Boxer Provision-Mental Health Task Force for US Troops Incld in Def. Bill

Boxer Provision to Establish Mental Health Task Force for U.S. Troops Included in Final Defense Authorization Bill



December 22, 2005

Washington, D.C.– U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today announced that the final Defense Authorization bill passed by the Senate included her provision to establish a Defense Task Force on Mental Health.

Boxer said, “The psychological costs of the war in Iraq are intensifying every day. From 2003 to 2004, the Marine Corps experienced a 29% increase in suicides– the highest increase in at least a decade. And nearly 1,700 service members returning from the war this year said that they harbored thoughts of hurting themselves or that they would be better off dead. This task force will examine what the Department of Defense is doing to address these challenges and identify areas where it can improve care for our military personnel and veterans."

The Defense Task Force on Mental Health will consist of representatives from each branch of the Armed Forces, a Veterans Affairs representative, a Health and Human Services representative, and individuals who have expertise in the area of mental health.

The task force will primarily be charged with assessing and making recommendations to improve the Department of Defense’s mental health services, and in particular, how to better identify and treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Among other issues, the Task Force will examine:


How well our existing programs work to prevent, identify, and treat mental health conditions;
How best to reduce or eliminate barriers to care, including the stigma associated with seeking help for mental health related conditions;
How smoothly our veterans receiving mental health care transition from the Department of Defense health care system to the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system; and
How accessible long-term care is for members of the Individual Ready Reserve, the Selective Reserve, and for discharged, separated, or retired members of the Armed Forces
The Boxer amendment was endorsed by the National Gulf War Resource Center.


http://boxer.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=250130