{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=f6cb561e-ad4e-4b10-9625-52297785b92b", "Portman Provision in NDAA to Improve Military Mental Health Evaluations for Servicemembers Headed to President for Signature", "2014-12-12", "2014", "2014-12", "Republican", "House", "OH", "Rob Portman", "P000449", "www.portman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the Senate and is now headed to the President for signature.\u00a0 The bill includes language requiring the Defense Department to examine the feasibility of providing mental health screenings for servicemembers prior to enlistment and discharge from service \u2013 part of an amendment U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) had filed to the Senate NDAA bill.\u00a0\r\nPortman filed the Medical Evaluation Parity for Servicemembers (MEPS) Act, legislation he introduced with Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) earlier this year, as an amendment to the NDAA. Among other things, this bipartisan legislation would improve the way the military identifies and assesses mental health issues. It would also institute mental health assessments for both incoming recruits and servicemembers separating from active duty, and the bill requires the Department of Defense (DoD) to examine the feasibility of providing mental health assessments to servicemembers entering and leaving service. The entry screening would serve as a baseline for future mental health assessments throughout servicemembers\u2019 careers, while the exit screening would provide more accurate information on their mental health condition as they transition to civilian life.\r\n\u201cI am pleased that this language requiring DoD to examine the feasibility of providing mental health assessments to servicemembers entering and leaving service is now headed to the President for signature,\u201d said Portman.\u00a0\u201cThis provision, along with the other requirements included in a thorough study of the military\u2019s programs to address mental health and Traumatic Brain Injuries that DoD must deliver to Congress, is an important step towards ensuring our servicemembers receive the care they deserve. We must promote a more comprehensive and holistic approach to mental health care in the military that improves upon the current system to deliver the best care possible. The provisions in this bill will help focus the military\u2019s efforts to pursue these goals and serve as the foundation for future efforts on this issue. I look forward to building upon this success in the next Congress.\u201d\r\n\u00a0\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=f6cb561e-ad4e-4b10-9625-52297785b92b"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6632501501590014, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}