1.This Act may be cited as
the Servicemembers Mental Health Care
Commission Act
.
2.Congress finds the following:
(1)Since October
2001, approximately 1,640,000 members of the Armed Forces have been deployed as
part of Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(2)300,000 members
of the Armed Forces are suffering from major depression or post traumatic
stress because of service in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi
Freedom.
(3)320,000 of the
members of the Armed Forces who served in Operation Enduring Freedom or
Operation Iraqi Freedom, or 19 percent of such members, have received brain
injuries from such service.
(4)Only 43 percent
of members of the Armed Forces with a probable traumatic brain injury have
reported receiving a medical evaluation for their head injury.
(5)Records of the
Department of Veterans Affairs show that 120,000 members of the Armed Forces
who are no longer on active duty have been diagnosed with mental health
problems, approximately half of whom suffer from post traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD).
(6)In the last year,
only 53 percent of those members of the Armed Forces with post traumatic stress
disorder or depression have sought professional help from a mental health care
provider.
(7)Rates of post
traumatic stress disorder and depression are highest among members of the Armed
Forces who are women or members of the Reserves.
(8)Efforts to
improve access to quality mental health care are integral to supporting and
treating both active duty members of the Armed Forces and veterans.
(9)Without quality
mental health care, members of the Armed Forces and veterans may experience
lower work productivity, which negatively affects their physical health, mental
health, and family and social relationships.
(10)Cultural and
personal stigmas are factors that contribute to low rates of veterans of
Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom who seek mental health
care from qualified mental health care providers.
(11)The capacity of
mental health care providers and access to such providers must be improved to
meet the needs of members of the Armed Forces who are returning from deployment
in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom.
(12)Community-based
providers of mental health care are invaluable assets in addressing the needs
of such members and should not be overlooked.
(13)Coordination of
care among government agencies as well as nongovernmental agencies is integral
to the successful treatment of members of the Armed Forces returning from
deployment.
3.Commission on
veterans and members of the Armed Forces with post traumatic stress disorder,
traumatic brain injury, or other mental health disorders caused by service in
the Armed Forces
(a)Establishment
of commissionThere is established a commission on veterans and
members of the Armed Forces with post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic
brain injury, or other mental health disorders caused by service in the Armed
Forces.
(b)
(1)The commission shall be composed of a chair and 11 other
members who shall be appointed jointly by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and
the Secretary of Defense.
(2)The
membership of the commission under paragraph (1) shall include at least one of
each of the following:
(A)Members of the
Armed Forces on active duty.
(B)Veterans who are
retired from the Armed Forces.
(C)Employees of the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
(D)Employees of the
Department of Defense.
(E)Recognized
medical or scientific authorities in fields relevant to the commission,
including psychiatry and medical care.
(F)Mental health
professionals who are not physicians.
(G)Veterans who have
undergone treatment for post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury,
or other mental health disorders.
(3)Consideration
of recommendationsIn appointing members of the commission, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense shall consult with
nongovernmental organizations that represent veterans, members of the Armed
Forces, and families of such veterans and members.
(c)
(1)The commission shall—
(A)oversee the
monitoring and treatment of veterans and members of the Armed Forces with post
traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other mental health
disorders caused by service in the Armed Forces; and
(B)conduct a
thorough study of all matters relating to the long-term adverse consequences of
such disorders for such veterans and members, including an analysis of—
(i)the
information gathered from rescreening data obtained from post deployment
interviews;
(ii)treatments that
have been shown to be effective in the treatment of post traumatic stress
disorder, traumatic brain injury, or other mental health disorders caused by
service in the Armed Forces;
(iii)the effects on
the military career of members of the Armed Forces of seeking mental health
counseling or care, including effects on duty assignments and promotion
potential; and
(iv)the continuity
and effectiveness of mental health care provided individuals during their
transition from receipt of care and services through the Department of Defense
to receipt of care and services through the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
(2)The
commission shall develop recommendations on the development of
initiatives—
(A)to mitigate the
adverse consequences studied under paragraph (1)(B); and
(B)to reduce
cultural and professional stigmas associated with treatment of post traumatic
stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, or other mental health disorders of
veterans and members of the Armed Forces.
(3)Not later than September 30 each year, the commission
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report containing the
following:
(A)A detailed
statement of the findings and conclusions of the commission as a result of its
activities under paragraph (1).
(B)The
recommendations of the commission developed under paragraph (2).
(d)
(1)The commission may visit locations where veterans and
members of the Armed Forces with post traumatic stress disorder, traumatic
brain injury, or other mental health disorders caused by service in the Armed
Forces receive treatment for such disorders to carry out the oversight and
monitoring required by subsection (c)(1)(A).
(2)Information
from Federal agenciesThe commission may secure directly from any
Federal department or agency such information as the commission considers
necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. Upon request of the chair of
the commission, the head of such department or agency shall furnish such
information to the commission.
(3)Solicitation of
testimonyThe commission may request testimony from members of
the Armed Forces, veterans, caregivers, and other sources in a manner intended
not to interfere with the career development of the individual providing such
testimony.
(e)The
commission shall be terminated jointly by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and
the Secretary of Defense, at the joint discretion of the Secretaries.
(f)Authorization
of appropriations
(1)There is authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2010
to carry out this section, $1,000,000.
(2)There is authorized to be appropriated for each
fiscal year after fiscal year 2010 such sums as may be necessary to carry out
this section in such fiscal year.
(g)Appropriate
committees of Congress definedIn this section, the term
appropriate committees of Congress
means—
(1)the Committee on
Armed Services and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
(2)the Committee on
Armed Services and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of
Representatives.