Georgia lawmakers passed a bill that will allow current and former military servicemen and servicewomen to request a PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, diagnosis on their driver's license. The legislation will become official after it is signed into law by Governor Sonny Perdue. The law would go into effect July 1st. It is completely voluntary, and any former or current service member would have to provide a sworn statement from an MD or psychologist with their diagnosis and sign a waiver to release their medical information.

PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can occur after a person witnesses or experiences a traumatic event, such as war. Senator Ron Ramsey (D-Decatur) sponsored the bill after he was approached by a former serviceman with PTSD who worried about what would happen if he was stopped by a police officer for a traffic violation and had a PTSD-related meltdown. Both were concerned that even a routine speeding ticket could escalate if a former service member made a sudden move or went berserk with no obvious explanation. Thinking it could lead to safer interactions between law enforcement and veterans with PTSD, Senator John Douglas (R-Social Circle), an Army veteran, co-sponsored the bill.

The bill traveled easily through the Georgia legislature. The law may make Georgia one of the first states to allow driver's licenses to indicate a health problem, besides whether a person needs to wear glasses. Some wonder whether allowing PTSD designation will lead to other mental health issues being disclosed on licenses, such as bipolar disorder. Many people doubt a person would want to broadcast their mental health issue when they are showing their driver's license during the day for various purposes, but since the designation is voluntary, lawmakers and law enforcement didn't see a reason to block it.

 

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