Washington, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that the DoD Authorization conference report finalized today includes major elements of Senator Clinton’s Heroes at Home initiative aimed at enhancing support and services for U.S. troops transitioning back home after deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan. Senator Clinton’s amendment will assist military service members of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) with readjustment to work, the problems of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health issues, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). The initiative, which is supported by the National Military Family Association and the Wounded Warrior Project, also provides support to their family members. The DoD Appropriations bill included $3 million to provide initial funding for Heroes at Home.

“With this legislation, the hundreds of thousands of troops who have rotated through Iraq and Afghanistan, including thousands of courageous men and women from New York, will have better access to the support they need as they transition home. Once this bill is signed by the President, it is my hope that the increasing numbers of military service members surviving these conflicts will receive the necessary readjustment support,” Senator Clinton said. “Many service members face readjustment challenges after war, such as medical, mental health, relationship, and work problems. Family members also are affected by the transition as they struggle to reconnect with their war heroes, some who may be deployed two, three, if not more times.”

Heroes at Home centers around Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) partnerships with employers and community organizations in acknowledgement of the fact that despite more services and resources being offered at DOD facilities, VA hospitals, and Vet Centers, returning service members are often still reluctant to go to traditional mental health clinics owing to stigma and concerns about confidentiality and their military careers. Only 29% of the approximately 500,000 separated OIF and OEF veterans have sought VA health care services, including mental health services. Last month, a GAO report found that only 22% of OIF and OEF service members who may have been at risk for developing PTSD based on post deployment screenings were referred for further mental health evaluations. In another report from May 2005, the GAO identified that, despite DOD efforts, the needs of demobilizing Reserve and National Guard members for transition assistance were still unmet.

Specifically, the Senator’s amendment requires the Secretary of Defense to establish a special working group, partnering representatives from the public and private sectors to identify the needs of returning National Guard and Reserve members in their transition to civilian jobs after deployment, including members who have been injured while serving, and to develop recommendations on ways to improve assistance to them. Also, under the amendment, the existing Department of Defense (DOD) Task Force on Mental Health is charged with assessing mental health conditions, including PTSD, occurring service members, including the National Guard and Reserves, undergoing multiple deployments and with making recommendations for improving mental health services for them.

The amendment also calls for a study on the long-term physical and mental health consequences and rehabilitation needs of traumatic brain injured service members. To further assist the mushrooming number of traumatic brain injured service members and their families, this amendment also establishes a TBI Family Caregiver Training Curricula for health professionals at DOD and VA hospitals, who would use the curricula to teach family members important skills for caring for their loved ones suffering from TBI when they go home.

According to a March 2006 study, 19% of Iraq veterans and 11% of Afghanistan veterans reported mental health problems. Among the OIF and OEF veterans seeking care at VA hospitals, nearly a third have been diagnosed with mental disorders, with over 40% of those PTSD. Another report found that 10% to 30% of National Guard members come home from Iraq searching for work. Others return to civilian jobs dissatisfied with old tasks that pale in comparison to wartime responsibilities. In addition to these challenges, a large number of service members are coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan with life-threatening brain injuries from roadside blasts that can cause brain damage. It is estimated that TBI affects more than 25% of bomb blast survivors – a percentage thought to be higher than in any other past US conflict, making TBI the “signature” injury of Iraq. The diffuse but debilitating symptoms of TBI can leave service members with cognitive and emotional problems, including the inability to adapt to civilian life. However, TBI frequently goes undiagnosed because returning troops may not realize they suffered a concussion or may not show visible signs of injury.

Senator Clinton is committed to helping our troops when they return from active duty. She is an original co-sponsor of the Healing Invisible Wounds Act that protects PTSD compensation, enhances counseling and readjustment services available to National Guard and Reserve members returning from combat, and authorizes additional funding for Vet Centers. Earlier this year, Senator Clinton joined with the NASD Foundation, members of the armed services and members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to launch a new campaign to deliver financial education tools and training to members of the military and their spouses. She also authored legislation with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) that requires the Department of Defense to provide consumer education for members of the armed forces and their spouses. In addition, the House and Senate have approved legislation she introduced with Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) to protect military personnel against individuals using deceitful practices to sell financial products. This legislation is headed to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

[To read more about support for the Senator’s legislation, click here and here.

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