NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A545
SPONSOR: Gunther TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to
a program for the diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress
disorder
PURPOSE OF BILL:
To provide mental health providers and mental health clinicians with the
tools to properly diagnose and treat veterans with post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD)
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Amends section 7.17 of the mental hygiene law to require the Office of
Mental Health (OMH) to develop a training program which includes a
component on military culture competency for mental health providers and
clinicians to diagnose and treat veterans with post-traumatic stress
disorder.
JUSTIFICATION:
It is estimated that 11-20% of Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars
and about 30% of Vietnam Veterans have PTSD. Many veterans' experience
situations which most civilians have never experienced. These situ-
ations can be unfamiliar to mental health providers who may be tasked
with diagnosing and treating a veteran who has PTSD.
When veterans return home with symptoms of PTSD, they are often referred
to mental health professionals who may have no military experience and
therefore little to no knowledge of military culture.
Mental health providers in rural areas have the additional challenge of,
at times, being a great distance away from any training programs that
may be able to help them in regards to the diagnosis and treatment of
PTSD. This bill requires the program be placed. on the website of OMH
along with other resources the Office already offers.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2015-16: A1256 Referred to Veterans' Affairs
2013-14: A7737 Referred to Veterans' Affairs
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Minimal to state.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
545
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2017
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GUNTHER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Veterans' Affairs
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to a program for the
diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 7.17 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding
2 a new subdivision (g) to read as follows:
3 (g) The commissioner, in cooperation with any other state agency or
4 relevant stakeholder shall develop a training program to be posted on
5 the office's website for the diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic
6 stress disorder for military veterans. The program shall include a
7 component on military culture competency and shall be intended for the
8 training of mental health providers and mental health clinicians.
9 Certification of the completion of the program may be provided to
10 participants through the office.
11 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03135-01-7
