Paul Rieckhoff, founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, speaks to a sparse crowd of reporters concerning the Clay Hunt SAV Act. Adam Mintzer/MNS
WASHINGTON- Bipartisan legislation aimed at combatting suicides among military veterans is headed for a vote in the Senate this week after winning unanimous approval in the U.S. House last month.
The bill, called the Clay Hunt Act for a Marine veteran who took his own life, seeks regular evaluations of mental health and suicide prevention programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs. In addition, it would provide dollars to create a website detailing mental health services, and establish a pilot program to help repay education loans for psychiatrists working at the VA.
Supporters of the bill say that 22 veterans commit suicide daily, a statistic drawn from an extensive study conducted by the VA in 2012, using information from 1999 through 2010. Another study from 2013 found veteran’s suicides rates are double those of non-veterans, according to News21.
“That is simply not acceptable,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a co-sponsor along with Sen. John McCain-R-Ariz.
In the president’s 2016 budget proposal, the administration is seeking $7.5 billion for the VA’s for mental health programs. That’s $349 million more than last year.
The suicide prevention bill has numerous cosponsors from both sides of the aisle, and is being celebrated as a piece of bipartisan legislation. The price tag is $22 million.
“Every single senator should be given the opportunity to vote to approve this measure,” Blumenthal said Monday at a news conference.
