Military Mental Wellness

Floor Speech

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the timely issue of behavioral health in our military.

Currently, our soldiers undergo comprehensive medical and physical examinations during recruitment to ensure that they are fully fit and capable of performing their military duties; however, currently, no similar examination for mental health competency exists. This is a serious information gap as our military continues to address issues such as posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and suicide.

Madam Speaker, the issue of military mental wellness should be on the mind of every Member of Congress--and not just when this issue is back in the news.

Prior to the Fort Hood shootings, I introduced H.R. 4305, the Medical Evaluation Parity for Servicemembers Act, which will institute a preliminary mental health assessment at the time recruits are first joining the military.

The bill, which was reported on today by the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, is not an end-all solution when it comes to addressing this issue, but it is an important step in tackling a well-established information gap in the realm of servicemember behavioral health.

I encourage Members to join in cosponsoring H.R. 4305.

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