Amendment ID: S1878-6

Amendment 6

Removing Terms that May Promote Stigma against Seeking Support

Mr. Keenan moves to amend the bill in section 28 by striking subsection (d) and inserting in place thereof the following:

“(d) The council shall perform and make recommendations pertaining to how best to operationalize and quantify the following duties, including, but not limited to: (i) examine and evaluate the effectiveness of veterans’ suicide prevention policies; (ii) examine and evaluate the effectiveness of resilience training for veterans’ personnel; (iii) develop recommendations on ways in which veterans’ support service needs may be promptly assessed upon return from deployment; (iv) develop recommendations for methods by which the commonwealth may identify, evaluate and refer servicemembers returning to civilian life post-deployment for assistance with education, employment, healthcare, housing and other services; (v) provide recommendations for improving communication between mental health support services and veterans who may benefit from such services; (vi) provide recommendations for improving observation and treatment plans for returning veterans; (vii) develop recommendations for providing mental health counseling services to combat the effects of post-traumatic stress injuries for post-deployment veterans (viii) examine ways in which the commonwealth can reduce stress, anxiety and depression among returning veterans, and among family members of returning veterans; (ix) provide recommendations on improving health access assistance; and (x) identify the needs of women veterans relative to issues including, but not limited to, compensation, rehabilitation, outreach, health care, education and other issues facing women veterans in the community. The council may hold public hearings to assist in the collection and evaluation of data and testimony.”