The General Assembly’s Committee on Veterans Affairs recently reviewed draft language for H.B. 5580, which would extend state benefits to veterans with “Other than Honorable” discharges who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Approximately 13 percent of all veterans have received “bad paper” discharges resulting in their exclusion from most federal and state benefits. Despite the fact that it is well documented that the symptoms of PTSD and TBI can lead to high-risk behaviors that cause bad paper discharges, the federal discharge review boards have still failed to consistently account for these likelihoods in their decisions. H.B. 5580 was meant to address this shortcoming.

Although the state has no say over a veteran’s eligibility for federal benefits, Connecticut provides veterans a number of services that are meant to ease their transitions from the military into the civilian world and repay the sacrifices that they have made in service to their country. Especially for veterans suffering from PTSD or TBI, the state’s transitional housing, substance abuse recovery programs, state college tuition waivers, and hiring preferences can mean the difference between rebuilding their lives as civilians or falling through the cracks.

Veterans with PTSD and TBI are at an increased risk of suicide and other self-destructive behavior, so the stakes are incredibly high. The reason that Connecticut has been a leader in providing for our veterans is that we understand that lives hang in the balance. In H.B. 5580, we have the opportunity to lead the nation once again in caring for those who have given so much for us.

However, the committee has released their revised version of the bill, which is now simply a study on its potential impacts with no change to benefits eligibility in the foreseeable future. Reading between the lines, it is plain to see why the substance of the bill has been shelved — money.

The proposed study is meant to address three main points: the impact, feasibility, and cost of the bill.

Regarding impact, the committee calls for the state Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) to determine how many veterans would be impacted. The Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale, which has previously conducted similar studies for the DVA, has already provided this information to the committee in its testimony on the bill. Why would we waste the time and resources of a vital state agency to reinvestigate credible data provided by one of the DVA’s own partners?

Regarding the implementation of the bill, the draft language took care to eliminate any need for a subjective, state-level determination of benefits eligibility beyond a PTSD or TBI diagnosis from the federal VA. No further processing was required. Furthermore, collecting feedback from the four agencies that administer the state benefits in question is hardly a year-long task.

So finally, we come to the real problem. In a tense budget year, there has been concern about what this “new” benefit will cost the state. According to the legal clinic’s testimony, the bill will impact approximately 800 veterans, only 0.02 percent of the number already eligible for benefits.

In reality, this is not a new benefit at all. The committee has recognized that veterans discharged for PTSD and TBI need our support. Given the known behavioral effects of PTSD and TBI, it is not unreasonable to assume that they contributed to a veteran’s discharge. This bill is meant to restore essential services that these veterans earned through their blood and sweat overseas.

Unfortunately, the bill is out of committee and a study appears the best the legislature will accomplish this session. This means an unfortunate delay in extending a hand to the state's veterans suffering from PTSD and TBI.

I'm praying that the veterans we were trying to reach can hang on one more year. While we wait for Washington fix its review boards, my brothers and sisters are dying. This problem isn't going away, and neither are we.

Steven Kennedy is the Connecticut team leader for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.