IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 443 
Expressing the support of the House of Representatives for members of 
the Armed Forces and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and 
their families and urging the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the 
Secretary of Defense to improve the services and support available to 
such members, veterans, and families. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 14, 2009 
Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin (for herself, Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia, Ms. 
CLARKE, Mr. CARSON
of Indiana, Mr. DAVIS
of Illinois, Mr. 
MCDERMOTT, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. KILPATRICK 
of Michigan, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. KAGEN, and Mr. EDWARDS of Texas) sub-
mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the support of the House of Representatives for 
members of the Armed Forces and veterans with post- 
traumatic stress disorder and their families and urging 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of 
Defense to improve the services and support available 
to such members, veterans, and families. 
Whereas more than 1,000,000 members of the United States 
Armed Forces have already served in ongoing operations 
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•HRES 443 IH 
in Iraq and Afghanistan, including members of the Na-
tional Guard and Reserves; 
Whereas in Afghanistan and Iraq, members of the Armed 
Forces have engaged in intense and prolonged combat, 
placing them at risk for developing post-traumatic stress 
disorder (PTSD) or other mental health conditions; 
Whereas according to a Government Accountability Office re-
port, PTSD can occur after experiencing or witnessing a 
life-threatening event and is the most prevalent mental 
health disorder resulting from combat; 
Whereas early identification and treatment of symptoms of 
PTSD through education, peer and family support, ther-
apy, or medications may lessen the severity of the condi-
tion and improve overall quality of life for those with 
PTSD; 
Whereas family members of members of the Armed Forces 
make numerous sacrifices and are an integral part of the 
support network available to the Nation’s warriors and 
veterans; 
Whereas it has been recognized that the ongoing conflicts in 
Iraq and Afghanistan have placed unique stresses on the 
families of members of the Armed Forces due to lengthy 
and repeated deployments and the high incidence of cas-
ualties; 
Whereas the House of Representatives passed House Concur-
rent Resolution 162 in November 2007, which noted that 
there are more than 3,000,000 family members and other 
dependents of those serving on active duty and in the Re-
serve Component, that nearly 50 percent of the members 
of the Armed Forces who are deployed away from their 
permanent duty stations have left families with children 
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•HRES 443 IH 
behind, and that over 50 percent of the members of the 
Armed Forces who are currently deployed in Iraq are 
married; 
Whereas the House of Representatives passed House Concur-
rent Resolution 181 in September 2007 which recognized 
that the families of members of the Armed Forces, and 
in particular their children, provide unconditional love 
and support to their loved ones serving in the Armed 
Forces before, during, and after their deployment; 
Whereas the House of Representatives passed House Resolu-
tion 265 in April 2008 recognizing that children of mem-
bers of the Armed Forces too share in the burden of pro-
tecting the Nation and are a source of pride and honor 
to all Americans and it is fitting that the Nation recog-
nize their contributions and celebrate their spirit; 
Whereas House Resolution 265 urged Americans to join with 
the military community in observing the ‘‘National 
Month of the Military Child’’ with appropriate ceremonies 
and activities that honor, support, and thank military 
children; 
Whereas, on July 15, 2008, the House of Representatives 
passed House Concurrent Resolution 295 expressing ap-
preciation to families of members of the Armed Forces 
and recognizing that they too bear the burdens of war; 
Whereas the Department of Defense June 2007 Mental 
Health Task Force report noted that ‘‘The well-being of 
service members is inextricably linked to the well-being of 
their families. Frequent redeployments may strain even 
the strongest family bonds. In this era of instant commu-
nication, the service member remains in constant contact 
with his or her family . . . Thus, a world-class military 
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•HRES 443 IH 
mental health system ensures optimal mental health 
among not only service members but also family mem-
bers.’’; 
Whereas while families can play a critical role in veterans’ re-
adjustment through support, family members who are 
suffering as a result of the long separations and multiple 
and extended tours of duty, and in some cases by their 
own experience with depression or anxiety, may not have 
the capacity to provide that needed support; 
Whereas of the approximately 300,000 veterans of Operation 
Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom who 
have accessed Department of Veterans Affairs health 
care, over 40 percent have presented mental health con-
cerns, including PTSD, substance abuse, and mood dis-
orders; 
Whereas millions of other veterans from previous wars also 
continue to suffer the effects of PTSD and to seek treat-
ment from the Department of Veterans Affairs; 
Whereas PTSD has been associated with severe, pervasive 
negative effects that affect the whole family and not just 
the veteran including impacts on marital adjustment, 
family functioning, and the mental health of partners, 
which are reflected in part by rates of separation, di-
vorce, and interpersonal violence; 
Whereas a number of reports have noted that the effects of 
post-combat mental and cognitive conditions can ad-
versely affect those closest to the veteran, as family mem-
ber of veterans with PTSD may be faced with a number 
of strains from managing the person’s symptoms, dealing 
with crises, loss of friends, or loss of intimacy; 
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•HRES 443 IH 
Whereas the RAND Corporation’s Invisible Wounds of War 
report noted that with respect to PTSD, ‘‘there is exten-
sive evidence that secondary traumatizing—a situation in 
which the intimate partners of trauma survivors them-
selves begin to experience symptoms of trauma—occurs 
and has serious negative consequences for the emotional 
and psychological well-being of the spouses of veterans 
with PTSD . . . Thus the brunt of the burden of 
servicemembers with PTSD appears to fall on the people 
who are most intimate with those individuals—their 
wives.’’; 
Whereas the study further reported that compared with the 
wives of other veterans, wives of veterans with either of 
the disorders (post-concussion syndrome or PTSD), expe-
rience significantly higher levels of distress and psy-
chiatric symptoms; 
Whereas the Special Committee on PTSD of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs advised in February 2006 that the 
‘‘VA needs to proceed with a broad understanding of post 
deployment mental health issues’’ and that ‘‘Because vir-
tually all returning veterans and their families face read-
justment problems, it makes sense to provide universal 
interventions that include education and support for vet-
erans and their families coupled with screening and 
triage for the minority of veterans and families who will 
need further intervention’’; 
Whereas while spouses, children, and parents of veterans with 
mental health care needs are affected by the condition of 
their family members who served in the Armed Forces, 
many may not have access to the variety of treatment 
services that are available to veterans at facilities of the 
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•HRES 443 IH 
Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of 
Defense; 
Whereas the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 
Representatives has held a number of hearings to explore 
ways to help the family members of the Nation’s veterans 
access needed health care services through the Depart-
ment of Veterans Affairs facilities; and 
Whereas Congress recognizes that it is important to support 
the needs of families of members of the Armed Forces, 
especially those diagnosed with PTSD or other mental 
health conditions: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports increasing efforts to allow the 
spouses and family members of veterans, including 
soldiers killed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, to 
receive needed counseling services at Department of 
Veterans Affairs facilities; 
(2) encourages the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs and the Secretary of Defense to develop pro-
grams for veterans with PTSD that include and 
treat the whole family, including by offering training 
and counseling for coping, intervention, resiliency, 
and overcoming adversities; 
(3) believes that such a holistic approach would 
include families, as deemed appropriate by the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs, in mental health coun-
seling and programs provided by the Department of 
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•HRES 443 IH 
Veterans Affairs to the maximum extent possible 
and appropriate; 
(4) calls on the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 
the Secretary of Defense, and the heads of other ap-
propriate Federal agencies to increase resources 
available for family and friends of veterans who are 
suffering from PTSD and to continue to build up 
programs and initiatives to educate and support all 
veterans and their families seeking care for combat- 
related PTSD; 
(5) urges the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and 
the Secretary of Defense to increase access to coun-
seling and other mental health services to family 
members of veterans, including the family members 
of members of the Armed Forces killed in Iraq and 
Afghanistan, as part of the comprehensive plan for 
preventing, diagnosing, treating, and responding to 
traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress dis-
order, and other mental health conditions in mem-
bers of the Armed Forces as required by the Na-
tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2008 (Public Law 110–181); 
(6) urges the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
collaborate with the Department of Defense center 
of excellence in the prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, 
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•HRES 443 IH 
treatment, and rehabilitation of PTSD and other 
mental health conditions, established pursuant to 
section 1622 of the Wounded Warrior Act (title XVI 
of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2008; Public Law 110–181; 10 U.S.C. 1071 
note), to develop and implement effective strategies 
to educate and reach out to the families of members 
of the Armed Forces with PTSD, to develop pro-
grams to mitigate the negative impacts of PTSD on 
these family members, to conduct research on the 
mental health needs of these families in order to 
guide protocols to address identified needs, and to 
better support the recovery of members of the 
Armed Forces and veterans with PTSD through 
strengthening the ability of family members to meet 
those needs; 
(7) requests that the Secretary of Veterans Af-
fairs and the Secretary of Defense to submit to Con-
gress a list of statutory barriers that prevent each 
department from expanding access to mental health 
counseling services for family members of veterans, 
including recommendations for legislative remedies; 
and 
(8) urges the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
aggressively work with Congress, veterans service or-
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