Veterans' Groups Oppose PTSD Designation on Driver's Licenses

By Jonathan Shapiro

Atlanta – Governor Sonny Perdue is considering a bill that would allow members of the military to designate that they have post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, on their driver's licenses.

The bill would be completely voluntary and require a doctor's sworn statement. It was passed with near unanimous support by the state senate and house, but has since come under fire from veterans group across the state.

The president of the Georgia Vietnam Veterans Alliance, Marvin Myers, says it will stigmatize the soldiers and lead to all types of unintended consequences.

"What you do when you put your name out there as having PTSD you have violated your own privacy and the privacy that a doctor gives you, so suddenly you're opening pandora's box and I don't think a lot of guys realize that," says Myers.

Whether getting carded at a bar or being stopped by police, Myers says the designation will lead to unwanted assumptions about the person's behavior.

Kay Coker, co-director of Veterans Heart Georgia and a social worker who works with PTSD patients, says a voluntary designation wouldn't be bad idea IF it was accompanied by special training for officers on how to respond to PTSD symptoms.

"It just doesn't feel as though it's had very much thought or input from, for instance, people who work with veterans, veterans themselves," says Coker.

Coker says the bill should be sent back to the assembly for further discussion. Neither Governor Perdue nor his spokesman could be reached for this story.