I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2612 

To improve mental health care for wounded members of the Armed Forces, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 7, 2007 

Mrs. DAVIS of California (for herself, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. LOEBSACK, Mrs. 

BOYDA of Kansas, Ms. GIFFORDS, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. 

CHANDLER, and Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To improve mental health care for wounded members of 

the Armed Forces, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mental Health Care 

5 for Our Wounded Warriors Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) An estimated one in six members of the 

9 Armed Forces returning from service in Iraq or Afmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

2 

•HR 2612 IH

1 ghanistan has a diagnosable condition of post-trau2 matic stress disorder (PTSD). 

3 (2) One in ten members of the Armed Forces 

4 who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan may suffer 

5 from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). 

6 (3) Since 2001, approximately 1,500,000 mem7 bers of the Armed Forces have been deployed in sup8 port of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, of 

9 whom approximately one-third have served at least 

10 two tours of duty, 70,000 have served three tours of 

11 duty, and 20,000 have served at least five tours of 

12 duty. 

13 (4) Currently, there are 700,000 children in the 

14 United States with at least one parent deployed to 

15 support ongoing military operations in Iraq and Af16 ghanistan. 

17 (5) The Department of Defense is facing a 

18 shortage of mental health professionals. The Depart19 ment has had as many as 450 psychologists on ac20 tive duty in the Armed Forces in past years. How21 ever, the Department currently has only 350 psy22 chologists on active duty in the Armed Forces in 

23 support of combat operations. 

24 (6) The demands placed on the Department of 

25 Defense mental health system exceed its capacity to 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

3 

•HR 2612 IH

1 provide services in a timely manner to all those in 

2 need. 

3 (7) The long-term costs of treating members of 

4 the Armed Forces returning from Iraq and Afghani5 stan could ultimately reach $700,000,000,000, with 

6 post-traumatic stress disorder projected to be one of 

7 the most expensive conditions to treat. 

8 (8) Women now constitute 16 percent of the 

9 members of the Armed Forces and are assigned to 

10 90 percent all military occupations. As a result, 

11 there is a need for research on whether or not 

12 women in combat roles have unique mental health 

13 needs that should be addressed by the mental health 

14 system of the Department of Defense. 

15 (9) More than 25 percent of the members of 

16 the Armed Forces deployed in support combat oper17 ations in Iraq and Afghanistan are ethnic minorities. 

18 There is a need for research on whether or not mi19 norities have unique mental health needs that should 

20 be addressed by the mental health system of the De21 partment of Defense. 

22 (10) Three out of every five deployed members 

23 of the Armed Forces have a spouse, child, or both. 

24 However, there is a paucity of research on the menmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

4 

•HR 2612 IH

1 tal health needs of members of the Armed Forces 

2 and their families. 

3 (11) Approximately 40 percent of the billets for 

4 licensed clinical psychologists in the Army are va5 cant, and there are shortages in other mental health 

6 professions, including psychiatry and clinical social 

7 work. 

8 (12) The long-term needs associated with men9 tal health conditions and brain injuries will require 

10 a robust mental health professional workforce. 

11 (13) Mental health professionals deployed 

12 alongside combat troops also suffer from combat re13 lated mental illness. 

14 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON MENTAL HEALTH OF THE 

15 MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES. 

16 It is the sense of Congress that— 

17 (1) members of the Armed Forces deserve the 

18 best possible treatment for injuries sustained while 

19 in service to the United States; 

20 (2) injuries sustained by members of the Armed 

21 Forces in combat produce both physical and mental 

22 illnesses; 

23 (3) members of the Armed Forces should have 

24 access to mental health providers to facilitate their 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

5 

•HR 2612 IH

1 treatment for mental illness sustained during com2 bat; 

3 (4) mental health disorders, such as post-trau4 matic stress disorder (PTSD), incurred by members 

5 of the Armed Forces in combat should be treated 

6 with an urgency similar to physical ailments in7 curred by such members in combat; 

8 (5) there is a need to train, recruit, and retain 

9 more psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, 

10 neurologists, and other health care professionals to 

11 diagnose and provide short-term and long-term care 

12 for members of the Armed Forces with mental 

13 health conditions, including traumatic brain injuries 

14 (TBIs), sustained in combat; and 

15 (6) there is a continued need for— 

16 (A) basic science research on post-trau17 matic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, 

18 and other combat-related conditions; 

19 (B) the development of new treatments for 

20 post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain 

21 injury, and other combat-related conditions; 

22 (C) the dissemination of best practices for 

23 treating and managing post-traumatic stress 

24 disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other 

25 combat-related conditions; and 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

6 

•HR 2612 IH

1 (D) a long-term strategy for education, 

2 training, recruitment, and retention for the 

3 mental health workforce of the Department of 

4 Defense in order to expand and improve that 

5 workforce. 

6 SEC. 4. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN MILITARY MENTAL 

7 HEALTH. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 55 of title 10, 

10 United States Code, is amended by inserting after 

11 section 1105 the following new section: 

12 ‘‘§ 1105a. Centers of Excellence in Military Mental 

13 Health 

14 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall 

15 establish within the Department of Defense at least two 

16 centers of excellence in military mental health to carry out 

17 the responsibilities specified in subsection (c). Each such 

18 center shall be known as a ‘Center of Excellence in Mili19 tary Mental Health’. 

20 ‘‘(b) PARTNERSHIPS.—The Secretary shall authorize 

21 each Center of Excellence in Military Mental Health to 

22 enter into such partnerships, agreements, or other ar23 rangements as the Secretary considers appropriate with 

24 institutions of higher education and other appropriate 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

7 

•HR 2612 IH

1 public and private entities to carry out the responsibilities 

2 specified in subsection (c). 

3 ‘‘(c) RESPONSIBILITIES.—Each Center of Excellence 

4 in Military Mental Health shall have responsibilities as fol5 lows: 

6 ‘‘(1) To direct and oversee, based on expert re7 search, the development and implementation of a 

8 long-term, comprehensive plan and strategy for the 

9 Department of Defense for the prevention, identi10 fication, and treatment of combat-related mental 

11 health conditions and brain injuries, with an empha12 sis on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 

13 traumatic brain injury (TBI). 

14 ‘‘(2) To provide for the development, testing, 

15 and dissemination within the Department of best 

16 practices for the treatment of combat-related mental 

17 health conditions and brain injuries, including post18 traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, 

19 acute depression, and substance abuse. 

20 ‘‘(3) To provide guidance for the mental health 

21 system of the Department in determining the mental 

22 health and neurological health personnel required to 

23 provide quality mental health care for members of 

24 the armed forces. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

8 

•HR 2612 IH

1 ‘‘(4) To establish, implement, and oversee a 

2 comprehensive program to train mental health and 

3 neurological health professionals of the Department 

4 in the treatment of combat-related mental health 

5 conditions and brain injuries. 

6 ‘‘(5) To facilitate advancements in the study of 

7 the short-term and long-term psychological effects of 

8 traumatic brain injury. 

9 ‘‘(6) To disseminate within the military medical 

10 treatment facilities of the Department best practices 

11 for training mental health professionals, including 

12 neurological health professionals. 

13 ‘‘(7) To develop a strategic plan to reduce the 

14 stigma among members of the armed forces regard15 ing the presence of mental illness or other mental 

16 health conditions in such members. 

17 ‘‘(8) To conduct basic science and translational 

18 research on combat-related mental health conditions 

19 and brain injuries for the purposes of understanding 

20 the etiology of such conditions and injuries and de21 veloping preventive interventions and new treat22 ments. 

23 ‘‘(9) To develop outreach strategies and treat24 ments for families of members of the armed forces 

25 with combat-related mental health conditions or 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

9 

•HR 2612 IH

1 brain injuries in order to mitigate the negative im2 pacts of such conditions and injuries on such family 

3 members and to support the recovery of such mem4 bers from such conditions and injuries. 

5 ‘‘(10) To conduct research on the unique men6 tal health needs of women members of the armed 

7 forces who serve in combat zones whose service may 

8 be compromised by various levels of sexual harass9 ment or sexual assault and develop treatments to 

10 meet any needs identified through such research. 

11 ‘‘(11) To conduct research on the unique men12 tal health needs of ethnic minority members of the 

13 armed forces who serve in combat and develop treat14 ments to meet any needs identified through such re15 search. 

16 ‘‘(12) To conduct research on the mental health 

17 needs of families of members of the armed forces 

18 who are deployed to combat zones and develop treat19 ments to meet any needs identified through such re20 search. 

21 ‘‘(13) To develop and oversee a long-term plan 

22 to increase the number of mental health and neuro23 logical health professionals within the Department in 

24 order to facilitate the meeting by the Department of 

25 the long-term needs of members of the armed forces 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

10 

•HR 2612 IH

1 with combat-related mental health conditions or 

2 brain injuries. 

3 ‘‘(14) Such other responsibilities as the Sec4 retary shall specify.’’. 

5 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec6 tions at the beginning of chapter 55 of such title is 

7 amended by inserting after the item relating to sec8 tion 1105 the following new item: 

‘‘1105a. Centers of Excellence in Military Mental Health.’’. 

9 (3) REPORT ON ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later 

10 than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 

11 this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to 

12 Congress a report on the establishment of Centers of 

13 Excellence in Military Mental Health under section 

14 1105a of title 10, United States Code (as added by 

15 paragraph (1)). The report shall— 

16 (A) set forth the number and location of 

17 the Centers of Excellence in Military Mental 

18 Health so established; 

19 (B) for each Center so established, de20 scribe in detail the activities and proposed ac21 tivities of such Center; and 

22 (C) assess the general progress of the Cen23 ters in discharging the responsibilities set forth 

24 in that section. 

25 (b) OVERSIGHT.— 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

11 

•HR 2612 IH

1 (1) BOARD OF OVERSIGHT.—The Secretary of 

2 Defense shall establish a board to oversee the activi3 ties of the Centers of Excellence in Military Mental 

4 Health of the Department of Defense established 

5 under section 1105a of title 10, United States Code 

6 (as added by subsection (a)). The board shall be 

7 known as the ‘‘Board of Oversight of Excellence in 

8 Military Mental Health’’ (in this subsection referred 

9 to as the ‘‘Board’’). 

10 (2) MEMBERSHIP.— 

11 (A) REQUIRED MEMBERS.—The members 

12 of the Board shall include the following: 

13 (i) The director of each Center of Ex14 cellence in Military Mental Health. 

15 (ii) The commanding officer of Walter 

16 Reed Army Medical Center, District of Co17 lumbia. 

18 (iii) The Surgeon General of the 

19 Army, the Surgeon General of the Navy, 

20 and the Surgeon General of the Air Force. 

21 (iv) The Assistant Secretary of De22 fense for Health Affairs. 

23 (B) AUTHORIZED MEMBERS.—With the 

24 joint approval of the Secretary of Defense and 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

12 

•HR 2612 IH

1 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the members 

2 of the Board may include any of the following: 

3 (i) The Under Secretary of Veterans 

4 Affairs for Health. 

5 (ii) Any director of a polytrauma cen6 ter of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

7 (3) MEETINGS.—The Board shall meet not less 

8 often than four times each year. 

9 (4) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The responsibilities of 

10 the Board shall include the following: 

11 (A) To consider and evaluate proposals of 

12 the Centers of Excellence in Military Mental 

13 Health in the discharge of the responsibilities of 

14 such Centers. 

15 (B) To develop mechanisms for the dis16 semination and implementation of recommenda17 tions and best practices on military mental 

18 health developed by the Centers of Excellence in 

19 Military Mental Health. 

20 (C) Such other responsibilities as the Sec21 retary shall establish for purposes of this sec22 tion. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

13 

•HR 2612 IH

1 SEC. 5. PERSONNEL SHORTAGES IN MENTAL HEALTH 

2 WORKFORCE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DE3 FENSE. 

4 (a) RECOMMENDATIONS ON MEANS OF ADDRESSING

5 SHORTAGES.— 

6 (1) REPORT.—Not later than 45 days after the 

7 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

8 Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed 

9 Services of the Senate and the House of Representa10 tives a report setting forth the recommendations of 

11 the Secretary for such legislative or administrative 

12 actions as the Secretary considers appropriate to ad13 dress current personnel shortages in the mental 

14 health workforce of the Department of Defense. 

15 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para16 graph (1) may include recommendations on the fol17 lowing: 

18 (A) Enhancements or improvements of fi19 nancial incentives for personnel in the mental 

20 health workforce of the Department of Defense 

21 in order to enhance the recruitment and reten22 tion of such personnel, including recruitment, 

23 accession, or retention bonuses and scholarship, 

24 tuition, and other financial assistance. 

25 (B) Modifications of service obligations of 

26 personnel in the mental health workforce. 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

14 

•HR 2612 IH

1 (C) Such other matters as the Secretary 

2 considers appropriate. 

3 (b) RECRUITMENT.—Commencing not later than 180 

4 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec5 retary of Defense shall implement programs to recruit 

6 qualified individuals in mental health fields to service in 

7 the Armed Forces as mental health personnel of the 

8 Armed Forces. 

Æ 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS