[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 79 (Thursday, May 21, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S5812]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             POST-DEPLOYMENT HEALTH ASSESSMENT ACT OF 2009

  Mr. JOHANNS. Mr. President, I rise today to offer my support for the 
Post-Deployment Health Assessment Act of 2009. I am pleased to join my 
colleague, the senior Senator from Montana, in cosponsoring this 
important legislation.
  The Post Deployment Health Assessment Act requires the Defense 
Department to increase mandatory mental health screenings for military 
personnel who deploy to combat. This legislation is important and 
necessary because of the alarming increase in combat-related 
psychological injuries suffered by our soldiers overseas.
  A RAND study in 2008 concludes that nearly 20 percent of Iraq and 
Afghanistan veterans suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or 
depression. That is nearly 300,000 returning American servicemembers. 
It also finds that rates of marital stress, substance abuse, and 
suicide are all increasing.
  According to a report released earlier this year, the Army's suicide 
rate hit a record high last year, putting the suicide-per-capita rate 
higher than the national population. In the first three months of this 
year, there have already been 56 reported suicides in the Army. If that 
rate is maintained for the rest of this year, we will have another 
unfortunate, record-breaking year for military suicides.
  Soldiers returning from deployment are already required to receive an 
in-person mental health assessment when they return home. The Post 
Deployment Health Assessment Act requires that soldiers receive an 
assessment from personnel trained to conduct such screenings before 
they deploy. That way, the screening personnel has a reference point 
and can monitor the soldier's progress and any serious changes that may 
have occurred during the soldier's deployment. The Post Deployment 
Health Assessment Act also requires soldiers to receive mental health 
assessments every six months for two years after they return from 
combat. The periodic assessments allow health personnel to monitor a 
soldier's adjustment from the combat zone back into normal society. By 
providing the mental health screening program called for in the Post 
Deployment Health Assessment Act, we will give the Defense Department 
an effective system for diagnosing the unseen scars that are so 
prevalent amongst our combat veterans.
  The program proposed by this bill is based on a pilot program 
developed by the Montana National Guard. When I heard about it, the 
program made a great deal of sense to me. That unit has improved the 
mental health care its servicemembers receive, and it seems natural to 
implement such a program to benefit all of our warriors and veterans.
  Since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Congress has 
acted to protect the physical health of the soldiers on the front 
lines. Congress responded to the needs of our fighting men and women by 
funding more body armor and reinforced vehicles. Now, we must do more 
to protect the mental health of our war fighters by giving them the 
access to mental health screenings that can help them get ahead of 
debilitating depression and other disorders that result from intense 
combat experiences.
  Finally, I point out that my colleagues need look no further for 
support than to the veterans whom this bill will help. It has been 
endorsed by groups representing our brave warriors such as the Iraq and 
Afghanistan Veterans of America, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the 
National Guard Association, and the Enlisted Association of the 
National Guard.
  I urge my colleagues to support the Post-Deployment Health Assessment 
Act of 2009, and I look forward to its swift passage so that our 
soldiers and veterans can get the treatment and protection they need.

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