Washington, DC -- A new Army study that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that one in three soldiers and Marines who have served in Iraq sought mental health care services.

"This study further confirms that the Administration's latest budget submission for VA health care has ignored the reality of war and that the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs must have a greater capacity to respond to the mental health concerns of veterans and their families," said Rep. Lane Evans (D-IL), the Ranking Democratic Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

The Army report was authored primarily by Col. Charles W. Hoge of the division of psychiatry and neuroscience at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Col. Hoge has testified before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs at the request of Rep. Evans, who said he will press for a hearing on the latest Army findings.

"The Administration's budget curiously projects that the VA will actually treat 10,000 fewer veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in fiscal year 2007 than it did as of October 2005," said Evans. "Moreover, as we have recently been made aware, the Administration’s future budget projections actually call for severe cuts in veterans’ health care funding, including greatly needed resources for mental health services," said Evans.

"The study found a significant number of those with mental health concerns leave military service a year after deployment. This finding has important implications for projecting mental health service requirements in the VA system. The lessons of the Vietnam War taught us that untreated mental health distress can lead to even more serious problems for veterans and their families," continued Evans.

"I am also concerned that many veterans who could use help are not turning to the VA. We cannot waste any more time in preparing to address this issue head on. We need to reach out and help veterans to overcome any barriers to seeking treatment, and we need a robust budget to do it," said Evans.

Evans has introduced comprehensive legislation (H.R. 1588) to address PTSD and mental health issues facing our servicemembers and veterans.