Chairman Michaud, Ranking Member Brown, members of the subcommittee, thank you for giving me this opportunity to testify. 

I have introduced two bills, H.R. 784 and H.R. 785, to improve the quality and accessibility of mental health services for our veterans. 

Almost 1 million (945,423) Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans have left active duty and become eligible for VA healthcare since 2002. 

Four hundred thousand three hundred four (42 percent) of these veterans have obtained VA care and approximately 44 percent of that number are facing mental disorders (178,483).  The three most common diagnoses are PTSD (92,998), depressive disorders (63,009), and neurotic disorders (50,569).  These rates are two to three times that of the general population.

My first bill, H.R. 784, simply requires the VA to report vacancies in mental health professional positions at VA facilities on a quarterly basis.

With the significant influx of OEF and OIF veterans facing mental health wounds, as well as the already existing veterans populations from earlier generations receiving care at the VA, it is incumbent upon us to make sure that we have the necessary staffing to provide care.

This bill will help this Congress perform our oversight role and it will help the VA use its limited resources to effectively care for our veterans.

My second bill, H.R. 785 will help veterans seeking to improve their lives through education.

The 110th Congress passed the most sweeping modernization of the Montgomery GI bill since the program's creation after World War II.  The purpose of the modernization is to give veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq access to the education and job training tools that they will need to achieve the American dream they risked so much to defend. 

As I stated earlier, approximately 44 percent of Afghanistan and Iraq veterans who have sought treatment at the VA have demonstrated signs of mental health wounds, including PTSD. 

Studies have shown that PTSD can have a negative impact on an individual's ability to focus and ability to learn. 

Returning from a war, separating from service and then beginning school can place significant strains on the mental health of a veteran. 

It is critical that we provide our veterans with the assistance they need to manage and recover from these wounds so that they can take advantage of the opportunities available to them.

To that end, I have introduced H.R. 785.

My bill directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a pilot program to provide outreach and training to certain college and university mental health centers so that they can more effectively identify and respond to the mental health needs of veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

My legislation would not break the continuum of care provided by the VA.  The purpose of this bill is to provide college counselors and other staff who come in close contact with student-veterans at their schools with the tools to recognize symptoms of combat related mental health wounds; the ability to appropriately assist a student-veteran in need; and an understanding of how to effectively refer that student-veteran to the VA for care. 

I believe my legislation will actually augment the VA's continuum of care and bring in veterans who may be hesitant or apprehensive about seeking care from the VA.

The intention of both H.R. 784 and H.R. 785 is to ensure that we have adequate services to address the mental health needs of our veterans and that we give our veterans the opportunity to build full lives once they take off the uniform.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify before the subcommittee.  I look forward to working with you Chairman Michaud, Congressman Brown and the other members of this subcommittee to improve these bills and to improve the quality and accessibility of the care we provide to our veterans.

Thank you.