Last minute changes to the Defense Authorization Bill include halting a Pentagon practice of discharging soldiers by claiming they had pre-existing mental health problems. About 10 soldiers a day were booted this way, and they lost their medical benefits as a result. Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-Mo) told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he doubted pre-existing “personality disorders” afflicted 22,500 soldiers, and he worked with Sen. Barack Obama (D-ILL) to insert corrections to alter this practice. Another recent change came last week when Sen. Ron Coleman (R-MN) introduced an amendment to increase mental health coverage to TRICARE, the insurance company for military and their families. Reimbursements are geared to rates determined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). When CMS cut payments to social workers and psychologists by 9 percent, TRICARE followed, creating additional shortages for people in need of service.
