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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Cote

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

01/29/07

HB 211

SHORT TITLE Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment

SB

ANALYST Geisler

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$500.0

Recurring

General

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Health (DOH)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

:

House Bill 211 would appropriate $500,000 to the Department of Health to establish and operate

a project for veterans who need primary care and treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder

(PTSD). Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2008

shall revert to the general fund.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

DOH notes that the funding requested in House Bill 211 is not part of the Governor’s Executive

Budget request.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

DOH notes that the New Mexico Department of Veterans Services (DVS) estimates that about

10,000 New Mexicans are serving in the in military in Iraq, about half in regular military and

half in National Guard units. About 2,500 returning New Mexico veterans could benefit from

treatment for PTSD. An additional 1,500 veterans from other conflicts are estimated to suffer

from PTSD. Some Vietnam veterans are reported to suffer from a re-activation of their PTSD

House Bill 211 – Page

2

from the extensive news coverage of the Iraq conflict. The nature of the Iraqi conflict makes

PTSD dramatically more likely among veterans of the Iraq war: 94% of troops will have been

exposed to enemy fire; 84% will have seen dead bodies. Fifteen percent of the troops are female

and females are more likely to develop PTSD. The Veteran’s Administration Hospital-

Albuquerque acknowledges that it does not have sufficient resources to address veterans’ PTSD

needs and welcomes additional state resources.

In mid 2006, the Department of Health/Behavioral Health Services Division (BHSD) in

collaboration with DVS, and in consultation with the Veterans Administration (VA) and the New

Mexico Veterans Suicide Prevention Taskforce, embarked on a Veterans Behavioral Health

Project. The project is currently underway and involves training 25 therapists statewide in

evidence-based practices. In cooperation with DVS, VA and Value Options New Mexico,

BHSD is developing a referral and outreach process to link veterans in need with therapists.

With the additional funding proposed in House Bill 211, DOH-BHSD could expand this project,

in conjunction with the DVS, VA and Value Options New Mexico, to include more extensive

outreach, referral, and therapy activities, as well as to train a more therapists.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

DOH notes that House Bill 211 refers to “primary care and treatment for post-traumatic stress

disorder". The phrase “primary care" is often used to refer to primary physical health care, i.e.,

one’s family doctor. It might avoid potential confusion to clarify that House Bill 211 intends to

address primary behavioral health care of PTSD.

GG/csd