce mental health workforce shortages, Congressional intervention to amend the duration of service obligation to increase the recruitment of mental health professionals, and increasing the use of scholarship and financial assistance to recruit qualified mental health professionals.
An estimated one in six returning service members has a diagnosable condition of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and one in ten service members involved in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts may suffer a traumatic brain injury. Over one-third of the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans treated by the VA have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, including PTSD, depression, and substance abuse, among others.
The bill passed by SASC today also includes language authored by Lieberman and Boxer directing the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to jointly conduct a comprehensive review of the need for mental health treatment and services for female service members and veterans and the efficiency and adequacy of existing mental health treatment programs and services. The language calls on the VA and DoD to report the results of their review to Congress and create a comprehensive policy to address the treatment and care needs of female service members and veterans who have experienced mental health problems and conditions, including PTSD.
Following passage of the legislation out of committee, the Senators then met with Vice Admiral Donald C. Arthur, MC, USN Shelley M. MacDermid, MBA, PhD, Co-chairs of the DoD Mental Health Task Force. The Task Force issued a groundbreaking report on the status of mental health treatment in the military. It calls for sweeping changes to the existing system and provides concrete recommendations for DoD and Congress to act quickly.
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