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At least one in three Iraq veterans and one in nine Afghanistan veterans are facing a serious mental health problem, from depression to anxiety to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. These veterans face serious family and employment problems. Divorce, drug abuse and suicide rates are up. Some troops are returning to Iraq for second and third deployments with untreated mental disorders. The Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have consistently left the burden on the veteran to get the support they need.
IAVA Recommends:
- A mandatory and confidential counseling session with a mental health professional for all troops within 90 days of finishing a combat tour, and a plan to ensure all combat veterans receive six-month, one-year, and two-year follow-up calls with information about mental health care and VA benefits.
- An addition of $500 million per year to the VA mental health earmark for the next five years,[i] and a plan by the VA to ensure that, unlike in previous years, mental health earmarks are fully allocated and used exclusively for mental health initiatives, with a required progress report submitted to Congress every three months.
- An extension of the eligibility window for VA mental health benefits claims from two years to five years.
- A joint DOD/VA task force to address suicide prevention by reducing the stigma attached to mental health care, increasing early access to treatment, and ensuring a swift, effective, and continued response to troops and new veterans who present a suicide risk.
- A study to determine the extent of, and to make recommendations to relieve, the staffing shortfalls at Vet Centers nationwide.
- A study to determine if the DOD has complied with previous mandates regarding pre- and post-deployment forms used to evaluate troops' mental health (DD Forms 2975, 2976, and 2900).
- A study to determine the extent to which the DOD is taking action to implement the November 2006 DOD guidelines for the deployment of troops with mental health issues. Specifically, how many people are being evacuated from theatre and/or discharged for mental health issues? Of that number, how many are recorded as having pre-existing conditions?
[i] This data is derived from the Independent Budget.
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