WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee unanimously passed bipartisan legislation to combat veteran suicide that included provisions co-introduced by Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC). One provision co-introduced by Senator Tillis authorizes a community grant program that builds upon the proven, successful model that Veterans Bridge Home in Charlotte has been operating for years, and allows the rest of the country to follow in their footsteps.
The Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act is a comprehensive and aggressive strategy to reach more veterans with the services and resources, including mental health care, that they need. The legislation included language from the Tillis co-sponsored IMPROVE Well-being for Veterans Act as a provision in a comprehensive bill that expands veterans’ access to mental health services. That included provisions co-introduced by Senator Tillis:
- Authorizes a community grant program through the VA that will enhance outreach in the community to help identify isolated veterans and provide services aimed at identifying veterans within the community who may be in need of assistance.
- The bill also expands eligibility for comprehensive VA mental health services to all veterans with Other Than Honorable discharges if they are referred to the VA through an organization in the grant program.
- Requires VA to provide a detailed plan, including resourcing requirements, to implement SAFE VET on a nationwide, uniform basis. Suicide Assessment and Follow-up Engagement: Veteran Emergency Treatment (SAFE VET) is a relatively new clinical intervention that is associated with 45 percent fewer suicidal behaviors in the six-month period following emergency department care and more than doubles the odds of a veteran engaging in outpatient behavioral health care.
“I have made it a priority to combat veteran suicides in any way possible and we must do everything we can to reduce the number of veterans who take their own lives,” said Senator Tillis. “I am proud these provisions were included in this landmark legislation to combat veteran suicides, and I will work to build support and pass this bill out of the Senate.”
"The passage of S.785 is an important step to improve care for veterans and their families,” said Blake Bourne, Executive Director of Veterans Bridge Home in Charlotte. “We are eager to continue sharing our lessons learned from 10 years of community integration of veterans with other community-focused organizations who are serving veteran families where they live, work, and play.”
The Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act will improve outreach to veterans and offer new mental health care options in five major ways:
- Bolster the VA’s mental health workforce to serve more veterans by giving the VA direct hiring authority for more mental health professionals, offering scholarships to mental health professionals to work at Vet Centers and placing at least one Suicide Prevention Coordinator in every VA hospital.
- Improve rural veterans’ access to mental health care by increasing the number of locations at which veterans can access VA telehealth services and offering grants to non-VA organizations that provide mental health services or alternative treatment to veterans.
- Strengthen support and assistance for servicemembers transitioning out of the military by automatically giving every servicemember one full year of VA health care when they leave the military and improving services that connect transitioning veterans with career and education opportunities.
- Study and invest in innovative and alternative treatment options by expanding veterans’ access to animal, outdoor or agri-therapy, yoga, meditation and acupuncture. Investing in VA research on the impact of living at high altitude on veterans’ suicide risk and identifying and treating mental illness.
- Hold the VA accountable for its mental health care and suicide prevention efforts by examining how the VA manages its suicide prevention resources and how the VA provides seamless care and information sharing for veterans seeking mental health care from both the VA and community providers.
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