[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 149 (Tuesday, December 9, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H8873]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    VETERANS MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Alabama (Mrs. Roby) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss mental health 
services for veterans.
  As you know, physical injuries are not the only ones endured in war. 
Many soldiers return home with wounds that we cannot see. For some 
veterans, the psychological trauma endured on the battlefield affects 
them and their families long after the shots stop firing.

                              {time}  1030

  Of the 2 million Americans who served in combat in Iraq or 
Afghanistan, as many as 300,000 meet criteria for posttraumatic stress 
disorder. Another 300,000 may have suffered a traumatic brain injury.
  Mr. Speaker, for these servicemen and servicewomen, access to quality 
mental health care is crucial, so imagine being one of these soldiers 
who recently returned home with the lasting psychological effects that 
so commonly result from war.
  Now, imagine that in seeking treatment from the VA, you are forced to 
go 67 days without an appointment. Sixty-seven days is the new average 
wait time for new mental health patients at the central Alabama VA; 
and, Mr. Speaker, that number has gotten worse. In May, the wait time 
for new mental health patients was 57 days.
  Mr. Speaker, administrators claim that scheduling and labeling errors 
have contributed to making the problem appear worse on paper than it 
actually is, but if after all of this time we haven't figured out how 
to properly schedule patients at the VA, we have worse problems than I 
thought. I don't expect it to magically improve overnight, but we 
shouldn't be moving in the wrong direction.
  My primary focus is improving care for veterans in Alabama, and there 
are ways that we can do it. I am eager to see greater utilization of 
the Patient-Centered Community Care program, otherwise known as PC3, 
which connects veteran patients with local doctors or specialists.
  It makes no sense to make a veteran wait 2 months for an appointment 
when we can refer them to an outside provider right away. I believe PC3 
is a difference-maker, and I will continue to insist the VA leadership 
utilize it on the mental health side.
  Mr. Speaker, a 2-month wait for mental health patients at the VA is 
obviously a disservice to our veterans, but it is also a major safety 
concern for veterans, their families, and the public. It might be 
uncomfortable to talk about, but the fact is we have a very high 
suicide rate among veterans.
  Twenty-two veterans commit suicide every day. The tendency is even 
higher for young, male veterans, the very type that are returning home 
right now from war. The last thing that we should do is make it harder 
for veterans to get the treatment that they need.
  That is why I rise today in support of H.R. 5059, the Clay Hunt 
Suicide Prevention Act. This bipartisan bill aims to, number one, 
increase access to mental health care for veterans; number two, better 
meet the demand for mental health professionals; and number three, 
improve accountability of suicide prevention efforts through the 
Department of Defense and the VA.
  The bill is named for Clay Hunt, a Marine veteran who served in Iraq 
and Afghanistan, earning the Purple Heart. He was diagnosed with PTSD 
and actually worked to raise awareness about problems facing people 
like him returning home from combat.
  Like many veterans, Clay ran into roadblocks in his efforts to access 
care for his PTSD. I encourage everyone to look up Clay Hunt's full 
story and read about the difficulty he faced getting needed care from 
the VA. For some veterans, it might sound all too familiar. On March 
31, 2011, at the age of 28, Clay took his own life. Clay's story is 
sad, it is disheartening, and it is infuriating. But what Clay's story 
is not? It is not uncommon enough, 22 veterans a day.
  Mr. Speaker, we have a long way to go as a Nation in making sure 
veterans in need of mental health care aren't left behind, but let's 
start this week by passing the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Act.

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