Daines Backs house Bill to Prevent Veteran Suicide

Press Release

Steve Daines today helped introduce comprehensive legislation to address veteran suicide and help struggling veterans get the care and help they need. Daines serves as an original cosponsor of H.R. 5059, the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (Clay Hunt SAV) Act, alongside a group of 16 other bipartisan cosponsors.

H.R. 5059 will work to improve access and quality of mental health care available for the nation's veterans and returning service members and develops a network to support veterans seeking help and encourage them to do so.

"All too often, veterans with unseen injuries cannot find the support from their communities or our nation that they need and deserve. We have a responsibility to all who have served to address the tragic epidemic of veteran suicide and help those with mental health wounds to heal," Daines said. "This tragedy will continue unless we change the way we approach and treat the underlying issues. The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act will improve access to quality mental health care for the veterans who need it."

Similar to the SAV Act introduced in the Senate by Senator John Walsh, the Clay Hunt SAV Act would require annual third-party evaluations of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DOD) programs and practices relating to mental health and suicide prevention. The evaluations would identify the most effective programs and rate the cost-effectiveness of each to ensure resources are being applied in the most efficient way to assist veterans.

The bills also call for a review of the discharge characterizations for veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries to ensure they receive the care and benefits that they earned.

Additionally, both the House and Senate legislation establish a pilot program to address the shortage of mental health care availability through education loan repayment for current or soon-to-be mental health professionals who agree to a period of service in the VA.

The Daines-backed House bill contains several provisions not included in the Senate version.

It improves interaction between the VA, DOD and state Reserve components to provide seamless care as service members retire or transition from active to inactive or reserve status and ensure none who need help "slip through the cracks."

The House legislation also increases the VA limits on matching funds from private donors for the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans who are pursuing an advanced degree in a field of study that leads to a job as a mental health professional. It also prioritizes rural positions for graduates seeking employment within the VA. The Yellow Ribbon program allows institutions of higher learning and the VA to fund tuition and fee expenses that exceed a veteran's maximum GI benefit.

Finally, the Clay Hunt SAV Act establishes community reintegration programs for veterans that leverage peer-to-peer networks and creates an easy-to-use website to promote mental health services that are available to veterans.

"The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act will help create a greater accounting of available services and an enhanced community approach to delivering veterans suicide prevention and mental health care treatment, and I thank Rep. Daines for supporting it," Rep. Jeff Miller (FL-01), Chairman, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, said.

"The VFW is proud to support the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, which includes suggestions that we brought to Congress from those on the ground - the military community, mental health care providers, family caregivers, and the veterans who face the effects of mental health wounds every day," Raymond C. Kelly, VFW Director of National Legislative Service said.

Daines has long called for reforms to address longstanding delays in addressing veterans' benefits claims and to ensure that the VA more efficiently and effectively meets Montana veterans' needs.

Daines helped recently pass the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, which provides $7.5 billion for programs designed to address veterans' mental health needs and increases funding for suicide prevention outreach by $20 million.

The Daines co-sponsored 21st Century Health Care for Heroes Act (H.R. 2590), which works to modernize and better facilitate interoperability between the DOD and VA electronic health records system, was also included in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill.

The legislation directed the VA to provide a detailed expenditure plan for all suicide outreach programs within 30 days after the bill is signed and strongly encourages the VA to maximize the availability of mental health services to veterans who were victims of sexual assault.

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