03.16.07

Cantwell, Harkin Introduce New Legislation to Support National Guard Families

Legislation would expand family support services as National Guard and Reserve face multiple extended deployments, launch pilot program where military spouses serve as peer counselors

WASHINGTON, DC - Thursday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) in introducing new legislation to expand family support services to help National Guard and Reserve families throughout their servicemembers' deployment. The Coming Together for Guard and Reserve Families Act would provide National Guard and Reserves families with support staff and post-deployment follow-up for mental health and family support issues. It would also create a pilot program enabling military spouses to serve as peer counselors.

"The multiple extended deployments of our National Guard and Reserve are having a very heavy impact on their families," said Cantwell, a member of the Senate National Guard Caucus. "These families often live farther from bases where support services are located than do many military families and don't have access to the built-in support of the on-base community. We need to make sure that as our military depends more heavily on the National Guard and Reserves the support is there for them and for their families."

In addition to expanding the family assistance program, the legislation would also strengthen the Disabled Transition Assistance Program within the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide access to mental health services for family members of disabled National Guard and Reserves. It authorizes the Secretary of Defense to create outreach programs to target professionals in childcare, education, mental health, and health care on the special needs of children in military families. The legislation also requests a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report to examine access to mental health services through the TRICARE program and reduce barriers to accessing services in communities serving National Guard and Reserve families.

Forty-one percent of National Guard and Reservists report mental health symptoms three to six months after returning home from deployment, compared to 32 percent of active duty personnel. Fifteen percent of National Guard and Reservists screened at risk for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), compared to nine percent of active duty personnel.

Research suggests increased stress in the family can trigger or exacerbate PTSD symptoms and that military families who receive community and social support have the most positive outcomes. Supporting families and children affected by deployment can ease transitional stress, help service personnel and their families cope during and after deployment, prevent mental health problems, and assist in a smooth transition back to civilian life.

Cantwell has long worked to support the National Guard and National Guard families. In October 2006, the president signed into law Cantwell's National Guard Equipment Accountability Act as part of the Defense Department Authorization Act for 2007. The new law requires a system to track equipment left overseas and transferred to other units, and mandates the development of plans to replace the equipment. For the next five years, the Department of Defense will be required to submit quarterly reports to Congress detailing all National Guard equipment diverted to other units as well as an equipment replacement plan.

Cantwell also joined Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Christopher Bond (R-MO) earlier this year in introducing the National Guard Empowerment Act. This legislation would give the National Guard Bureau Chief a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the rank of general, and make the National Guard Commander the Deputy Commander of the United States Northern Command. The Northern Command oversees the domestic military support mission.

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