Bipartisan Bill to Improve Mental Health Services for Veterans Passes Senate
The U.S. Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would improve mental health and suicide prevention services for veterans.
The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, which passed with a unanimous 99-0 vote, was co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
The new bill will require the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to create a website with information on all the mental health services it provides for veterans. It also requires an impartial annual review of the VA’s mental health and suicide prevention programs.
The bill will also create a pilot program to improve community outreach for veterans transitioning to civilian life and will also enable the VA to offer educational loan repayment assistance to recruit more psychiatrists to address the mental health needs of veterans.
“This bill makes some important and significant improvements to the VA mental health system, including doing a better job of connecting veterans with these resources a difficult task we know all too well in rural areas like North Dakota,” Heitkamp said in a statement.
The bill is named after Clay Hunt, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who served in Iraq and struggled with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after returning home. Hunt, who worked with other veterans dealing with PTSD in the U.S., committed suicide in 2011.
Hunt is one of the thousands of veterans who die in the U.S. each year.
According to a 2012 VA report, approximately 22 veterans die from suicide every day. Between 2006 and 2013, the number of veterans receiving VA specialized mental health treatment rose more than 50 percent, bringing the total to more than 1.4 million veterans.
“This legislation will not only improve suicide prevention at the VA and help our veterans access mental health care, but it will also ensure the quality of that care,” Hoeven said in a statement. “Now, we will continue working to improve all services offered by the VA and ensure our veterans can get the support they need from local providers when the VA and its outpatient clinics cannot provide the services.”
U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., worked last year with U.S. Rep. Tim Waltz, D-Minn., on addressing the mental health needs of returning veterans.
“Unfortunately, our veterans’ battles don’t always end when they come home,” Franken said in a statement. “There should be no higher calling for our nation than to do what’s necessary to end the epidemic of suicides among our veterans.”
Klobuchar also worked with Waltz on the bill as one of the original co-sponsors.
“Today’s action is one step forward in the effort to deliver veterans the suicide prevention and mental health care treatment they deserve,” Klobuchar said in a statement.
Tags: Veterans News
