For Army PTSD Form, Less is More

The Army's surgeon general, Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, issued a memo on June 9 governing the screening requirements for post-traumatic stress disorder and mild Traumatic Disorder (mTBI) for administrative separation of soldiers that stands out as a model of brevity.

The memo, which I'm pleased to pass along here, totals only seven pages, and that includes a two page Behavioral Health form for soldiers facing an administrative separation before their enlistment is up.

The memo tells clinicians to ask solders some really simple questions in the PTSD screenings such as:

"In your life, have you ever had any experience that was so frightening, horrible or upsetting that in the past month you:

Have had nightmares about it or thought about it when you did not want to?"

The same no-nonsense approach applies to questions for mTBI screenings such as:

"During this deployment, did you experience any of the following events?

Blast or explosion (IED, RPG, land mine, grenade etc,)"

The memo follows the new streamlined, six-page disability claims form the Veterans Affairs Department plans to use that I reported on last week. One hopes it is a sign of future policies that do not require the slaying of a whole mess of trees.

Now, if only the Congress could limit itself to doing anything in six or seven pages.