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California war vets to get PTSD, TBI testing

Reacting to complaints of delays in care as well as a recent report that found hundreds of thousands of combat veterans are living with undiagnosed traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill providing screening and mental health care for California war veterans.

SB 1401, authored by State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, Calif., requires that the Defense Department or Veterans Affairs Department reach out and assist all National Guard members and discharged combat veterans returning to California to receive screening for PTSD or TBI.

A second bill requires the Calfornia’s Department of Health Care Services, in conjunction with its Department of Mental Health, to seek federal funding for mental health services for those combat veterans. That bill also extends mental health care services provided by the Adult and Older Adult Mental Health System of Care Act to include veterans and requires counties in California to extend mental health services to veterans, specifically including those needing help with PTSD.

“I know I speak for all Californians when I say the state has tremendous respect for its veterans and the sacrifices they have made for our freedom, and the bills I have signed demonstrate California’s commitment to our veterans, active-duty personnel and the families who support them,” Schwarzenegger said in a prepared statement. “These measures recognize that current veterans returning from a combat zone should be screened for post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries as soon as they get home, and that they should have access to timely and appropriate mental health services whether through the VA or the county mental health system.”