Rep. Johnson applauds House passage of measure to prevent veteran suicides

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) applauded the swift, unanimous House passage of H.R. 203, the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (SAV) Act – bipartisan legislation originally introduced in the 113th Congress, but blocked by a single U.S. Senator – to address the epidemic of suicide among our nation’s veterans.

“We’ve come a long way since Vietnam in looking for and treating the invisible wounds left by months and years of combat, but we need more tools to detect the signs that some in uniform are facing great difficulty,” said Rep. Johnson, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, who in 2012 passed language to help prevent suicide among members of the military under the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Bill (NDAA).

“This bipartisan legislation provides our soldiers with the care and support they need to help them overcome mental health challenges, traumatic brain injuries, and post-traumatic stress disorder. I was proud to support this legislation.”

Twenty-two veterans commit suicide daily – more than 8,000 every year. Of the more than 2 million Americans who have served in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is estimated that one-third, roughly 600,000 women and men, have traumatic brain injury, PTSD or depression.

Named in honor of late Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran and noted suicide prevention advocate who committed suicide on March 31, 2011, The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act (H.R. 203) is another step toward ensuring our nation’s veterans have the support they need by expanding access to and improving the effectiveness of mental health care for our veterans.

The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act will establish a peer support and community outreach pilot program to assist transitioning service members with accessing VA mental health care services. To ease access to services, the bill will require the VA to create a one-stop, interactive website to serve as a centralized source of information regarding all mental health services for veterans. A student loan repayment pilot program aimed at recruiting and retaining psychiatrists included in the legislation will help address the shortage of mental health care professionals. To improve care, the legislation will require an annual, third-party evaluation of all mental health care and suicide prevention practices and programs at the VA to find out what’s working and what’s not.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Tim Walz (D-MN), the highest ranking enlisted soldier ever to serve in Congress and co-authored by Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Committee Jeff Miller (R-FL) and Representative Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a Purple Heart recipient, Iraq War veteran, and member of the Army National Guard.

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