Boswell Urges House Committee to Pass the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Bill
Today, in testimony before the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health, Congressman Leonard Boswell urged members to move forward on a comprehensive health care bill that would include provisions of the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act, a bill he introduced in July. Medical experts and other Members of Congress testified at the congressional hearing on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury.
"There is a strong connection between PTSD and suicide, and we must begin to take steps to ensure that our service men and women have the mental health care they need," said Boswell. "We treat their physical injuries, now it is time to treat the wounds that are not visible."
"Research shows that one out of 100 veterans who have returned from Iraq has considered suicide," said Boswell. "We must act on quickly and provide the services necessary to help these vets."
The Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a comprehensive program to deal with the growing number of suicides among veterans returning from combat. The bill is in honor of Joshua Omvig, a young man from Grundy Center, who tragically took his own life after returning home from an 11-month tour in Iraq.
The bi-partisan Joshua Omvig bill has 155 sponsors in the House. Senators Harkin and Grassley introduced a companion bill in the Senate in August.
Below is the full text of Boswell's testimony:
Statement of
Congressman Leonard Boswell
Before
The Committee on Veterans' Affairs:
Subcommittee on Health
United States House of Representatives
September 28, 2006
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify here today concerning the emerging trends regarding veterans' mental health. With more and more veterans returning from tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, many new issues have arisen regarding veterans mental health that have not received attention in the past. This is an issue that Congress cannot ignore and I am pleased that this Committee is holding hearings on this important issue.
The number of veterans returning with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is alarmingly high. A recent study found that 17 percent of soldiers and Marines returning from Iraq screened positive for PTSD. Our men and women in uniform returning from combat are fighting a different type of war and a different type of enemy. The National Center for PTSD found several things associated with individuals diagnosed with PTSD, such as physical pain, sleep disturbance and nightmares, substance abuse, and self-harm or suicide.
Obviously there is a connection between PTSD and suicide. Some estimates have found that almost one thousand veterans receiving care from the Department of Veterans Affairs commit suicide each year, and research shows that one out of 100 veterans who have returned from Iraq have considered suicide. I find this number disturbing.
Since March 2003, 80 individuals, who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, have committed suicide. Our young men and women serving our country have kept us safe for so long; it is now our turn to protect them.
A few months ago I learned of a young man from my district, Joshua Omvig, who experienced undiagnosed PTSD after returning from an 11-month tour in Iraq. His family and friends did not know how to help him. Then in December of last year Joshua tragically took his life. He was only 22 years old. After I heard Joshua's story I was shocked to find one in a hundred Operation Iraq Freedom veterans have reported thinking about suicide.
I knew something had to be done. That is why I introduced H.R. 5771, the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act. This legislation will mandate the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement a comprehensive program to regularly screen and monitor all veterans for risk factors for suicide within the Veterans Affairs system. At any point in a veteran's life, if they were found to have specific risk factors for suicide they would be entered into a tracking system; ensuring they do not fall through the cracks. Then they would be entered into a counseling referral system to make certain those veterans receive the appropriate help. It would provide education for all VA staff, contractors, and medical personnel who have interaction with the veterans. In addition, it would make available 24-hour mental health care for veterans found to be at risk for suicide.
Currently, the Department of Veterans Affairs regularly screens veterans for depression, PTSD, and substance abuse but not suicide specifically.
Boswell Urges House Committee to Pass the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Bill
I am saddened by the circumstances that this legislation grew out of, but I know that if enacted, this program could save lives. We treat their physical injuries, now it is time to treat the wounds that are not visible.
It is my hope that a comprehensive veterans bill will result from this hearing and that any bill considered will include provisions of the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act. This important issue cannot go one more day without the attention it needs.
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, thank you again for this opportunity to share some major concerns regarding the quality of mental health care our veterans' are receiving.
http://boswell.house.gov/article.asp?id=571