[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 62 (Monday, April 27, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H4756-H4757]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1945
               PTSD/TBI GUARANTEED REVIEW FOR HEROES ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, our Nation has asked many of its military 
personnel to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan and other parts of the 
world.
  Unfortunately, many of these servicemembers are returning with 
symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, known as PTSD, and traumatic 
brain injuries, known as TBI.
  A 2008 study by the RAND Corporation found that nearly 20 percent of 
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have symptoms of PTSD or major 
depression. This study also found that many servicemembers say they do 
not seek treatment for psychological illnesses because they feel it 
will harm their careers. When some servicemembers suffering from PTSD 
or TBI are not properly treated, they wind up self-medicating or 
experiencing changes in behavior that lead to serious legal issues and 
the threat of separation from their service without benefits or 
treatment.
  One disturbing example involves a lance corporal who is stationed in 
my district at Camp Lejeune. The marine had been facing involuntary 
administrative separation due to misconduct. His fitness reports prove 
that he was an outstanding marine prior to his deployment to Iraq and 
Afghanistan.
  His medical board reports, and it states, and I quote, ``His service 
in the Marine Corps caused his PTSD and, indirectly, his incidents/
legal problems. The Marine Corps' failure to treat him in the past and 
treat him appropriately has done nothing but worsen the problem.''
  If this marine would be administratively separated from service, he 
will not have a chance to be eligible for TRICARE benefits. He would 
have difficulty obtaining a job, and it is unlikely that a university 
would accept him as a student.
  Fortunately, the Marine Corps has decided to give this marine another 
chance, and he will be transferred to a naval hospital for PTSD 
treatment. However, this is not an isolated problem. Many 
servicemembers have already lost their benefits due to an 
administrative separation from their service.
  For this reason, I have introduced H.R. 1701, the PTSD/TBI Guaranteed 
Review for Heroes Act. H.R. 1701 attacks the issue from two angles.
  First, the bill creates a special review board at the Department of 
Defense for servicemembers who were less than honorably discharged. 
And, second, the bill would mandate a physical evaluation board prior 
to an administrative separation proceeding if the servicemember has 
been diagnosed with PTSD or TBI by medical authority. Ultimately, the 
legislation would help preserve the benefits of the servicemember upon 
leaving the service.
  At a news conference last week, I was grateful to be joined by 
representatives from the National Association for Uniformed Services, 
the National Military Family Association and the Military Officers 
Association of America, who spoke in support of this legislation.
  The Air Force Sergeants Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the 
Military Order of the Purple Heart and Marine Corps League have 
endorsed this bill. If our government and the military fail to address 
problems associated with PTSD, the situation will only grow worse in 
future years.
  In 2007, President Obama and Vice President Biden joined Senator Kit 
Bond and others in writing President Bush about the need to ensure that 
any discharge a servicemember receives ``is

[[Page H4757]]

proper and provides for their subsequent care for all service-connected 
injuries, visible and invisible.''
  Given his previous interest in the issue, I hope President Obama will 
make H.R. 1701 a priority for his administration.
  I am very pleased to have Congressman Gene Taylor of Mississippi as 
lead cosponsor of the bill, as well as Congressman Bill Pascrell and 
Todd Platts, both cochairmen of the Congressional Brain Injury Task 
Force. I hope that many of my colleagues in the House will join us as 
cosponsors of this important legislation for our Nation's military 
heroes.
  Before closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask God to please bless 
our men and women in uniform; I would like to ask God to please bless 
the families of our men and women of uniform; and, God, please bless 
the families who have given a child dying in Afghanistan and Iraq. And 
I close by asking God to continue to bless America.

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