I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1639
To require pre- and post-deployment mental health screenings for members 
of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 14, 2005
Ms. DELAURO (for herself, Mr. EVANS, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 
OBERSTAR, Mr. FILNER, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. CASE, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. 
GUTIERREZ, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. EMANUEL, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, 
Ms. HOOLEY, Mr. STARK, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. SERRANO, 
Mr. HINCHEY, and Mr. SANDERS) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To 
require 
pre- 
and 
post-deployment 
mental 
health 
screenings for members of the Armed Forces, and for 
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Military Health Serv-
ices Improvement Act of 2005’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following:
(1) 
More 
than 
160,000 
United 
States 
servicemembers are serving their country in Oper-
ation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Free-
dom. 
(2) There currently are more than 100,000 ac-
tivated National Guard and reserve component 
forces engaged in the war on terrorism. 
(3) According to the Department of the Army, 
nearly one in six soldiers who have served in Oper-
ation Iraqi Freedom suffers from post-traumatic 
stress disorder. 
(4) More than 900 soldiers have been evacuated 
from Iraq since the beginning of Operation Iraqi 
Freedom because of mental health problems. 
(5) The stigma associated with mental health 
treatment remains a significant obstacle to seeking 
mental health care. 
(6) Untreated post-traumatic stress disorder 
and other mental health illnesses have been linked to 
severe social problems, including alcohol and drug 
abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, familial dis-
integration, and homelessness.
SEC. 3. PRE- AND POST-DEPLOYMENT SCREENING PRO-
GRAM 
FOR 
MEMBERS 
OF 
THE 
ARMED 
FORCES. 
(a) PRE- AND POST-DEPLOYMENT EVALUATIONS.—
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall prescribe in 
regulations—
(1) a requirement that members of the Armed 
Forces deploying to a combat theater receive a men-
tal health evaluation conducted in person by a quali-
fied mental health professional before their deploy-
ment; and 
(2) a requirement that members of the Armed 
Forces returning from service of more than 30 days 
in a combat theater or who were injured in a combat 
theater receive a combat stress evaluation conducted 
in person by a qualified mental health professional 
within 30 days after the date on which the member 
returns from the combat theater. 
(b) MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS PROGRAM.—
(1) PROGRAM.—The Secretary of Defense shall 
implement a program designed to—
(A) raise awareness about mental health 
issues that members of the Armed Forces and 
their families may encounter during and after 
deployment of the member; and
(B) reduce the stigma associated with 
mental health care. 
(2) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary, pursu-
ant to regulations, may enter into arrangements 
with an accredited college, university, hospital-based, 
or community-based mental health center to carry 
out the program under this subsection. The Sec-
retary shall ensure that the program is made avail-
able in foreign languages if necessary to aid com-
prehension among persons to be helped by the pro-
gram. 
(3) DEADLINE.—The Secretary shall carry out 
this subsection not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
(c) HOLD-HARMLESS FOR MENTAL HEALTH TREAT-
MENT.—In carrying out any mental health-related pro-
gram, the Secretary shall ensure that neither the provision 
of mental health services nor inquiries about mental health 
services shall adversely affect an individual’s career. 
SEC. 4. MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS FOR DEPENDENTS. 
(a) PROGRAM.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
shall develop a program to improve awareness of the avail-
ability of mental health services for, and warning signs 
about mental health problems in, dependents of members
of the Armed Forces whose sponsor served or will serve 
in a combat theater during the previous or next 60 days. 
(b) MATTERS COVERED.—The program developed 
under subsection (a) shall be designed to— 
(1) increase awareness of mental health services 
available to dependents of members of the Armed 
Forces on active duty; 
(2) increase awareness of mental health services 
available to dependents of Reservists and National 
Guard members whose sponsors have been activated; 
and 
(3) increase awareness of mental health issues 
that may arise in dependents referred to in para-
graphs (1) and (2) whose sponsor is deployed to a 
combat theater. 
(c) TOLL-FREE NUMBER.—In carrying out this sec-
tion, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a toll-free 
informational telephone number and website devoted to 
helping members of the Armed Forces and their depend-
ents recognize, and locate treatment providers for, post-
traumatic stress disorder and other forms of combat 
stress. 
(d) COORDINATION.—The Secretary may permit the 
Department of Defense to coordinate the program devel-
oped under subsection (a) with an accredited college, uni-
versity, hospital-based, or community-based mental health 
center or engage mental health professionals to develop 
programs to help implement this section. 
(e) AVAILABILITY IN OTHER LANGUAGES.—The Sec-
retary shall ensure that the program developed under sub-
section (a) is made available in foreign languages if nec-
essary to aid comprehension among persons to be helped 
by the program. 
SEC. 5. IMPROVED COORDINATION BETWEEN THE DEPART-
MENT OF DEFENSE AND THE DEPARTMENT 
OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 
(a) MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs shall enter into a memorandum of understanding 
to improve the transition of mental health-related cases 
from the Department of Defense to the Department of 
Veterans Affairs. 
(b) MATTERS COVERED.—The memorandum of un-
derstanding under subsection (a) shall specifically include 
requirements—
(1) that the Department of Defense report to 
the Department of Veterans Affairs any case or sus-
pected case of post-traumatic stress disorder, or 
other disorders or symptoms that result from deploy-