By ERIC NEWHOUSE Great Falls Tribune
Sen. Max Baucus introduced legislation Wednesday night requiring stepped-up mental health screenings for all American combat troops.
The purpose for the testing — to be done every six months for the first two years after a soldier returns from combat — will be to identify post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury or major depression resulting from combat, Baucus said.
It’s based on the model developed by the Montana National Guard following the suicide of Chris Dana, a former combat vet with the 163rd Infantry who died a few days after being given a less-than-honorable discharge for failing to attend Guard drills.
“When I hear of young men and women whose life is ended too soon or who have had to silently battle mental conditions, it absolutely devastates me,” said Baucus. “And that is why I wanted to introduce this much-needed legislation because if we can prevent just one needless tragedy, it would have been worth it.”
According to a RAND Corp. study last year, one in three combat veterans will return home with PTSD, TBI or major depression so severe that it will require treatment. Last year, the Army reported 143 suicides, the highest number since the Army began keeping records in 1980.
The legislation — which is expected to cost $220 million over five years — would apply to the National Guard and the Reserves, as well as to active-duty soldiers.
“It’s everybody,” Matt Kuntz of Helena, Dana’s stepbrother, exclaimed Wednesday. “We designed it for everyone who goes into combat.
“This is going to help ensure that this generation doesn’t have to go through decades and decades of pain, like the Vietnam vets did,” Kuntz added. “I’m very grateful for this legislation.”
Currently, states have different mental health assessment procedures for returning combat troops. Some soldiers are asked to fill out questionnaires self-identifying their problems, while others receive face-to-face counseling.
Only Montana conducts face-to-face screenings for the full two years after deployment, then adds a mental health component to the physical exam given each soldier each year.
“We have a great program in Montana,” said Sen. Jon Tester. “If we can get similar things done in the National Guard across the country, that would be a huge step, and if we can get the Department of Defense to buy into it, that would be another huge step.
“Ultimately, it’s the right thing to do because it saves money, it saves lives, and it does the right thing to help the young men and women who have volunteered to serve their country,” Tester said in a recent interview.
Some steps are already being taken by the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C., which coordinates activities and advises the National Guard organization in each state.
The bureau has received $7.5 million to build a mental health network nationwide by hiring a director of psychological health in each state, Capt. Joan Hunter said recently.
“That funding is wonderful, but it needs to be multiplied by tens,” said Pete Duffy, deputy director for legislation of the National Guard Association.
The new director’s job has been posted in Montana and the Guard is interviewing candidates, said Col. Jeff Ireland, chief of manpower and personnel for the Guard in Helena.
“When the directors of psychological health are in place, we’ll create a psychological health screening committee that will drive this program forward with best health practices that are documented, not merely anecdotal,” Hunter said.
The bureau has also received $65.4 million to fund the Yellow Ribbon Program, the pilot program Montana pioneered last year, for nationwide implementation by the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard.
“Obviously, it’s becoming a success story, so we’re grateful to be able to implement it around the country,” said Lt. Col. Mike Johnson, the National Guard Legislative Liaison Branch Chief in Washington.
One important component is a family reintegration effort. In other states, soldiers returning from combat are given the first 90 days off, but Guard officials at Fort Harrison realized that combat vets needed their buddies as a support group.
The Guard in Montana has begun bringing soldiers and their families together in civilian clothes at a convention center where they can socialize together, but also attend seminars on such things as marriage enrichment, anger management, personal finance, and learning how to drive as civilians again.
“One of the most important components of the Yellow Ribbon program is to have our service members be able to keep in contact with each other,” said Hunter.
“It’s important to be able to keep an eye on our soldiers,” agreed Randy Knowles, the Guard Bureau’s information officer. “Otherwise, they feel abandoned.”
“And it’s important that our soldiers realize they have a responsibility to maintain their emotional and mental health in the same way they maintain their physical fitness,” Hunter said.
Hunter said she has been watching the TriWest pilot programs in California and Montana that put embedded counselors in National Guard armories during drill weekends to be available for assistance and to observe abnormal behavior among soldiers beginning to show signs of PTSD.
“The Montana National Guard has now taken over that responsibility,” Hunter said. “That’s why what Montana is doing is so impressive — it shows the state’s commitment.”
Ireland said Montana is now spending nearly $80,000 a year on the embedded counselor program.
Hunter cautioned now that it’s critical not to lose momentum and said it has been gratifying to hear President Obama’s repeated statements about the importance of treating soldiers with PTSD.
“It will be most important with this new administration coming on board that we remember the sacrifices these young men and women have made,” said Hunter. “With all the economic challenges and with all the demands on our system, it’s vital that these reforms not slip off the table.”
