UPDATE: On Wednesday, the President signed the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act into law. While this $600 Billion bill provides the Military with everything that they need to operate for the next year, it includes several provisions that will improve the lives of the men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and may save countless lives by improving the way the Military handles Mental Health. Our legislative team took a few minutes to share some of the highlights with you below and keep you informed.
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The National Defense Authorization Act (68-29) includes many of IAVA's legislative agenda recommendations, chiefly mandatory mental health screenings for all returning servicemembers, which have the potential to save more lives than all the MRAP’s money can buy. The NDAA will:
- Require mandatory, face to face and confidential mental health screenings for every returning servicemember. (§ 708)
- Increase the number of mental health providers in the military. (§ 521, 524, 714)
- Limit servicemembers’ exposure to hazardous waste by severely limiting the use of open air burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. (§ 317)
- Extend retroactive stop loss payments to Reserve/National Guard. (§ 620)
- Grant meaningful voting protections for overseas servicemembers. (§ 575-589)
- Curtail DoD’s practice of punishing servicemembers for DoD’s own financial mistakes. (§ 661)
Every minute we wait to improve mental health care for troops has a human cost. We cannot afford to lose one more servicemember to suicide. It is critical we identify those most in need of mental health care early on and get these men and women the help they have earned. Mandatory mental health screenings have been a top priority for IAVA, and we applaud the hard work of the President, House and Senate Armed Services Committees and Senator Baucus for their leadership on this issue. Generations of veterans will benefit from this critical legislation.
Patrick Campbell, an Iraq veteran, serves as IAVA's Chief Legislative Counsel in Washington, D.C.
