What's happening
This bill requires the creation of an online training program for diagnosing and treating PTSD in military veterans, including military culture competency, for mental health professionals.
Why it matters
Expands access to specialized PTSD training. By making the program available online, more mental health professionals across New York can learn best practices for diagnosing and treating PTSD in veterans, potentially improving care quality and outcomes.
Addresses unique needs of veterans. Including a mandatory component on military culture competency ensures clinicians better understand the experiences and perspectives of veterans, which can lead to more sensitive and effective treatment.
Creates a standardized credential. Offering certification for completion gives mental health providers a way to demonstrate expertise in this area, which could help veterans identify qualified clinicians and encourage more providers to seek this specialization.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Train Providers for PTSD Care
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to mental health and developmental disabilities
- Referred to mental health and developmental disabilities
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Train Providers on Veteran PTSD
In Assembly Committee · Veterans' Affairs · Sponsor Aileen Gunther
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5367
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 23, 2017
Introduced by Sen. PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
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 Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 7.17 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new subdivision (g) to read as follows:
(g) The commissioner, in cooperation with any other state agency or relevant stakeholder shall develop a training program to be posted on the office's website for the diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder for military veterans. The program shall include a component on military culture competency and shall be intended for the training of mental health providers and mental health clinicians. Certification of the completion of the program may be provided to participants through the office.
§ 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
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
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 situations 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.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.