[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 149 (Tuesday, December 9, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H8899-H8904]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CLAY HUNT SUICIDE PREVENTION FOR AMERICAN VETERANS ACT

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 5059) to direct the Secretary of Defense and the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide for the conduct of annual 
evaluations of mental health care and suicide prevention programs of 
the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, to 
review the terms or characterization of the discharge or separation of 
certain individuals from the Armed Forces, to require a pilot program 
on loan repayment for psychiatrists who agree to serve in the Veterans 
Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for 
other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5059

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention 
     for American Veterans Act'' or the ``Clay Hunt SAV Act''.

     SEC. 2. EVALUATIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE AND SUICIDE 
                   PREVENTION PROGRAMS OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
                   AFFAIRS.

       (a) Evaluations.--
       (1) In general.--Not less frequently than once each year, 
     the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide for the 
     conduct of an evaluation of the mental health care and 
     suicide prevention programs carried out under the laws 
     administered by the Secretary.
       (2) Elements.--Each evaluation conducted under paragraph 
     (1) shall--
       (A) use metrics that are common among and useful for 
     practitioners in the field of mental health care and suicide 
     prevention;
       (B) identify the most effective mental health care and 
     suicide prevention programs conducted by the Secretary, 
     including such programs conducted at a Center of Excellence;
       (C) identify the cost-effectiveness of each program 
     identified under subparagraph (B);
       (D) measure the satisfaction of patients with respect to 
     the care provided under each such program; and
       (E) propose best practices for caring for individuals who 
     suffer from mental health disorders or are at risk of 
     suicide, including such practices conducted or suggested by 
     other departments or agencies of the Federal Government, 
     including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
     Administration of the Department of Health and Human 
     Services.
       (3) Third party.--Each evaluation conducted under paragraph 
     (1) shall be conducted by an independent third party 
     unaffiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Such 
     third party shall submit to the Secretary each such 
     evaluation.
       (b) Annual Submission.--Not later than December 1 of each 
     year, beginning in 2015, the Secretary shall submit to the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the 
     Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives a report that contains the following:
       (1) The most recent evaluations submitted to the Secretary 
     under subsection (a)(3) that the Secretary has not previously 
     submitted to such Committees.
       (2) Any recommendations the Secretary considers 
     appropriate.

     SEC. 3. PUBLICATION OF INTERNET WEBSITE TO PROVIDE 
                   INFORMATION REGARDING MENTAL HEALTH CARE 
                   SERVICES.

       (a) In General.--Using funds made available to the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs to publish the Internet 
     websites of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary 
     shall survey the existing Internet websites and information 
     resources of the Department to publish an Internet website 
     that serves as a centralized source to provide veterans with 
     information regarding all of the mental health care services 
     provided by the Secretary.
       (b) Elements.--The Internet website published under 
     subsection (a) shall provide to veterans information 
     regarding all of the mental health care services available in 
     the Veteran Integrated Service Network that the veteran is 
     seeking such services, including, with respect to each 
     medical center, Vet Center (as defined in section 1712A of 
     title 38, United States Code), and community-based outpatient 
     center in the Veterans Integrated Service Network--
       (1) the name and contact information of each social work 
     office;
       (2) the name and contact information of each mental health 
     clinic;
       (3) a list of appropriate staff; and
       (4) any other information the Secretary determines 
     appropriate.
       (c) Updated Information.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
     the information described in subsection (b) that is published 
     on the Internet website under subsection (a) is updated not 
     less than once every 90 days.
       (d) Outreach.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary 
     shall ensure that the outreach conducted under section 
     1720F(i) of title 38, United States Code, includes 
     information regarding the Internet website published under 
     subsection (a).

     SEC. 4. PILOT PROGRAM FOR REPAYMENT OF EDUCATIONAL LOANS FOR 
                   CERTAIN PSYCHIATRISTS OF VETERANS HEALTH 
                   ADMINISTRATION.

       (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     carry out a pilot program to repay loans of individuals 
     described in subsection (b) that--
       (1) were used by such individuals to finance education 
     relating to psychiatric medicine, including education leading 
     to--
       (A) a degree of doctor of medicine; or
       (B) a degree of doctor of osteopathy; and
       (2) were obtained from any of the following:
       (A) A governmental entity.
       (B) A private financial institution.

[[Page H8900]]

       (C) A school.
       (D) Any other authorized entity as determined by the 
     Secretary.
       (b) Eligible Individuals.--
       (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), an individual 
     eligible for participation in the pilot program is an 
     individual who--
       (A) either--
       (i) is licensed or eligible for licensure to practice 
     psychiatric medicine in the Veterans Health Administration of 
     the Department of Veterans Affairs; or
       (ii) is enrolled in the final year of a residency program 
     leading to a specialty qualification in psychiatric medicine 
     that is approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate 
     Medical Education; and
       (B) demonstrates a commitment to a long-term career as a 
     psychiatrist in the Veterans Health Administration, as 
     determined by the Secretary.
       (2) Prohibition on simultaneous eligibility.--An individual 
     who is participating in any other program of the Federal 
     Government that repays the educational loans of the 
     individual is not eligible to participate in the pilot 
     program.
       (c) Selection.--The Secretary shall select not less than 10 
     individuals described in subsection (b) to participate in the 
     pilot program for each year in which the Secretary carries 
     out the pilot program.
       (d) Period of Obligated Service.--The Secretary shall enter 
     into an agreement with each individual selected under 
     subsection (c) in which such individual agrees to serve a 
     period of two or more years of obligated service for the 
     Veterans Health Administration in the field of psychiatric 
     medicine, as determined by the Secretary.
       (e) Loan Repayments.--
       (1) Amounts.--Subject to paragraph (2), a loan repayment 
     under this section may consist of payment of the principal, 
     interest, and related expenses of a loan obtained by an 
     individual who is participating in the pilot program for all 
     educational expenses (including tuition, fees, books, and 
     laboratory expenses) of such individual relating to education 
     described in subsection (a)(1).
       (2) Limit.--For each year of obligated service that an 
     individual who is participating in the pilot program agrees 
     to serve under subsection (d), the Secretary may pay not more 
     than $30,000 in loan repayment on behalf of such individual.
       (f) Breach.--
       (1) Liability.--An individual who participates in the pilot 
     program and fails to satisfy the period of obligated service 
     under subsection (d) shall be liable to the United States, in 
     lieu of such obligated service, for the amount that has been 
     paid or is payable to or on behalf of the individual under 
     the pilot program, reduced by the proportion that the number 
     of days served for completion of the period of obligated 
     service bears to the total number of days in the period of 
     obligated service of such individual.
       (2) Repayment period.--Any amount of damages that the 
     United States is entitled to recover under this subsection 
     shall be paid to the United States not later than one year 
     after the date of the breach of the agreement.
       (g) Report.--
       (1) Initial report.--Not later than two years after the 
     date on which the pilot program under subsection (a) 
     commences, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on 
     the pilot program.
       (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
     include the following:
       (A) The number of individuals who participated in the pilot 
     program, including the number of new hires.
       (B) The locations in which such individuals were employed 
     by the Department, including how many such locations were 
     rural or urban locations.
       (C) An assessment of the quality of the work performed by 
     such individuals in the course of such employment, including 
     the performance reviews of such individuals.
       (D) The number of psychiatrists the Secretary determines is 
     needed by the Department in the future.
       (3) Final report.--Not later than 90 days before the date 
     on which the pilot program terminates under subsection (i), 
     the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' 
     Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs 
     of the House of Representatives an update to the report 
     submitted under paragraph (1) and any recommendations that 
     the Secretary considers appropriate.
       (h) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe regulations 
     to carry out this section, including standards for qualified 
     loans and authorized payees and other terms and conditions 
     for the making of loan repayments.
       (i) Termination.--The authority to carry out the pilot 
     program shall expire on the date that is three years after 
     the date on which the Secretary commences the pilot program.

     SEC. 5. PILOT PROGRAM ON COMMUNITY OUTREACH.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     establish a pilot program to assist veterans transitioning 
     from serving on active duty and to improve the access of 
     veterans to mental health services.
       (b) Locations.--The Secretary shall carry out the pilot 
     program under subsection (a) at not less than five Veterans 
     Integrated Service Networks that have a large population of 
     veterans who--
       (1) served in the reserve components of the Armed Forces; 
     or
       (2) are transitioning into communities with an established 
     population of veterans after having recently separated from 
     the Armed Forces.
       (c) Functions.--The pilot program at each Veterans 
     Integrated Service Network described in subsection (b) shall 
     include the following:
       (1) A community oriented veteran peer support network, 
     carried out in partnership with an appropriate entity with 
     experience in peer support programs, that--
       (A) establishes peer support training guidelines;
       (B) develops a network of veteran peer support counselors 
     to meet the demands of the communities in the Veterans 
     Integrated Service Network;
       (C) conducts training of veteran peer support counselors;
       (D) with respect to one medical center selected by the 
     Secretary in each such Veterans Integrated Service Network, 
     has--
       (i) a designated peer support specialist who acts as a 
     liaison to the community oriented veteran peer network; and
       (ii) a certified mental health professional designated as 
     the community oriented veteran peer network mentor; and
       (E) is readily available to veterans, including pursuant to 
     the Veterans Integrated Service Network cooperating and 
     working with State and local governments and appropriate 
     entities.
       (2) A community outreach team for each medical center 
     selected by the Secretary pursuant to paragraph (1)(D) that--
       (A) assists veterans transitioning into communities;
       (B) establishes a veteran transition advisory group to 
     facilitate outreach activities;
       (C) includes the participation of appropriate community 
     organizations, State and local governments, colleges and 
     universities, chambers of commerce and other local business 
     organizations, and organizations that provide legal aid or 
     advice; and
       (D) coordinates with the Veterans Integrated Service 
     Network regarding the Veterans Integrated Service Network 
     carrying out an annual mental health summit to assess the 
     status of veteran mental health care in the community and to 
     develop new or innovative means to provide mental health 
     services to veterans.
       (d) Reports.--
       (1) Initial report.--Not later than 18 months after the 
     date on which the pilot program under subsection (a) 
     commences, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on 
     the pilot program. With respect to each Veterans Integrated 
     Service Network described in subsection (b), the report shall 
     include--
       (A) a full description of the peer support model 
     implemented under the pilot program, participation data, and 
     data pertaining to past and current mental health related 
     hospitalizations and fatalities;
       (B) recommendations on implementing peer support networks 
     throughout the Department;
       (C) whether the mental health resources made available 
     under the pilot program for members of the reserve components 
     of the Armed Forces is effective; and
       (D) a full description of the activities and effectiveness 
     of community outreach coordinating teams under the pilot 
     program, including partnerships that have been established 
     with appropriate entities.
       (2) Final report.--Not later than 90 days before the date 
     on which the pilot program terminates under subsection (e), 
     the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' 
     Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs 
     of the House of Representatives an update to the report 
     submitted under paragraph (1).
       (e) Construction.--This section may not be construed to 
     authorize the Secretary to hire additional employees of the 
     Department to carry out the pilot program under subsection 
     (a).
       (f) Termination.--The authority of the Secretary to carry 
     out the pilot program under subsection (a) shall terminate on 
     the date that is three years after the date on which the 
     pilot program commences.

     SEC. 6. COLLABORATION ON SUICIDE PREVENTION EFFORTS BETWEEN 
                   DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND NON-PROFIT 
                   MENTAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS.

       (a) Collaboration.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may 
     collaborate with non-profit mental health organizations to 
     prevent suicide among veterans as follows:
       (1) To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of suicide 
     prevention efforts carried out by the Secretary and non-
     profit mental health organizations.
       (2) To assist non-profit mental health organizations with 
     the suicide prevention efforts of such organizations through 
     the use of the expertise of employees of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs.
       (3) To jointly carry out suicide prevention efforts.
       (b) Exchange of Resources.--In carrying out any 
     collaboration under subsection (a), the Secretary and any 
     non-profit mental health organization with which the 
     Secretary is collaborating under such subsection shall 
     exchange training sessions and best practices to help with 
     the suicide prevention efforts of the Department and such 
     organization.
       (c) Director of Suicide Prevention Coordination.--The 
     Secretary shall select

[[Page H8901]]

     within the Department a Director of Suicide Prevention 
     Coordination to undertake any collaboration with non-profit 
     mental health organizations under this section or any other 
     provision of law.

     SEC. 7. ADDITIONAL PERIOD OF ELIGIBILITY FOR HEALTH CARE FOR 
                   CERTAIN VETERANS OF COMBAT SERVICE DURING 
                   CERTAIN PERIODS OF HOSTILITIES AND WAR.

       Paragraph (3) of section 1710(e) of title 38, United States 
     Code, is amended to read as follows:
       ``(3) In the case of care for a veteran described in 
     paragraph (1)(D), hospital care, medical services, and 
     nursing home care may be provided under or by virtue of 
     subsection (a)(2)(F) only during the following periods:
       ``(A) Except as provided by subparagraph (B), with respect 
     to a veteran described in paragraph (1)(D) who is discharged 
     or released from the active military, naval, or air service 
     after January 27, 2003, the five-year period beginning on the 
     date of such discharge or release.
       ``(B) With respect to a veteran described in paragraph 
     (1)(D) who is discharged or released from the active 
     military, naval, or air service after January 1, 2009, and 
     before January 1, 2011, but did not enroll to receive such 
     hospital care, medical services, or nursing home care 
     pursuant to such paragraph during the five-year period 
     described in subparagraph (A), the one-year period beginning 
     on January 1, 2015.
       ``(C) With respect to a veteran described in paragraph 
     (1)(D) who is discharged or released from the active 
     military, naval, or air service on or before January 27, 
     2003, and did not enroll in the patient enrollment system 
     under section 1705 of this title on or before such date, the 
     three-year period beginning on January 27, 2008.''.

     SEC. 8. PROHIBITION ON NEW APPROPRIATIONS.

       No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to 
     carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act, and 
     this Act and such amendments shall be carried out using 
     amounts otherwise made available for such purposes.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Miller) and the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks on H.R. 5059, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in proud support of H.R. 5059, as amended, 
the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act.
  In July, amidst the largest scandal--an accountability scandal--the 
Department of Veterans Affairs has ever faced, the committee heard 
testimony from three mothers whose sons had lost their lives to suicide 
following their service in our military.
  One of those mothers was Susan Selke, the mother of Clay Hunt. Clay 
was a Marine Corps combat veteran who served honorably in both 
Afghanistan and Iraq, where he was wounded in battle.
  Despite suffering from post-traumatic stress upon his separation, 
Clay devoted himself to humanitarian work and advocated on behalf of 
his fellow veterans.
  Nevertheless, in March of 2011, Clay took his own life at the age of 
28. Tragically, Clay was far from alone in his struggle, and his family 
and friends are far from alone in their heartbreak.
  On average, 22 of our Nation's heroes commit suicide each day, in 
spite of significant increases in VA's mental health and suicide 
prevention budget, staff, and programs over the last several years.
  What is more, for some groups of veterans, including female veterans 
and veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, suicide rates are actually 
getting worse.
  Mr. Speaker, we must do more to help these veterans. With the passage 
of H.R. 5059, as amended, which is named in Clay's memory, I think we 
will. The Clay Hunt SAV Act will help struggling veterans access the 
supportive services and mental health care they need to, hopefully, 
save their lives.
  To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of VA programs and 
increase awareness of available services, the bill would require an 
annual third-party evaluation of VA's mental health care and suicide 
prevention programs, and it would require that VA publish an 
interactive Web site to serve as the central source of information 
regarding VA mental health services.
  To increase VA's capacity to meet the mental health care needs of our 
veterans, it would establish a pilot program to repay education loans 
for individuals who have received a degree in psychiatric medicine and 
who agree to work at VA for at least 2 years.
  To create a seamless transition from Active Duty to veteran status 
and increase community support for those in need, it would establish a 
pilot program to assist veterans during transition and require VA to 
collaborate with nonprofit mental health organizations in their 
communities.
  Importantly, the bill would also extend an additional 1 year of 
eligibility for VA health care services for certain combat veterans who 
have not yet enrolled and whose 5-year combat eligibility period 
recently expired.
  Congressman Walz from Minnesota introduced the bill, along with me 
and Congresswoman Duckworth from Illinois. I would like to express my 
heartfelt appreciation to both of them for their service to our Nation 
in their uniform and in this Congress.
  I am proud to say that this bill has the support of numerous groups 
of veteran service organizations, including Iraq and Afghanistan 
Veterans of America, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, 
the American Legion, the Disabled American Veterans, the Military 
Officers Association of America, and the Wounded Warrior Project.
  The Clay Hunt SAV Act will not singlehandedly halt the scourge of 
suicide. The problems the VA health care system faces, and the mental 
health wounds of war that our veterans face, are far too deep for any 
single solution to resolve. But it is an important first step, and it 
is a step that we owe Clay and those like him who returned home from 
honorable service troubled in mind and in need of help.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in 
supporting H.R. 5059, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5059, the Clay Hunt SAV 
Act, which was introduced in July of this year. It has 134 cosponsors, 
including myself, Chairman Miller, and the chairman and ranking member 
of the Health Care Subcommittee. Congressman Walz is the primary 
sponsor of this very important piece of legislation.
  Over the years, the Veterans Affairs' Committee has taken steps to 
address the rise of suicide among veterans. In the 110th Congress we 
enacted the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act.
  Earlier in this Congress we reported H.R. 4971, which included a 
measure sponsored by our colleague, Representative Sinema, that would 
protect veterans who have worked in classified environments by ensuring 
that appropriate mental health care treatment options exist for them.
  Today, we are acting again, by considering H.R. 5059, the Clay Hunt 
SAV Act. There are no easy answers or quick fixes to addressing 
veterans suicide. It will take a concerted effort for all of us in 
Congress, the White House, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the 
Department of Defense to work together to find real solutions. Veterans 
support groups, community employers, and families are part of the 
solution too.
  H.R. 5059 takes a number of steps toward that goal. It will improve 
the safety net for at-risk veterans, while introducing some 
accountability into the Department of Veterans Affairs mental health 
care and suicide prevention programs, using a third-party evaluation.
  It will provide veterans with a Web site that will serve as a 
centralized source of information on mental health services.
  H.R. 5059 initiates a program to help address some of the glaring 
mental health personnel shortages at the Department of Veterans 
Affairs. While the incentives in this bill are limited to the 
psychiatric field, I would like to see this effort expanded in the 
future to all mental health professional shortfalls.
  H.R. 5059 also takes steps to temporarily expand peer support 
networks,

[[Page H8902]]

which we have heard are quite effective. I believe the reports required 
by this bill will confirm additional resources that should permanently 
be dedicated to fully utilizing peer support.
  H.R. 5059 also provides an additional window of eligibility for 
combat veterans who may have missed the window of opportunity to sign 
up for VA health care. This extra time will help to ensure that 
veterans receive the health care, including mental health care, that 
they need. I would encourage my colleagues to support this piece of 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to yield 2 
minutes to the gentleman from the First District of Michigan (Mr. 
Benishek), who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health.
  Mr. BENISHEK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman, the ranking member, 
and Mr. Walz, thank you so much for introducing this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to support the Clay 
Hunt SAV Act. I am honored to be an original cosponsor of this 
important legislation.
  As the father of a veteran, and a doctor who worked at the VA 
hospital in northern Michigan, I know that the challenges of military 
life do not end once our servicemembers return from active duty.
  The mental wounds of war may be invisible, but no less real to the 
young men and women suffering from them. Facing high unemployment 
rates, the stigma of post-traumatic stress disorder, and the loss of 
military fellowship, returning veterans often face a crisis of 
confidence at the very moment they should feel nothing but relief and 
rest.
  That is why our bill will help the VA to put the very best mental 
health professionals to work for our veterans and will create peer 
support networks to help catch those transitioning servicemembers who 
might otherwise fall through the cracks.
  The time to act to address the epidemic of veterans suicide is now. 
With this bill, and with continued focus on the health of our veterans, 
and their mental health as well, we can make a real impact.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and pass the Clay 
Hunt SAV Act.
  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Walz). I want to thank Mr. Walz for his continued effort 
to make sure that our veterans are taken care of in this great Nation 
of ours.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I want to extend my thanks to Chairman Miller 
and Ranking Member Michaud. I think an American public which, many 
times, thinks all politics is is bickering and fighting and pettiness 
needs to see the two examples that these leaders show, consistently 
putting the needs of our veterans first and foremost, finding areas to 
improve, and holding people accountable, but this piece of legislation, 
most importantly, finding solutions to make life better for our 
veterans. And for that, I am forever grateful to them for the work and 
for the staff that worked on this.

                              {time}  1515

  Ms. Duckworth is not able to be with us today. I said a lot of times 
that people talk about patriotism and service and heroics. In Tammy 
Duckworth's case, you just state her name, and her life is a living 
testament to that, and she works every day. We are just happy she is 
with her little one now, but she had a big part in this.
  There are very few things that unite this country in the security of 
our Nation and in the care of our warriors, as I think many of us know, 
as do the millions who have fought the conflicts and who have fought 
extremism across the globe--people like Clay Hunt, a young marine, who 
went and did his duty. He was wounded in Iraq.
  That was not enough for Clay, so he went to Afghanistan, where he 
experienced some of the most horrific conditions you could imagine. 
That was not enough for Clay. He came home after he did his service in 
the Marine Corps, and he continued to serve. He went to Haiti, taking 
his skills that he had learned in the military to help after the 
hurricane.
  Then he came and sat in many of our offices and had many 
conversations--everything from the GI Bill to the transitioning back of 
our warriors who are dealing with PTS and making sure that we address 
their mental health issues.
  I know, for many of us, Clay was the epitome of American patriotism, 
of strength, of everything that is right, and it comes as such a shock. 
I know it sounds like a cliche, but how could someone so strong and who 
had done so much be dealing with these demons? We know he was, and we 
know this Nation didn't do enough. We know he didn't receive the 
adequate care that he deserved and had earned. To be quite honest with 
you, it is in our Nation's best interest, both morally and security-
wise and everything else, to give them that.
  Again, he didn't stop there, and his parents didn't stop there. His 
parents--his mother and father--are here in this Chamber, as are his 
friends, to make sure this never happens to another family. Our friends 
at the veterans service organizations, like the IAVA and Paul Rykoff 
and his folks and the VFW, have asked us to do better.
  The result of this piece of legislation is the folks like Chairman 
Miller, Ranking Member Michaud, Tammy Duckworth, Mr. Benishek, and 
others who have come down here to speak. Our differences are small 
compared to our commonalities, and our care for our warriors has to be 
there. You heard the specifics of this bill, some of the things that it 
will do.
  There is not one of us who is kidding oneself that this is going to 
be the silver bullet, but it puts it on the forefront. It brings some 
solutions that came from our warriors, that came from best practices, 
that came from both sides of the aisle, and brought it forward to find 
real solutions.
  The thing that most encourages me about this is that it is asking us, 
if things are not working, evaluate them and get rid of them, and bring 
the things forward that are going to work. Don't get buried in studies 
for 10 years. We don't have 10 years. We don't have 10 days for people. 
It is now.
  That is, I think, the beauty of this piece of legislation. It starts 
to move those things forward. It starts to bring the communities back 
into this. It starts to understand a holistic approach to dealing with 
the issues of veterans' suicides, because this Nation cannot allow this 
to happen. We morally cannot. It attacks our soul when we do this. To 
be very honest, we can't afford to lose people like Clay Hunt.
  Clay Hunt is our leader. He is our future leader. He is our business 
leader. He would at some point have been in this Chamber or wherever he 
would have chosen to have gone. That was his destiny, and this is 
happening over 22 times every day.
  I encourage my colleagues to support this piece of legislation but, 
more importantly, to support the spirit that is behind it--bringing us 
together to get it right: to care for our warriors with the best 
possible use for our resources and an accountability to those resources 
to make sure that the outcome is most important.
  That outcome is honoring our commitment to the reintegration of these 
warriors. Once they have done their service to this country, bring them 
home; make them whole; make sure that they are able to continue to 
serve this Nation as they wish.
  For that, I am grateful. I am especially grateful for the leadership 
of Clay's family and of his mother, Susan, who absolutely said this can 
be done; this must be done; and it will be done. Thanks to these two 
gentlemen's leadership, it will.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from the Second District of Indiana (Mrs. Walorski), who is 
a stalwart supporter of veterans in her district and who has a great 
future ahead in veteran issues.
  Mrs. WALORSKI. I thank the distinguished gentleman from Florida, the 
chairman.
  Mr. Speaker, every day, 22 veterans take their own lives. Many of us 
in this Chamber have experienced this in our own districts. This has 
been a tragedy in my district as well. Sadly, on March 31, nearly 3 
years ago, Clay Hunt was one of those 22 veterans who took his own life 
at the age of 28.
  An Afghanistan and Iraq war veteran and suicide prevention advocate, 
Clay

[[Page H8903]]

Hunt epitomized what it meant to have a life of service both in and out 
of uniform. Today, we honor Clay and his family with H.R. 5059, the 
Clay Hunt SAV Act. Clay's story was one of bravery and dedication to 
our country.
  He enlisted in the Marine Corps and served on several missions to 
Iraq and Afghanistan. After his final deployment to Afghanistan, his 
unit returned in October of 2008, and he was honorably discharged from 
the Marines.
  Here is the key: Clay relied on the VA for medical care and received 
a 30 percent disability rating from the VA for PTSD. After realizing 
his PTSD is what prohibited him from keeping a steady job, he appealed 
the 30 percent rating and encountered a bureaucratic nightmare, 
including the VA's losing his files.
  Clay had to wait months to get in to see a psychiatrist at a VA 
medical center. When he finally did, he told his mother he would never 
go back. Two weeks later, Clay took his own life. Five weeks after his 
death and 18 months after filing an appeal with the VA for his PTSD 
rating, Clay's appeal went through. His PTSD rating was 100 percent.
  Too little, too late.
  Clay's story details the urgency our Nation's heroes deserve in care. 
If we are going to lower this incredibly alarming rate of suicides, we 
have to improve the access and effectiveness of mental health care 
available to our returning heroes, and this step is a step in the right 
direction. The Clay Hunt SAV Act will increase access to mental health 
care and improve the quality of care that troops and veterans receive.
  Together, we can change this system so no other veteran or spouse or 
parent will ever have to do what thousands of veterans have endured, 
including Clay. We owe it today to do what we can do and to continue 
the fight for our veterans, for what they have endured, and give them 
nothing but the best.
  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Brown), the incoming ranking member for the Veterans' 
Affairs Committee, who has been a strong advocate for our veterans for 
the number of years she has been on the committee.
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Thank you, Ranking Member Michaud.
  First of all, let me just thank you for your service--your 12 years 
of service to this Congress--for what you have done for veterans 
throughout this country and also for working with you on 
transportation. I want to salute you for all that you have done. Thank 
you very much.
  Mr. Speaker, earlier today, I visited the Walter Reed National 
Military Medical Center, where part of the facility is named the Murtha 
Cancer Center. Jack Murtha was a friend of mine, and he was the biggest 
advocate in Congress for men and women who serve in our military. I am 
especially proud of the visitors' center at the Normandy American 
Cemetery in France.
  I had the opportunity to visit this center not long after it opened 
in 2007. The visitors' center truly pays tribute to the soldiers who 
stormed the beaches. It gives visitors a true sense of what the men and 
their loved ones had gone through on that D-day. I am pleased to have 
worked with John Murtha, and I am pleased that his memory will live on 
in the Murtha Cancer Center at Walter Reed.
  I rise in support of this legislation, introduced by Mr. Walz, to 
help bring attention to the horrible problems that are affecting our 
Nation's veterans.
  I am pleased that my colleague introduced this legislation, which 
will require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of 
Defense to arrange for an outside evaluation of their mental health 
care and suicide prevention programs. I am also requiring any 
servicemember who is discharged for posttraumatic stress disorder or 
brain injury or military sexual trauma to get treatment. Twenty-two 
veterans' suicides per day is too many. One suicide is too many.
  Again, I want to thank Mr. Walz for introducing this legislation.
  Last night at the White House Christmas ball there were cards 
available for Members of Congress to sign that would be sent to 
servicemembers this holiday season. I have placed these cards in the 
Democratic cloakroom and in the Republican cloakroom, and I am asking 
for Members who would to sign these cards and send notes to our 
veterans throughout the world.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. I now yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
the great State of Florida (Mr. Jolly), a colleague of mine and a fine 
member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.
  Mr. JOLLY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5059, legislation to 
improve mental health and suicide prevention services for our Nation's 
veterans.
  Across the country today, there are families grieving, remembering 
loved ones who, in a moment of tragedy, took their own lives. These 
families also have in common another memory--the day their loved ones 
put on the uniform of the Armed Forces for the first time, who raised 
their right hands and took an oath to defend the Nation, to defend and 
protect each of us.
  In many ways, we as a nation have failed to defend and protect them. 
We have failed to ensure sufficient access to mental health care and 
suicide prevention services.
  We have remarkable caregivers and mental health counselors in our VA 
and DOD health systems who are on the front lines of mental health 
services every day, who do remarkable work; but, administratively, we 
must do more. We must empower veterans to seek immediate care for 
mental health and suicide prevention services. We must incentivize 
mental health professionals to join the VA workforce and deliver health 
care to our veterans, and we must improve the coordination between the 
VA and the DOD to deliver these services. This legislation does exactly 
that, and it is why it deserves our full support.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a matter of national importance, but it is also 
a matter of personal conviction for many families, including for a 
mother in my district who, on Memorial Day of this year, at the C.W. 
Bill Young VA Medical Center at Bay Pines, approached me to share a 
story about the loss of her son who took his own life while awaiting 
enrollment in the VA, while awaiting mental health treatment from the 
VA. His mental health needs were left untreated, and he took his own 
life.
  There are very few things more important for this body than to give 
voice to the voiceless. We are doing that today by speaking out about 
the tragic experiences of those who are no longer with us and by 
improving a health care system that provides remarkable care every day 
to our veterans but who need this Congress and this administration to 
enact much-needed changes. Mr. Speaker, this is critically important 
legislation, and I urge my colleagues to join me in its passage.
  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, how many more speakers has the gentleman 
from Florida?
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. We have one more speaker before I close.
  Mr. MICHAUD. We have one more speaker, and I believe she is on her 
way.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from the Sixth District of Illinois (Mr. Roskam), a gentleman 
who does not serve on the committee with us but who has a very keen 
interest in veterans affairs issues.
  Mr. ROSKAM. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
  Mr. Speaker, in listening to the debate and this discussion today, 
this is really a bill about real contrasts. The contrast, as the 
gentleman from Minnesota described a couple of minutes ago, is starting 
at a very high point, which is a sense of calling, a sense of 
patriotism, a sense of going forward and meeting a duty and joining the 
Armed Forces of the United States. That is one end of the spectrum. At 
the other end of the spectrum was the description that Mrs. Walorski 
had, and that was of Clay Hunt's experience.
  From one end of the spectrum to the other.
  As I was sitting and listening, Mr. Speaker, I was looking above your 
head. There is a clock over your head. If you look at these numbers, 
you have 22 people every day who are going to kill themselves, and we 
know that. If you think about that and if you look at that clock, you 
think, in a little bit more than an hour, there is going to be a 
terrible thing that is going to happen. The good news is that Tammy

[[Page H8904]]

Duckworth from Illinois and Tim Walz from Minnesota and Jeff Miller 
from Florida decided to do something about it.
  The power of this is when you have that broad of a political spectrum 
that says we are not going to tolerate this, that we are going to make 
sure that this issue is not lost in the shuffle, that this is not a 
statistic, that this is not 22. Rather, these are people who are going 
to be named; these are people who are going to be discussed; and these 
are people who are going to be defended.

                              {time}  1530

  So I am happy today to join with those who are asking for favorable 
passage of the Clay Hunt SAV Act.
  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Providing sufficient and effective mental health care to our veterans 
is an issue that I believe we must focus on. It is an issue that I hope 
will bring comprehensive policies in the next Congress. Finding real 
solutions will require all of us working together and will require 
sufficient resources and dedication.
  I know my colleague, the gentleman from Minnesota, will be at the 
forefront of this fight, joined by Chairman Miller, Ranking Member-
elect Ms. Brown, and all of the Republicans and Democrats on the 
Veterans' Affairs Committee. But I will not be in the House of 
Representatives next session to join that fight.
  In my years in Congress, I have worked hard toward solutions that 
provide modern and effective care and benefits for our veterans. I have 
fought against inadequate budgets and for resources necessary to do the 
job. I have worked hard to improve the care and benefits of our newest 
veterans, while never forgetting our veterans from previous conflicts.
  I have been encouraged by what we have all been able to accomplish 
together. But there is more that we have to do, and I know my 
colleagues will not give up the fight until we have won that battle.
  But I do want to thank Chairman Miller for his leadership, his 
support, and his friendship over the years. It has been an honor to 
work with Chairman Miller, and it has been a pleasure to serve with him 
as well.
  I also want to thank the members of the House Veterans' Affairs 
Committee, both past and present. They have been true colleagues, 
mentors, and friends.
  I want to wish the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown), our ranking 
member-elect, the best of luck, and I hope that she will enjoy her time 
as ranking member as much as I have enjoyed my time as ranking member.
  And for the staff, both the majority and minority staff, they are the 
ones that make Members look good. They work very hard day and night to 
make sure that the policies that the members of the committee want are 
put into legislation.
  I can say truly that the majority and minority staff in this Congress 
has worked very well together. They have put aside the partisanship 
that other committees have not. So I thank them for their hard work and 
dedication to making sure that we do what we are here to do, and that 
is to serve our veterans.
  There is no more noble calling than serving those who have served 
this great Nation of ours.
  And to my colleagues here in Congress who are veterans and to 
America's veterans, I will simply say, thank you. Thank you for your 
service to this great Nation of ours. It is because of you that we are 
the country that we are today. You never turned your back. You never 
faltered. And some of you have made the ultimate sacrifice and have 
given your life for this country. So thank you for your service.
  Mr. Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to support this bill and move 
it to the Senate.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I would be remiss if I did not say thank you to the gentleman from 
Maine, Mike Michaud. As the ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs 
Committee, we, as a team, along with the members and the staff, have 
accomplished much this year, but it has all been done in a bipartisan 
way. We were able to move large pieces of legislation that will impact, 
in a positive way, veterans for years to come.
  We uncovered probably the largest scandal that has ever been 
uncovered at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and we are now turning 
that agency in a direction to where it serves the veterans and not 
itself.
  This wouldn't have happened without the steady hand of the gentleman 
from Maine, Mike Michaud, as the ranking member. Again, he is a fine 
man. He has been a great Representative, and he is a friend that will 
be missed. I look forward to going to Maine one day and hunting moose 
with Mike, whom I have pestered for 12 years to get a chance to go up 
and visit. But we will miss him, and we wish him well.
  And with that, I want to take a moment to express my condolences and 
my appreciation to Clay's family, whom I understand are in the Capitol 
with us today, as well as to all the families of veterans who have lost 
their lives to suicide. My thoughts and my prayers are with each of 
them.
  Once again, I encourage all the Members to support this legislation, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I was proud to help introduce H.R. 5059, 
the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act with 
Chairman Jeff Miller and Representative Tim Walz.
  This bipartisan bill, named after 28-year-old Marine Veteran Clay 
Hunt, who tragically took his own life in March 2011, will reduce the 
barriers that prevent our Veterans from receiving quality mental health 
care.
  It is a heartbreaking reality that twenty-two Veterans take their own 
lives each day. These are all casualties of war. As a nation, we are 
failing these brave men and women.
  This legislation will task an independent, third party to annually 
review mental health care and suicide prevention programs and make 
recommendations on how to improve care. The bill also requires the VA 
to create a centralized source of information for all mental health 
services for Veterans. It will also address the shortage of mental 
health care professionals in order to ensure access to care as demand 
increases. Finally, through a pilot program, Veterans will receive 
reintegration assistance directly from the communities in which they 
live, fostering a smoother and more inclusive transition to life after 
the uniform.
  Just as these Veterans remained faithful to our country on the 
battlefield, it is our turn as their Representatives to remain faithful 
to them. When our service men and women make the brave decision to seek 
help, we must ensure that they can get the quality assistance and 
treatment they deserve in a timely manner.
  I urge all of the Members to support this legislation so that we can 
begin to turn the tide against suicide.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Salmon). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5059, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to direct 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide for the conduct of annual 
evaluations of mental health care and suicide prevention programs of 
the Department of Veterans Affairs, to require a pilot program on loan 
repayment for psychiatrists who agree to serve in the Veterans Health 
Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other 
purposes.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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