Excerpt From June 13, 2012 Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing; Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s Statements On Military-Wide Review OfBehavioral Health Disability Determinations

June 13, 2012
On June 13, 2012, the United States Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta ordered a military–wide review of behavioral and mental health diagnoses dating back to 2001. Secretary Panetta said the review would be led by the Undersecretary for Personnel and Readiness; the review will include case files of all current and former troops who were screened for medical separation by a medical evaluation board for mental health issues. Secretary Panetta noted that there are “huge gaps” in terms of how the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the various branches of the military . . .