Obama Introduces Bill to Halt, Review Military Personality Disorder Discharges
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Printable FormatFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ben LaBolt
Would institute moratorium to ensure service members are receiving VA benefits they are owed
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today introduced legislation to temporarily suspend the Pentagon’s use of personality disorder discharges after receiving broad, bipartisan support for an identical amendment he proposed to the Defense Authorization bill. The bill would institute a moratorium on discharge procedures until they are thoroughly reviewed and an independent review board is established. Senators Bond (D-MO), Boxer (D-CA), Lieberman (I-CT), McCaskill (D-MO), Murray (D-WA), Durbin (D-IL), Johnson (D-SD), Sanders (I-VT), and Whitehouse joined as co-sponsors.
“With thousands of American service members suffering from service-connected psychological injuries, reports of the Department of Defense improperly diagnosing service members with personality disorders are troubling, especially when the VA benefits owed to our service members are at stake,” said Senator Obama. “This legislation will force the Department of Defense to suspend its use of this discharge procedure until Secretary Gates can conduct a comprehensive review of these policies and establish a review board to evaluate questionable cases. It is our moral obligation to ensure that all of our returning service members receive the treatment, care, and benefits they deserve. Meeting this obligation is one thing we can still get right about this war.”
Recent reports suggest that in some cases the Department of Defense (DOD) has inappropriately and inconsistently used these procedures to discharge members of the armed forces with service-connected injuries such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs). Those discharges can result in the loss of healthcare benefits from the VA as well as the repayment of enlistment bonuses, which can send injured service members and their families into debilitating debt.
Senator Obama originally offered this bipartisan legislation as an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill. And on June 21, 2007, Obama joined Senator Bond, Boxer, Lieberman, McCaskill, Murray, and twenty-five other Democratic and Republican senators who wrote to Secretary Gates to express concern over continuing reports that personality disorder discharges were being implemented improperly. Over the last six years, Defense Department records indicate that over 22,500 personality disorder discharges have been processed; or on average 10 service members have been discharged per day, every day in that time.
Army studies have found that up to 30 percent of soldiers coming home from Iraq have suffered from depression, anxiety or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A recent study found that those who have served multiple tours are 50 percent more likely to suffer from acute combat stress. The military has discharged more than 22,500 service members with for a "pre-existing" personality disorder over the past six years. There are indications that some of these brave warriors may instead be suffering from combat-related injuries like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or Traumatic Brain Injuries.
Last week, an ABC Nightline investigation reported on Army Specialist Jonathan Town. In 2004, a 107 mm rocket ripped through his unit’s headquarters in Ramadi, exploding two feet about Jonathan’s head and knocking him unconscious. The blast left him with hearing loss, headaches, memory problems, anxiety and insomnia. Instead of treating Jonathan Town for PTSD, the Army discharged him, claiming he had a personality disorder that existed before he entered the military. His discharge not only resulted in the loss of his VA benefits, but the DOD sent him a bill seeking repayment of his $3,000 enlistment bonus. In short, Army Specialist Jonathan Town went off to war to fight for his country – and the government billed him for it. During the course of its investigation, Nightline investigators spoke with 20 veterans who served in Iraq who believe they were misdiagnosed with personality disorders – possibly as a way to avoid paying them disability benefits.
This legislation mandates a temporary moratorium on personality disorder discharges until the Department of Defense conducts a proper review and revision of its current policies and procedures related to this diagnosis. It also gives the DOD flexibility by granting an exception to the moratorium in those cases in which a service member provides false or misleading information, or omits information about past criminal behavior during the recruitment or enlistment process. The moratorium would be lifted after the DOD reviews its current policies, ensures it is following standard clinical diagnostic practices, and has established an independent review board to ensure that service members who have received this diagnosis may seek a review.
Obama serves as a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.