Press Releases
Tonko Applauds House Passage of Measure to Prevent Veteran Suicides
Washington, DC,
January 13, 2015
Today, Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) applauded the passage of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (SAV) Act, H.R. 203, which was unanimously approved by the U.S. House of Representatives Monday night. The SAV Act was originally introduced and passed in the House in the 113th Congress, but was blocked by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) in the U.S. Senate and failed to become law.
Today, Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) applauded the passage of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (SAV) Act, H.R. 203, which was unanimously approved by the U.S. House of Representatives Monday night. The SAV Act was originally introduced and passed in the House in the 113th Congress, but was blocked by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) in the U.S. Senate and failed to become law. “When we talk about supporting our troops and providing the Capital Region’s 42,000 civilian veterans the best health care available, that must include attention to mental health, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and suicide prevention,” said Tonko.“This bipartisan legislation provides American heroes the support they have earned through service to our nation, and I am proud to have supported it. I hope to see its swift passage in the Senate without the obstructionism we saw last year.” 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 servicemembers 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. # # # |