The Texas Council of Community MHMR Centers welcomes the recent announcement by Gov. Rick Perry to expand and improve mental health services for returning veterans and their families.

During the 81st legislative session, state lawmakers appropriated $1.2 million and with this initiative an additional $5 million will be made available through grants to local mental health authorities to expand treatment and support programs for Texas veterans and their families.

In total, the $6.2 million investment in the expansion and improvement of services for returning veterans and their families highlights the importance of providing effective mental health services to returning vets.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, 230,000 Texans are on active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the state has the third-largest population of veterans. A 2008 RAND Corporation study found that nearly one-third of service members returning from Afghanistan or Iraq are affected by post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression or traumatic brain injury.

Service gaps remain a serious concern as demand for veterans’ mental health services outpaces available resources.

The Government Accountability Office estimated that four of five returning troops are at risk but not referred for further evaluation for mental health conditions. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 70 percent of returning soldiers with PTSD will not seek treatment from the Department of Defense or the Veterans Administration.

Community MHMR centers are hopeful the additional resources will make community mental health services more readily available for veterans and their families.

“The legislature recognized the need for an investment in training for the unique skills required to treat returning veterans with post traumatic stress disorder,” said State Rep. Sid Miller, who represents Fort Hood, the largest U.S. military facility in the world. “Community mental health centers are strategically placed to deliver these services in all 254 counties to returning veterans and their families where they live. The governor’s expansion by $5 million of mental health services for veterans and their families is recognition of the growing unmet needs for Texans who have honorably served our country.”