On February 11, 2022, Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced the Guarding Mental Health Act with APA Services' endorsement. This bipartisan legislation takes the important step of further providing mental health services for our men and women in uniform.
“The mental health of our men and women in uniform is vitally important to our national security. It is past time to end the stigma and barriers to care within our military ranks,” said APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD. “I applaud the bipartisan efforts of Senators Murkowski, Sullivan, Cassidy, and Murray for introducing the Guarding Mental Health Act. This legislation would bring meaningful change to the way mental health is viewed and managed within the U.S. Coast Guard.”
This legislation specifically aimed at the U.S. Coast Guard helps the service move closer to parity with Department of Defense policies around mental health treatment, ensuring that Coast Guard members seeking treatment for mental health challenges will not be automatically processed for discharge.
The full text of the legislation is available online (PDF, 26KB)opens in new window.
For more information, contact Corbin Evans.