Congress Approves Reed-backed Bill to Help Prevent Veterans' Suicides

Press Release

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today cheered Senate passage of the bipartisan Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (Clay Hunt SAV) Act, a bill that seeks to address the epidemic of veteran suicide in the United States. The legislation, which was cosponsored by Senator Reed, aims to expand mental health resources and accountability at the Department of Veteran's Affairs (VA). It passed the Senate by a unanimous vote.

The legislation is named in honor of Clay Hunt, a combat-veteran from Texas, who served multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was honorably discharged from the Marines in April 2009 and was diagnosed with PTSD. Although Clay tried to be pro-active about seeking mental health care from the VA -- and tried to help others coping with similar issues -- he tragically took his own life in March 2011 at the age of 28.

"We must do everything we can to improve access to high-quality mental health services for our nation's veterans. By improving treatment, intervention, and outreach, the Clay Hunt SAV Act will help more veterans get the help they need," said Reed, a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction-Veterans Affairs who has worked to increase funding for the VA's mental health and suicide prevention budget. "The Clay Hunt SAV Act will help remove barriers to support and allow the VA to expand its reach by jointly carrying out its suicide prevention programs with nonprofits dedicated to promoting mental health. It will also strengthen oversight of the VA's existing suicide prevention programs by having outside, independent experts review them to gauge their effectiveness. No veteran should ever have to wait for critical mental health care."

In 2012, Senator Reed worked with Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) to include language in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to improve access to needed mental health services for members of the National Guard and Reserves, and their families. Based on the Reed-Ayotte Joining Forces for Military Mental Health Act, the bill authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to enter into community partnerships with non-profit organizations and institutions engaged in research, treatment, education, and outreach on mental health, substance use disorders, and traumatic brain injury to ensure that every member of the National Guard and Reserves, as well as their families, gets the mental and behavioral health care that he or she needs.

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