Andre Carson: “My amendment, which CBO has determined will have no impact on direct spending or appropriations, seeks to address an…”

“My amendment, which CBO has determined will have no impact on direct spending or appropriations, seeks to address an issue that I believe is preventing many of today's servicemembers from pursuing the mental health and addiction treatment that they so desperately need. Quite simply, it prevents promotion boards from considering any other source of information from official documents, word of mouth, any source about the pursuit of treatment for mental health or addiction issues. The amendment provides necessary exceptions for individuals who are determined by a physician to be a danger to themselves or others, would be unable or unfit to accomplish the duties of higher rank, or if they give consent to consideration of such information. And lastly, and I believe most importantly, the amendment requires the Department of Defense to inform current servicemembers about these prohibitions. As we all know, Mr. Chairman, mental health issues, like PTSD and depression, are the signature wounds of our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Unfortunately, we have entered these wars with an outdated military culture that stigmatized mental health issues and often equated pursuing treatment with weakness. Mr. Chairman, we have made amazing progress since then, and I applaud the Department of Defense and the Armed Services Committee for their efforts.…”