Veterans' Affairs Ranking Member Corrine Brown Comments on Suicide and Mental Health of Veterans

Statement

Congresswoman Brown made the following statement:

"Beyond a doubt, suicide is a tragedy and one suicide by a veteran is one too many. Most veterans who attempt to commit suicide are suffering from some form of mental illness, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, or depression. The challenge our nation continues to face is how to reach those veterans who are in need treatment for mental health issues, and many times may be in denial or unaware of their depressed mental state.

Just as VA is recognized for the treatment of combat related physical injuries, the Department has long been recognized as a leader in the treatment of mental health conditions suffered by veterans as well. The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have survived combat injuries at a much higher rate than that of previous conflicts, which is due to the advancements in protective gear like body armor and battlefield medicine. As a result of these improvements, service members are now coming home with extremely complex physical injuries and traumatic mental health issues.

In 2007, Congress passed the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act, which required the VA to develop and carry out a comprehensive program designed to reduce the incidence of suicide among veterans. And in January 2015, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, which required the VA to provide for annual evaluations of mental health care and suicide prevention programs and require a pilot program on loan repayment for psychiatrists who agree to serve in the VA.

In addition, the VA, working with SAMHSA (the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), has developed the Veterans Crisis Line, where free, confidential support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, to veterans, their families and friends. Veterans, or anyone concerned about the psychological state of a veteran, can call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, to chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or text 838255 to receive support.

Thus far, The Veterans Crisis Line has answered more than 1.1 million calls and saved more than 37,000 lives. They have also added an anonymous online chat service, allowing them to engage in more than 160,000 chats since 2009. And in November 2011, the Veterans Crisis Line introduced a text-messaging service to provide yet one more way for veterans to connect with confidential, round-the-clock support.

In addition, the VA strenuously continues to work to bring more mental health providers to the agency. Currently, the VA operates an integrated mental health program, which allows them to provide the appropriate treatment, pinpoint mental health needs, and follow their progress. The VA is also at the forefront of telemedicine and tele-mental health, and has a program that allows veterans to access a mental health professional through a secure communication link or a Vet Center, which are generally available locally in communities across the nation. In fact, as of October 31, 2015, the Veterans' Health Administration (VHA) has increased their net onboard staff by over 16,000, a figure which includes over 1600 physicians (139 psychiatrists), over 4100 nurses, 582 psychologists for VHA's clinical care to Veterans, and over 10,300 medical center staff as a direct result of the Choice Act.

Lastly, in the 2016 omnibus appropriations bill, leaders of the Veterans' Committee and I secured critical funding for veterans' mental health care. This includes $7.5 billion for mental health services at the VA, as well as $3.8 billion for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), to fight against the Opioid and prescription drug epidemic among our nation's veterans. As the Ranking Member of the Veterans' Affairs committee, my colleagues and I are working to address the extremely complicated and outright tragic epidemic of suicide among our nation's veteran population."

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