WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-MT-AL) and Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA-01) on Thursday introduced legislation in the U.S. House that would require every soldier to have a face-to-face mental health screening before they are deployed on a combat mission, upon their return, and every six months for two years following their return.

The bill is the companion legislation to a measure introduced in the Senate by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT).

“The psychological toll that combat takes on our soldiers is not a new phenomenon – it was known as Shell Shock in World War I and by various other names throughout history,” said Rehberg a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “Fortunately, modern medicine can identify and help treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder allowing the men and women who serve our country to put their lives back together. While on the Appropriations Committee, I have fought for PTSD treatment funding, but money can only solve part of the problem. Soldiers need in-person treatment to ensure that no one falls through the cracks.”

“At least one in five new veterans are experiencing symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or major depression, but there isn’t a system in place that can adequately address this crisis,” said Congressman Thompson. “This legislation will fill this void. It is a practical solution and has already been successfully tested in the field. We owe it to our brave men and women serving our country to make sure that they get the services they have earned, and I will do all I can do to get this bill passed into law.”

The Post-Deployment Health Assessment Act of 2009 creates new requirements for identification of PTSD among soldiers. Prior to deployment, a soldier would be interviewed in order to establish a baseline against which a subsequent interview upon return from a combat theater could be measured. By requiring these interviews to be timely and personal, the likelihood of identifying PTSD in order to begin treatment is dramatically increased.

“This legislation’s intensive face-to-face screening program will provide the military with a powerful tool to help our injured heroes get help for their post-traumatic stress injuries,” said Matt Kuntz, Montana’s executive director of The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). “Congressman Rehberg’s leadership is critical because he is in position to build a bipartisan coalition to help stop our military’s suicide epidemic.”