Rep. TJ Cox Introduces Amendment to Increase Funding for PTSD and Psychological Health Programs by $10 Million

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman TJ Cox (CA-21) introduced an amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2020. Congressman Cox’s amendment makes a modest adjustment to H.R. 2740 and increases funding for the Department of Defense’s Health Program by $10 million. The budget-neutral amendment appropriates funds to tackle the crisis of post traumatic stress (PTS) among the brave Americans who served our nation.

“Our nation’s veterans and their families have sacrificed everything for our country and freedom. We cannot let them fall through the cracks – that’s why my amendment is so critical,” said Congressman TJ Cox. “Additional research is needed to better understand post-traumatic stress disorder and help clinicians provide adequate treatment to patients before symptoms become chronic. My amendment will invest an additional $10 million to help inform our health professionals on how they can best treat our servicemembers and communities across our nation who have been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress, and psychological health conditions.”

Watch Congressman Cox Speak on his Amendment Here

Background: Since 2001, over 2.7 million Americans have served in the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. Of those, over 300,000 have been diagnosed with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Today only 40 percent of service members find relief from current PTSD treatments – and with more of our nation’s troops returning from deployments over the next several years, the number of PTSD cases in the U.S. will increase.