National Defense Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the distinguished chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Mr. Thornberry, for yielding. I am also grateful to Ranking Member Smith for the opportunity to discuss the issue of mental health treatment for our military servicemembers.

I know we all care deeply about the health of our servicemembers. For those who have borne the battle, we share a commitment to come to their aid, whether their wounds are a visible amputation or the invisible problems of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The statistics, as you know, are sobering: 22 vets die by suicide each day, and more than 600,000 vets are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Delivering proper treatment for mental health is really a matter of life and death. We can provide these warriors with treatment and medications they need, or we can continue to provide their families with folded flags and our condolences to their widows.

But it is not enough to just provide a few limited medications, because people react differently to medication. Some medications can work well with one person or result in adverse side effects to another with the same diagnosis. Side effects may include drug-to-drug interactions, allergic reactions, excessive sedation, and weight gain, with increased risk of diabetes. That is why doctors must be able to choose the medication that fits for the soldier. But when DOD or the VA limits the choices, that puts soldiers at risk. The servicemember may stop taking the medication, withdraw from treatment, and may deteriorate. We should not add to their risk.

I would ask the chairman and the ranking member to work with me to ensure that the full array of FDA-approved medications are accessible for our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who need these lifesaving drugs. They fought for our country overseas; they should not have to fight the Department of Defense and the VA over here.

Chairman Thornberry, I seek a commitment that we do not allow accountants to choose which medications are available for the psychiatric conditions of our servicemen and -women. Let the physician working with the servicemember or veteran make those decisions.

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