NATIONAL GUARD:  SCREENING FOR

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

AND TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

Senate Bill 731 (Substitute S-2)

Sponsor:  Sen. Jason E. Allen

House Committee:  Military and Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security

Senate Committee:  Senior Citizens and Veterans Affairs

Complete to1-18-08

A SUMMARY OF SENATE BILL 731 AS PASSED BY THE SENATE12-13-07

The bill would amend the Michigan Military Act (MCL  32.736) to do all of the following:

** Require National Guard members to take a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) questionnaire and a traumatic brain injury (TBI) questionnaire administered by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) before being deployed overseas and within 90 days of return from an overseas deployment.

** Exempt personnel who had completed similar federal questionnaires from the state PTSD and TBI questionnaire requirements.

** Allow active and discharged military personnel living inMichigan with service in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom to take the questionnaires free of charge.

** Require the DMVA to develop the PTSD and TBI questionnaires, with the assistance of statewide associations specializing in traumatic brain injuries, theAnn Arbor Veteran Administration MedicalCenter, and the state Department of Community Health.  The DMVA would have to store the questionnaires electronically.

** Require approval of the questionnaires by the federal Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The bill would have an indeterminate, but likely minimal fiscal impact on the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.  Creating the questionnaires and archiving the documents, would result in some costs, but the level cannot be determined at this time. However, the occasions when the department would be required to administer a questionnaire under the bill (that is, in the event that the U.S. Department of Defense did not) are expected to be rare.

                                                                                           Legislative Analyst:   E. Best

                                                                                                   Fiscal Analyst:   Jan Wisniewski

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.