Bill expands MH counseling to National Guard and Reserves.(Report)

Citing a need to ensure that all U.S. service members who are deployed into combat receive mental health support, Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) this month introduced legislation that would also extend access to mental health services for members of the National Guard and Reserves.

The new legislation, "Sgt. Coleman Bean National Guard and Reserves Mental Health Act," closes a loophole in the law that requires such screenings for active duty service members, but not for members of the National Guard and Reserve members. An estimated 20 percent of service members return from Iraq and Afghanistan with severe depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to …