Ensuring Behavioral Healthcare Capacity and Quality for Service Members, Veterans and Military Families

Abstract: A great deal of attention has been paid in the past few years to the impact of war on behavioral health. Statistics now abound regarding the numbers of servicemembers who have deployed to OEF/OIF, the common visible and invisible wounds, and the high need (whether acknowledged by those in need or not) for behavioral health services. There appears to be widespread agreement that the capacity of our nation’s behavioral health workforce must increase, and rapidly. Exactly how to go about increasing this capacity – in terms of both quantity and quality – is not as clear. This military behavioral health policy brief addresses the development of a high-capacity behavioral health workforce to care for our nation’s servicemembers, veterans, and military families.