RESERVE COMPONENT MENTAL HEALTH ACT 2 July 2008
Posted by Service Officer on July 2nd, 2008
H.R.6075, the National Guard and Reserve Mental Health Access Act of 2008, was introduced on 17 JUN by Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI). The bill focus is to educate soldiers on the mental health care available upon their return from deployment. “With the levels of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) rising to epidemic proportions among our returning troops, it is imperative that we educate our Guard and Reserve Components about the mental health services they are eligible for so that no veteran or their family slips through the cracks,” said Kennedy. The bill’s main provisions will:
• Support the recently enacted Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program.
• Create a Joint Psychological Health Program to coordinate mental health services within the DoD.
• Test the feasibility of tele-mental health services available.
• Create a process to combat the stemmas department to combat the stigmas that exist concerning mental health problems.
• Assign Community Outreach Coordinators to educate local business, schools and others about the difficulties faced in reintegration
[Source: NGAUS Leg Up 20 Jun 08 ++]
