Bill Targets Soldiers' Mental Health Care

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
April 27, 2008
Pg. 4
Sen. Bond is pushing for quicker help and more trained specialists.
By Philip Dine, Post-Dispatch Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond is undertaking a new push to address the unmet mental health care needs of thousands of soldiers who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Missouri Republican says he will propose a two-pronged approach:
*Quick help for those with ailments such as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, the invisible wounds that have become the signature injury of the current wars.
*An infusion of trained personnel to treat those soldiers.
Bond plans to introduce legislation early this week to allow active-duty soldiers to use the Veterans Administration centers to take care of the needs that an overstretched military system cannot meet. The bill also would aim to recruit and train veterans to treat the health problems of future veterans.
"One of the big problems is a shortage of personnel," Bond said. "A lot of returning troops have said they'd like to help on this, and finding jobs for these veterans is a challenge right now. If we can train them up to be behavioral specialists, this would give them a rewarding and well-paying job."
Recruiting an additional 90 specialists a year would cost about $2 million annually, a cost that would be paid for if the program saved just one veteran a year from developing 100 percent service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder, Bond says.
Last week, Bond sought the support of several Democratic senators he hopes will sign on to the measure. He said the Veterans Administration has signaled its willingness to help.
"We want to get it passed this year," he said. "We can't wait longer for the Pentagon to do the right thing ... We need to convey a sense of urgency."
 
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