[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12577-12584]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1915
                        SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Mooney of West Virginia). Under the 
Speaker's announced policy of January 6, 2015, the gentlewoman from 
Arizona (Ms. Sinema) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of 
the minority leader.


                             General Leave

  Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, September is Suicide Prevention Month, a 
time for our Nation to raise awareness about the recurring tragedy of 
suicide.
  Last month, the VA released an updated comprehensive study on veteran 
suicide, finding an estimated 20 veterans lose their lives to suicide 
every day. Twenty veterans a day should be a call to action for our 
country and for this Congress. We must do more.
  Typically, time in this House Chamber is split; Republicans have 1 
hour and Democrats have another. But I believe this issue is too 
important to be overshadowed by partisan politics, and that is why 
tonight I have invited Members from both sides of the aisle to show our 
commitment to solving this problem together and find real solutions for 
our veterans.
  This is the fourth year that I have held this event in this Chamber 
to raise awareness and send a clear message that the epidemic of 
veteran suicide must end. We have so much more work left to do.
  Tonight I hope that we, as a body, will demonstrate our ongoing 
support for the individuals, organizations, and agencies devoted to 
preventing the epidemic of veteran suicide. We challenge the VA, the 
Department of Defense, and our fellow lawmakers to do more.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, we are failing in our obligation to do right by 
those who have served our country so honorably.
  Finally, we send a message to military families who have experienced 
this tragedy. Our message is simple: Your family's loss isn't 
forgotten. We work for the memory of your loved ones, and we will not 
rest until every veteran has access to the care that he or she needs.
  I have often shared the story of a young veteran from my district, 
Sergeant Daniel Somers. Sergeant Somers was an Army veteran of two 
tours in Iraq. He served on Task Force Lightning, an intelligence unit. 
He ran over 400 combat missions as a machine gunner in the turret of a 
Humvee; and part of his role required him to interrogate dozens of 
terrorist suspects. His work was deemed classified.
  Like many veterans, though, Daniel was haunted by the war when he 
returned home. He suffered from flashbacks, nightmares, depression, and 
additional symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, made worse by a 
traumatic brain injury.
  Daniel needed help. He and his family asked for help, but, 
unfortunately, the VA enrolled Sergeant Somers in group therapy 
sessions, which Sergeant Somers could not attend for fear of disclosing 
classified information.
  Despite repeated requests for individualized counseling, or some 
other reasonable accommodation to allow Sergeant Somers to receive 
appropriate care for his PTSD, the VA delayed providing Sergeant Somers 
with appropriate support and care.
  Like many veterans, Sergeant Somers' isolation got worse when he 
transitioned to civilian life. He tried to provide for his family, but 
he was unable to work due to his disability. Sergeant Somers struggled 
with the VA bureaucracy. His disability appeal had been pending for 
over 2 years in the system without any resolution.
  Sergeant Somers didn't get the help that he needed in time. On June 
10 of 2013, Sergeant Somers wrote a letter to his family. In this 
letter he said: ``I am not getting better, I am not going to get 
better, and I will most certainly deteriorate further as time goes 
on.''
  He went on in the letter to say: ``I am left with basically nothing. 
Too trapped in a war to be at peace; too damaged to be at war. 
Abandoned by those who would take the easy road, and a liability to 
those who stick it out and, thus, deserve better. So you see, not only 
am I better off dead, but the world is better without me in it. This is 
what brought me to my actual final mission.''
  We lost Daniel Somers that day, and no one who returns home from 
serving our country should ever feel like he or she has nowhere to 
turn.
  Mr. Speaker, and Members, I am committed to working on both sides of 
the aisle to ensure that no veteran feels trapped like Sergeant Somers 
did, and that all of our veterans have access to appropriate mental 
health care.
  Sergeant Somers' story is familiar to too many military families. 
Sergeant Somers' parents, Howard and Jean, were devastated by the loss 
of their son, but they bravely shared Sergeant Somers' story and 
created a mission of their own. Their mission is to ensure that Sergant 
Somers' story brings to light America's deadliest war, the 20 veterans 
that we lose every day to suicide.
  Many of my colleagues have met with Howard and Jean. They are working 
with Congress and the VA to share their experiences with the VA 
healthcare system and find ways to improve care for veterans and their 
families.
  Our office worked closely with Howard and Jean to develop the 
Sergeant Daniel Somers Classified Veterans Access to Care Act. The 
Sergeant Daniel Somers Act ensures that veterans with classified 
experiences can access appropriate mental health services at the 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
  Our bill directs the Secretary of the VA to establish standards and 
procedures to ensure that a veteran who participated in a classified 
mission, or who served in a sensitive unit, may access mental health 
care in a manner that fully accommodates his or her obligation to not 
improperly disclose classified information.
  The bill also directs the Secretary to disseminate guidance to 
employees of the Veterans Health Administration, including mental 
health professionals, on such standards and procedures on how best to 
engage veterans during the course of mental health treatment with 
respect to classified information.
  Finally, the bill directs the Secretary to allow veterans with 
classified experiences to self-identify so they can quickly receive 
care in an appropriate setting.
  The Sergeant Daniel Somers Act passed the House in February, but now 
we are waiting for the Senate to take action. No veteran or family 
should go through the same tragedy that the Somers family experienced, 
and we owe it to our veterans to pass and sign this bill into law.
  While we are waiting for Congress to act, Arizona is taking action. 
We are doing it ourselves. Our office took immediate action when we 
heard from brave whistleblowers about the tragedy at the Phoenix VA. We 
have now held nine veterans clinics, helping over 1,000 veterans and 
military members access the benefits they have earned. Our team helps 
veterans with everything they need, from housing to job placement, to 
education.
  Mr. Speaker, I will speak more about the work we are doing in 
Arizona, but I would like to yield to my colleague from New York (Mr. 
Gibson), who has bravely served our country.
  Mr. GIBSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague, 
Representative Sinema. I thank her for her passion for the issue, for 
her leadership which she brings here tonight and on all days on this 
very important issue for veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a very personal issue for me. After 29 years in 
the United States Army, initially starting as a 17-year-old private in 
the New York Army National Guard and, after 5 years, making the 
transition to the regular Army as a Commissioned Officer and serving 24 
additional years, including 4 combat tours in Iraq, time in

[[Page 12578]]

the Balkans, also in Haiti, over that time, I have seen the human 
condition under very severe and acute stress, and have seen humans at 
their best and humans at their worst.
  Now, in this role in Congress, I think it is critically important 
that we come together and provide all the support that we can for our 
servicemen and -women, for our veterans, and for their families.
  Mr. Speaker, my wife is also involved in helping on this score, as 
she is a licensed clinical social worker, and she commits herself to 
helping. She is involved in therapy for our veterans. And for both of 
us, we have seen this from the vantage point of being on Active Duty, 
and then retiring from the United States military and being a civilian, 
in a community, and now serving in Congress.
  It is clear that, as far as the status of our veterans--well, I 
guess, perhaps not surprisingly a lot like the rest of America--it is 
variegated. Some veterans are doing really well; got home, integrated, 
and really excelling in every capacity in life. Yet, Mr. Speaker, there 
are some that are really struggling. They are struggling to find their 
footing, to reintegrate into society. They may be struggling 
financially. Others have grievous wounds that they incurred in this 
war, and others who still were not physically wounded are carrying 
emotional scars.
  So really, that is, I think, the calling here tonight. Congresswoman 
Sinema has pulled together this Special Order for us to put a focus on 
that, and I deeply appreciate that because the American people need to 
know: Is their government listening? Do we hear the calls from our 
veterans, their families, and from their loved ones, from their 
friends, and from all Americans who are concerned about the status of 
our veterans?
  Mr. Speaker, our government is listening. We have taken action. There 
is much more to be done, but I think it is important to also give an 
accounting. A transparent, accountable government must provide report 
on what has been done.
  Mr. Speaker, I was at the White House when we did the bill signing, 
when President Obama signed into law the Clay Hunt suicide awareness 
and prevention bill. Clay Hunt, a great American hero, a Marine who 
fought bravely for our country in both Iraq and Afghanistan, who came 
back and who candidly knew that he was having some mental health 
challenges; and the way he dealt with that was to commit himself to 
helping others. And he did make a difference, again.
  Unfortunately, he ultimately lost his battle with the mental health 
challenges that he had, and his family took up the cause in that 
immediate aftermath. It is through the inspiration of Clay Hunt, the 
way he lived his life, that we came together here in this House. And I 
thank Sergeant Major Walz, the highest ranking enlisted man to ever 
serve in these Chambers, for authoring the bill. I was proud to be a 
part of it.
  But this, we believe, will make a positive difference. It will not 
solve all, but it does audit our programs to take a look at what is 
doing well, and other programs that are still challenged, well-
intentioned, but challenged; and it is going to provide a clearinghouse 
so that we can learn from these experiences.
  It also starts a pilot program that is going to pay for the education 
for Americans who want to volunteer to be part of this effort to help 
veterans, the Clay Hunt suicide awareness and prevention, now law.
  Likewise, the Female Veteran Suicide Prevention Act, we passed that 
in both Chambers, and the President of the United States signed that 
into law.
  We also enacted the Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act, which I also 
think will make a positive difference for our veterans.
  And then, of course, about 18 months ago we enacted the VA's most 
sweeping reform of the VA, arguably, in our lifetime. Now, we are still 
in the throes of implementing that, so we haven't seen the full effect, 
but the intent of which is to address what Congresswoman Sinema was 
addressing moments ago, and that was the backlogs at the VA.
  We have enacted legislation that I believe will ultimately, when it 
is fully implemented, over time, help reduce those backlogs, bring 
better quality care and more accountability to our VA.
  I want to also mention that, while these aforementioned bills are now 
law, we passed on this floor a bill a couple of months ago that I think 
will also make a significant difference and it will help the mental 
health of all Americans: Tim Murphy's bill on mental health that is now 
over in the Senate. And I think that will have a contributing effect to 
our veterans.
  So while there is an accounting of the actions we have taken to date, 
there is still much more to be done. And let me begin by saying that, 
after all these efforts, only a third of the veterans who are eligible 
to enroll in the VA are presently signed up.

                              {time}  1930

  We have to do better than that. I think we need public service, we 
need leadership by example, and we need a whole series of efforts to 
reach out to our veterans to get them into this community of care. In 
part, some of it is going to have to come from confidence in the VA, 
which we need to improve. So we recognize that while we have the 
Veterans Administration and we are trying to improve it, we are working 
hard on that, we also need to try to inspire to get more vets to use 
it.
  I will also say that my assessment is, as I mentioned, having served 
on Active Duty and now on this side on retirement, I think the peer-to-
peer programs are critically important because we have a number of 
programs to help. As I mentioned, my wife is participating in one of 
them with the therapy helping.
  The fact of the matter is that if a veteran is in crisis in the dark 
of the night, and we have no way of reaching out to him, we could lose 
him, regardless of what programs we have.
  So these peer-to-peer efforts, which there are some now, some pilot 
programs and some important ones that are going on--we have one in New 
York State. I heard Congresswoman Sinema talking about a program they 
have in Arizona. In New York State, we have a peer-to-peer program 
actually started by one of our colleagues here now, Lee Zeldin from 
Long Island. When he was serving in the State Senate, he coauthored a 
bill that became law in our State that has been helping with peer to 
peer. I think this is critically important that we have this 
camaraderie and that we have this capacity that reaches out so that 
veterans know they are never alone.
  In the Army, we had a program that we called the Ranger Buddy 
program, or it is sometimes called the Airborne Buddy, or sometimes 
just the plain Soldier Buddy. But the point is that for moments of 
ideations, the darkest of ideations, we need to have that support that 
will then lend itself to a transition to the other programs we have at 
the VA and other places in the light of day.
  I am going to close with this: while we need to do more to help with 
the physical condition for our veterans, to help them heal, and to also 
work their mental health, to support that and improve that. I firmly 
this: One of the things that rallies all servicemembers is a real sense 
of mission, the notion that what they are doing is certainly greater 
than themselves. They are helping to protect an exceptional way of 
life, and that is such a source of pride for our servicemen and -women. 
When they make the transition, sometimes that is not even fully 
cognizant for our servicemen and -women. They have appreciation for it, 
but sometimes it really takes the separation of years to recognize how 
significant that moment in their life was, that period of time in their 
life.
  So for some veterans, when they get home, they miss this, that sense 
of camaraderie, that sense of cohesion, and that sense of purpose that 
goes with dedicating a life to a cause.
  So as we work on improving the physical health and the mental health 
of our veterans, I would also say that it is important that we help 
veterans find that cause in their civilian life in any capacity, 
whether it is helping out

[[Page 12579]]

with other wounded veterans, helping in schools, helping senior 
citizens, or helping the Scouts. In any capacity, it is getting that 
sense of mission back again. I think that has got to be key to all 
these programs.
  I want to close by just thanking, again, Congresswoman Sinema. I 
thank the gentlewoman for her great leadership on this. Let us all go 
forward dedicated to continuing to work on this issue and find ways 
where we can come together to make a difference.
  Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Gibson for his words. 
I thank the gentleman for his service to our country. I thank 
especially the gentleman's wife. As a fellow social worker, I thank her 
for her work serving veterans.
  I thank Representative Hill for joining us this evening.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague from Arkansas, French Hill.
  Mr. HILL. I thank the Congresswoman from Arizona, my distinguished 
colleague on the House Financial Services Committee. I thank the 
gentlewoman for calling attention to all the Members in the House in 
this hallowed Chamber on this very, very important topic. So I thank 
the gentlewoman for inviting us to share.
  Mr. Speaker, in 2013, a documentary about the Veterans Crisis Line 
aired on HBO. Winning an Academy Award for Best Short Subject 
Documentary in 2015, ``Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1'' highlighted 
the suicide crisis that we are talking about here tonight. It talked 
about the crisis that is facing our Nation's veterans and the men and 
women who are employed by the hotline that have devoted their time and 
their expertise in listening to our veterans and trying to aid them in 
their moment of crisis. Too many times, these calls are ones of last 
resort, with our veterans having nowhere else to turn and no one else 
to help them.
  Over the years, we have continued to hear of the tragic crisis facing 
our veterans who continue to suffer from the invisible wounds of war 
that wreak havoc on their minds, destroy families, and, sadly, claim 
the lives of an average of some 20 veterans every day.
  Arkansas' Second Congressional District is home to many of our brave 
veterans from the conflicts of our country. Many servicemembers 
currently who serve at Little Rock Air Force Base and at Camp Robinson 
and our veterans in central Arkansas are fortunate to have one of the 
top facilities in the entire country when it comes to treating mental 
health issues.
  The Towbin Healthcare Center, more commonly known as Fort Roots, 
located in north Little Rock, Arkansas, provides our local veterans 
with mental health care facilities and services that have received 
national attention on ``60 Minutes.'' The doctors at Fort Roots, their 
innovation, their success with post-traumatic stress disorder, and 
their treatments have gotten that kind of national recognition. The 
management, the doctors, and the rank-and-file employees work 
tirelessly to give our veterans suffering from PTSD and traumatic brain 
injury a chance for rehabilitation and for getting back and getting on 
with their lives and their families.
  The Central Arkansas Veterans Mental Health Council has also 
partnered with veterans, their families, and the central Arkansas 
community to help address this ongoing crisis and better help serve the 
mental health needs of our Arkansas veterans.
  In Congress, we are working together on a bipartisan basis to enact 
policies that help our veterans and reform our mental health care 
system. Last year, the House passed with bipartisan support and the 
President signed into law the Clay Hunt SAV Act to increase access to 
mental health care for veterans and ensure the accountability of our 
Federal agencies in providing essential suicide prevention services.
  The bill's namesake, a marine veteran from Houston, Texas, who served 
in Iraq and Afghanistan, Clay Hunt took his own life at the age of 28 
in 2011, after a years-long struggle with PTSD that he had suffered as 
a result of his brave service to our country.
  We are also working to better address the mental health needs of our 
entire country through the passage of the Helping Families In Mental 
Health Crisis Act, which was on the House floor earlier this summer. 
This landmark bill, introduced by our colleague, Representative Murphy 
from Pennsylvania, was cosponsored by over 200 bipartisan Members of 
the House and addresses our seriously outdated mental health care 
system by refocusing and retooling our mental health programs, 
clarifying our privacy laws to ensure healthcare professionals can 
communicate with caregivers, and addressing the shortages in our mental 
health workforce and treatment facilities.
  In the debate on that bill, it was stunning to learn that in the mid-
1970s we had some half a million mental healthcare beds in this 
country, and now we have some 50,000. It is sad to hear the stories of 
parents of adult children who have lost them because of the lack of 
communication and the lack of service in some of our States in mental 
health. I commend Congressman Murphy for helping lead and build a major 
bipartisan coalition on this important topic.
  But all of us together--and I again thank the Congresswoman from 
Arizona--we all must work together and continue to move forward with 
thoughtful and effective legislation on the issue of mental health and 
mental health access and do what we can to save the lives of our 
veterans and reverse this deadly trend of suicides.
  I am proud to join my colleagues this evening to discuss this 
important matter, and I am committed to ensuring that all of our 
veterans, our servicemembers, and their families receive the care and 
information they need to prevent suicide and help them heal and recover 
from these invisible wounds of war.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Sinema for this time. I thank the 
gentlewoman for the opportunity to share this part of the evening with 
her, and I commend the gentlewoman for her leadership.
  Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Hill for joining us and 
his leadership in the Congress on mental health and veterans issues.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague from California, Scott Peters, 
who currently represents Howard and Jean Somers whom I was speaking 
about earlier. I thank the gentleman for being here.
  Mr. PETERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Sinema for organizing 
this bipartisan gathering to raise awareness about the suicide epidemic 
plaguing our veterans community and for the gentlewoman's leadership on 
this important cause.
  San Diego is home to the third largest population of veterans in the 
Nation. Every year, roughly half of the servicemembers stationed in San 
Diego are discharged and stay in the region after they leave service. 
With more than 236,000 residing in San Diego County, honoring our 
commitment to veterans--the benefits they earned through their 
service--is one of the most important jobs we have in Congress, and I 
think folks are recognizing that here tonight.
  During Suicide Prevention Month, we turn our focus to ending the 
awful reality of veteran suicide that has hurt families and communities 
across the country. Every day, 20 veterans tragically take their own 
lives. Regardless of the number or rates, every veteran suicide is one 
too many. But there is much more we can do.
  Mental health issues are still stigmatized in our country, but it is 
time we recognized the unique challenges faced by servicemembers and 
veterans in this regard. Post-traumatic stress is all too prevalent 
among our warfighters when they return home. We don't call it a 
disorder because it is often a perfectly natural reaction to the 
horrors that they have seen and the difficulties they have experienced. 
So we have to come together as a nation to address this issue. Our men 
and women in uniform deserve our dedication, just as they dedicated 
their lives to serving our Nation.
  In San Diego, we are taking some innovative and collaborative 
approaches to addressing veteran suicide by combining government, 
private groups, and community partners. Since 2014,

[[Page 12580]]

zero8hundred has helped local veterans transition from Active Duty to 
civilian life. This community-based nonprofit connects with 
servicemembers before they leave the military, and it makes sure that 
they know about the abundant services and community resources available 
to them as they transition themselves into new jobs and into new lives.
  Courage to Call is another San Diego resource, a 24/7 helpline 
completely staffed by veterans ready to speak with Active Duty 
military, reservists, Guard members, and fellow vets to help them 
navigate challenges that come with life in and after the service.
  In war, servicemembers depend on one another for guidance and 
support, and they should have that same support as civilians. This 
service was started in San Diego by 2-1-1, a local public-private 
partnership, a nexus to connect community resources with the 
individuals that can take advantage of them. It is a perfect example of 
how providing a central portal for benefits, employment, and housing 
help simplify the process and get veterans the benefits that they earn.
  We also have medical centers that use innovative models of care to 
meet the needs of our servicemembers and veterans. I hope we can 
implement some of these same standards of care across the country. But 
that is not possible unless we come together--come together as 
leaders--and pass bipartisan reforms to veterans care.
  As Congresswoman Sinema has mentioned, she and I have had the honor 
of working with Dr. Howard and Jean Somers, who have been tireless 
advocates for reforming the broken healthcare system at the Department 
of Veterans Affairs after they lost their son, Daniel, to suicide in 
2013.
  While it is not perfect, and we have a lot of implementation steps to 
take, the Veterans Choice Act and the Veterans Accountability Act that 
we debated earlier tonight will help bring accountability to a system 
wrought with oversight and leadership challenges.
  We also need to provide more flexible treatment options like 
telehealth technologies that allow veterans to receive care from the 
comfort of their homes.
  Finally, and I think maybe most importantly, we need to break the 
stigma of mental health issues once and for all. We know how difficult 
it has been to deal with the veterans who come to the VA for care, but 
there is a great number who never touch the VA who suffer in loneliness 
at home and have never connected with the VA even with a phone call, 
and they take their lives before they even make the attempt.

                              {time}  1945

  We need to do a better job of outreach to those folks to make sure 
that they know that they have the support of the veterans community and 
the larger community at home.
  We have to treat these unseen battle scars with the same gravity and 
respect as the visible ones. We owe it to our Nation's heroes to end 
the tragedy of veteran suicide. This is a conversation I am proud to be 
a part of. I am committed to constructive results.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Ms. Sinema again for her leadership on 
this and for organizing this evening.
  Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Peters, and I thank him 
for his willingness to work tirelessly with me and with others on the 
issues that we know affect not just Howard and Jean and their son 
Daniel, but many other veterans around the country.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho), who is 
joining us for the fourth year in a row. I thank him so much for being 
here.
  Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Sinema for putting this on for 4 
years in a row because this is such an important topic that we all need 
to be engaged in as a nation. Mr. Speaker, as Ms. Sinema and I came in 
together, she has hosted this Special Order, and I thank her for 
calling it to the attention of America.
  Last year, I remember we stood here on the House floor talking about 
22 suicides per day, but the current figures say 20. I would like to 
think that part of that reason for a decrease in that is the effort 
that she has inspired people to be more aware of this issue. And I hope 
that the veterans out there, the people in trouble, are watching C-SPAN 
tonight and they are watching this presentation, this talk that is 
coming out of the heart of so many Members of Congress talking about 
this very important issue and letting them know that we are here and 
that we are aware of this.
  September is National Suicide Prevention Month. As a country, we need 
to use this platform to make it a national priority every hour, every 
day, every month of the year. With a reduction of two suicides per day, 
that is a great thing, but 20 is way too many.
  Suicide is among the top 10 leading causes of death in the United 
States. I urge all Americans to take the time to learn the warning 
signs and where to find help for someone who may be struggling. From 
the brilliant comedian Robin Williams, to bullied young kids, to the 
brave men and women of our Nation's military returning from the 
battlefield, suicide does not discriminate. Emotional pain and despair 
can set in and take root in the mind of all ages and across all 
demographics.
  We are focusing on our military because of the liberties and freedoms 
we experience in this country every day. I am shameful to admit that I 
take those for granted at times. But we only have those liberties and 
freedoms from the sacrifice, dedication, and commitment of the people 
that are willing to lay everything on the line for this country, along 
with their spouses, their children, and their family.
  Too many times, the signs of suicide go undetected, which leave those 
left behind asking: Why did this happen? What could we have done to 
help prevent this tragedy?
  I had a dear friend of mine who had committed suicide. I grew up with 
him. I saw him reach out, and in a busy world, we are all consumed. I 
feel guilty not putting a hand in there to do more to prevent that. I 
know his family has suffered, I know the people around him have 
suffered, and I know there is a void in my life that will never be 
refilled. I often wonder: Had I reached out, would things have been 
different?
  Often, the signs, as I said, go undetected, which leave those asking: 
Why did this happen?
  We can work beyond that. It is so important that we have an open and 
honest dialogue about the issue of suicide. The more we talk about it, 
the more we increase people's awareness that there is help and there 
are alternatives.
  Today, a disproportionate amount of our Nation's veterans are falling 
victim to suicide. After all they have given to this country, it is 
tragic and unacceptable that our Nation's veterans often suffer alone 
until it is too late for those around them to help. Sometimes it is out 
of pride, sometimes it is out of fear, but they don't want to reach 
out.
  As my colleague French Hill pointed out, at one point in time in this 
country, there were over 500,000 beds in mental health facilities, and 
we are down to 50,000. I applaud the work of this Congress and Dr. 
Murphy, Tim Murphy, for bringing this to the spotlight.
  By shining a light on the veteran suicide issue, we as a nation start 
to understand the urgency with which we need to solve and prevent this 
epidemic that our veterans--not alone, but with their family and their 
friends--struggle with. Not recognizing the signs early enough all too 
often leads to that loss of life that if only we were aware of those 
conditions, those signs, and we reached out and we called, we let 
somebody know, we could have stopped that and saved a life, saved a 
family, and saved a veteran.
  Our government asks our men and women to please place themselves in 
harm's way. We as a nation must come together to ensure a strong 
support system is in place to help them when they come home.
  This begins with raising public awareness--like any campaign, if you 
don't have public awareness, if you don't bring this to the forefront, 
it stays in the shadows, and the condition

[[Page 12581]]

goes on and sometimes increases--and eliminating stigmas associated 
with seeking help. This means connecting combat veterans with mental 
health providers.
  We heard the last speaker talking about telemedicine. That doesn't 
work for everybody; but for the person that doesn't want to go to a 
clinic or doesn't have access, it is a great way to go, and a lot of 
people prefer that. We see that over and over again.
  This means additional mental health resources. Again, I am proud that 
this Congress passed that bill and that the President signed it. And 
this means prioritizing a change in our Nation's approach to 
recognizing the needs of others who may be suffering in silence, as I 
talked about my friend.
  Congress and the VA are working to enact changes that will help save 
our soldiers, but we cannot do it alone, nor can they. It is the 
American people that will lead the way in changing the way society 
views, recognizes, and treats mental health conditions.
  I saw this at a seminar, and this was so important to me. The mental 
health issue is not a partisan issue. We need to remove the stigma from 
mental health. Heck, look at other diseases. Many times it is a 
chemical imbalance, just like a disease like diabetes or 
hypothyroidism. You take a medication and you treat it. We don't 
stigmatize those, so why is there this stigma around mental health 
issues? It is going to be us as a society saying it is okay, we are 
here. The diseases aren't stigmatized, like I said, so why are mental 
health issues stigmatized?
  To the men and women whose pain is yet to be known, I say to you I 
see you and I hear you. I acknowledge I may not feel what you are 
feeling, I may not feel your suffering, but I and others are here in 
the community offering our service and assistance in finding support 
and comfort in one another. It is together that we will survive. It is 
together that we survive as a nation. We need everybody involved in 
this.
  I urge anyone who is suffering to reach out to those around you and 
ask for help. This does not mean you are weak or deficient. Asking for 
help often is the greatest sign of a warrior or of a leader, the 
enduring strength and perseverance you possess and that often so many 
times inspires others, so many times it inspires others often unwilling 
to reach out for help.
  Whether it is out of fear, embarrassment, or humiliation, just know 
we are here and we welcome you home. My encouragement is that you call 
a local mental health clinic or your local VA or your Congress Member 
if you need to. We are here to help you. You are never alone. Your 
country depends on you, your spouse depends on you, your children 
depend on you, and we as a nation depend on you.
  I thank my colleague again, for the fourth year. I look forward to 
doing this with her next year so that when we report back, we are not 
at 22, we are not at 20, we are at 10. Ms. Sinema and I, this Congress, 
and our Nation can do that. God bless you.
  Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Yoho. It has been an 
honor to continue working on this issue with him.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Young). We co-
chair a task force together to combat identity theft and fraud, and it 
has been wonderful to work together on that issue. I am so grateful to 
continue working together with him on the issue of mental health and 
preventing suicide for the brave veterans who serve our country.
  Mr. YOUNG of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Arizona 
(Ms. Sinema). I appreciate our working relationship on this issue and 
so many others.
  According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, every day, as we 
know, and we hear it too often, 20 veterans take their lives. Mr. 
Speaker, this is simply unacceptable.
  In April, an Iowa veteran called the VA Veterans Crisis Line, the 
confidential, toll-free hotline providing 24-hour support for our 
veterans seeking crisis assistance. This veteran was having a rough 
day. This veteran needed help.
  As the veteran sought the help he desperately needed, the phone kept 
ringing and ringing and ringing. He tried again. But the only answer 
was: ``All circuits are busy. Try your call later.''
  This hotline designed to provide essential support for veterans and 
their families and friends let him down. This heartbreaking story is 
tragically true. It is not unique, though. Thankfully, this veteran was 
able to contact a friend who got him the help he was seeking.
  In 2014, a number of complaints about missed or unanswered calls, 
unresponsive staff, as well as inappropriate and delayed responses to 
veterans in crisis, prompted the VA Office of the Inspector General and 
the Government Accountability Office to conduct an investigation into 
the Veterans Crisis Line.
  Both investigations found gaps in the quality assurance process and 
provided a number of recommendations to address the quality, 
responsiveness, and performance of the Veterans Crisis Line and the 
mental health care provided to our veterans.
  Despite promises by the VA to implement changes to address problems 
facing veterans who use this crisis line, these problems are still 
happening. They happened to constituents in the district I am 
privileged to represent, and they are, without a doubt, happening in 
the districts of my colleagues.
  Veterans deserve more. They deserve quality, effective mental health 
care. A veteran in need cannot wait for help. Any incident where a 
veteran has trouble with the Veterans Crisis Line is simply 
unacceptable. How did we let this go on?
  The Iowa veteran's experience that Saturday evening in April has 
troubled me. His experience is why I have been working on a bill in a 
bipartisan manner which upholds the promises our country has made to 
our veterans.
  My bill, the bipartisan bill, the No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should 
Go Unanswered Act, H.R. 5392, requires the VA to create and implement 
documented plans to improve responsiveness and performance of the 
crisis line. It is an important step to ensure our veterans have access 
to the mental health resources they need and they deserve. The 
unacceptable fact is, while these quality standards should already be 
in place, they are not. They are not in place, and they should be.
  My bill does not duplicate existing standards or slow care for 
veterans. Instead, my bipartisan bill puts in place requirements 
aligning with recommendations made by government accountability 
organizations to improve the Veterans Crisis Line.
  My bill requires the VA to develop and implement a quality assurance 
process to address responsiveness and performance of the Veterans 
Crisis Line and backup call centers, and a timeline of when objectives 
will be reached.
  It also directs the VA to create a plan to ensure any communication 
to the Veterans Crisis Line or backup call center is answered in a 
timely manner, by a live person, and to document the improvements they 
make, providing those plans to Congress within 180 days of the 
enactment of this bill. We cannot wait any longer. We cannot wait any 
longer.

                              {time}  2000

  Our bipartisan bill would help the VA deliver quality mental health 
care to veterans in need.
  Iowa veterans and all veterans have faced enormous pressures, mental 
and emotional war wounds, sacrificed personal and professional gains, 
and experienced dangerous conditions in service to our Nation. Many are 
returning home with post-traumatic stress disorder and other unique 
needs which require counseling and mental health support. We should 
thank them for their service, but thanking them is not enough. They 
deserve better. That is why I have introduced, with bipartisan support, 
this bill to honor and thank our veterans and let them know America 
supports them. Our veterans answered our Nation's call, and we 
shouldn't leave them waiting on the line.
  I thank the leadership of my colleague, Ms. Sinema of Arizona, for 
taking the time to bring attention to this

[[Page 12582]]

important issue, and all our other colleagues here on both sides of the 
aisle.
  Ms. SINEMA. I thank Congressman Young for joining us this evening.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the time to yield to another 
speaker in this bipartisan Special Order hour, a colleague of mine who 
has served our country ably.
  Congressman Doug Collins of Georgia served a combat tour in Iraq in 
2008, and he currently serves as an Air Force Reserve chaplain. I am 
very grateful that he has taken the time to join us this evening to 
talk about the unfortunate continuing problem of veteran suicide and 
our work to provide mental health care for them in this country.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Collins for being here.
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague from 
Arizona (Ms. Sinema) for doing this. It is really something that we 
need to highlight more.
  I am glad to be here tonight. I had forgotten that this was the night 
you were going to be here. I have something that we are going to be 
talking about here in a little bit, but this is perfect timing for it 
because it is so important.
  The issues that we deal with and the seriousness of this topic is the 
stigma. And still being in the Air Force and looking at how the 
military has dealt with this issue is something that is frustrating for 
those of us who do it all the time.
  I was in the Navy for a short time. I got out for a little bit. I 
went back in the Air Force. And in my 15, 16 years in the military, we 
have been through, like, four different programs on how to help 
servicemembers with suicide.
  The bottom line is that we don't need more courses. We need just more 
care for our airmen and our soldiers and our sailors, and looking at it 
from a perspective of caring about the other person. It is not a 
course; it is caring. It is looking at signs and knowing that there are 
people who are out there hurting, but also taking an account of what I 
have heard many of the speakers tonight talk about, and that is the 
issue of mental health.
  My daughter, who I love dearly, has spina bifida. She cannot walk. 
She has not walked at all since birth. She is paralyzed from the waist 
down. If she was to roll in here tonight or to roll anywhere, one of 
the first things that we see so many times is that people react with 
sympathy a little bit toward Jordan. She is in a wheelchair, and it is 
sort of natural. When you see somebody with a handicap or something 
that is not normal, Mr. Speaker, they react with sympathy.
  But my question is: What is the difference in someone who has a 
visible need, if you would, and the reaction that we get when someone 
says, My mind is hurting?
  Sympathy doesn't come many times then. We believe you can just shake 
it off and move on.
  Mental health is an issue that is not just shake off and move on. It 
is something that, if someone comes to us and says, I am struggling, I 
am depressed, or I have these problems, that we reach out in loving 
kindness, just as we would to a sweet young lady who happens to roll in 
life and not walk, my daughter.
  When we reach out in love, when we reach out in compassion, we begin 
to break the darkness of those who are contemplating suicide.
  In studies of those who have thought about suicide or attempted 
suicide, their question to them was: What was it like the moment that 
you were thinking about this or when you were struggling with it?
  I have heard so many people share their own personal feelings, but 
one person stuck out to me. They said that they felt like they were 
sort of in blinders on all sides and all they saw was, like, a 
billboard that said: You have no hope.
  That is all they saw.
  It is our job as human beings--not partisan, not Republican, 
Democrat, politician, nonpolitician--it is our job as human beings to 
look at each other as we say and believe that every life is a gift from 
God. And if every life, I believe, is a gift from God, then every life 
has value. And no matter what the situation may be, we are to respond 
in love.
  So tonight I thank the gentlewoman for taking this time, just a 
moment, as we share. There are a lot of bills, a lot of solutions, a 
lot of things that we could come to. But I think the greatest thing 
that we can have in a time when we think about suicide, we think about 
our veterans, we think about those in our lives who may be struggling 
with mental health and other problems, is to simply look for those what 
I call the unexpected times when you are ready to go do something and 
something interrupts you, what I call sometimes maybe the divine 
interruption. Those times when somebody that you haven't thought about 
in a while comes to your mind, that time when a coworker or a friend 
comes to you and says: You know, I am not feeling right. Instead of 
rushing through our day and going to the next meeting and going to the 
next place, Mr. Speaker, maybe we just need to stop and say: How about 
a cup of coffee? How about a glass of water? How about I just sit here 
and let's talk about it? Because when we can break the tunnel vision 
that there is no hope, if you can begin to chip at that tunnel, then 
the light will come in, and they will see that others care. To me, that 
is the greatest call of our humanity, is to show love for others.
  For one to take their own life because they believe they are unloved 
is a situation that we all need to fight against, and I am thankful to 
have the opportunity to highlight that tonight.
  Ms. SINEMA. I thank Congressman Collins so much.
  Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have left remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Carter of Georgia). The gentlewoman from 
Arizona has 10 minutes remaining.
  Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I need to tell a story about another young 
man in my district, Carl McLaughlin, a 38-year-old Army veteran who 
died from suicide on December 19, 2013. Carl had been stationed in 
Bosnia, and he was released from the Army on a medical discharge in 
2004.
  Starting in 2006, Carl went to the Phoenix VA for treatment. But as 
time went on, it became increasingly difficult for Carl to see his 
doctor. And according to his mom, Terry, at the time of his death, Carl 
was waiting to hear back from the Phoenix VA to have his medications 
adjusted and to see his doctor. He suffered from recurring pain caused 
by a shoulder injury, severe hearing loss, depression, and PTSD; and 
his depression worsened over time.
  Terry, Carl's mom, told us, and I quote:
  The last time I saw Carl was a few days before his death. He looked 
really depressed, and I asked him if he had a doctor's appointment 
scheduled because I knew he had been waiting over 4 weeks for a call 
back from the doctor's office.
  He said, No, he was still waiting.
  He called them the next day six times and left three messages and was 
put on hold, and then hung up on three times.
  This problem had been going on for at least 1 to 2 years, that I was 
aware of.
  Mr. Speaker, no veteran should be turned away when he or she reaches 
out for help.
  Terry asked us to share her son's story in the hope that this tragedy 
doesn't happen to another family. And I pledge to Terry and to Howard 
and Jean that we will continue working to hold the VA accountable and 
ensure that all veterans have access to the highest quality care.
  I yield to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Loebsack).
  I thank the Congressman for being here.
  Mr. LOEBSACK. I thank my friend from Arizona.
  Mr. Speaker, I wasn't going to speak tonight; but after listening to 
so many folks, I decided to say just a few words. I do want to leave 
most of the time left for my friend, Mr. Murphy of Pennsylvania, who 
has been a leader on the mental health front. But I do want to say a 
couple of things on this issue.
  Mental health is a really, really important issue to me as it is to 
so many

[[Page 12583]]

folks in this body and around the country.
  I often talk about my mom. She was a single parent with an 11th grade 
education who struggled with mental illness. Her whole adult life, she 
was in and out of institutions. This is personal for me.
  My wife Terry and I, we have two Marine children. My stepson, Terry's 
son, and his wife are Active Duty at Camp Pendleton. They have a couple 
of little kids. We do what we can to help them on that front.
  We had a recent suicide in Iowa City at the VA Medical Center, and we 
are struggling with how to deal with that as a community and I think as 
a country overall. The Office of the Inspector General is now looking 
into the circumstances of that suicide.
  On Sunday, on 9/11, we had an event that I was honored to attend in 
honor of Sergeant Ketchum and his family in an attempt to raise money 
so that we can deal with the issue of PTSD in the military. But it is a 
much broader issue, obviously--the issue of mental health--that affects 
all of our society in many, many ways; and Congressman Murphy can speak 
to that probably as well as anybody in this body.
  But the bottom line for me, folks--and I have often said this--is 
that if I accomplish little else while I am in this body other than 
doing what I can to remove the stigma of mental health, that is going 
to be one of my accomplishments. I am going to do that by talking about 
my personal story. I am going to do that by talking about veterans who 
have taken their own lives, folks who signed on the bottom line and 
were willing to make that ultimate sacrifice. There is no excuse for 
this. This should not happen in America.
  We have to find the resources on a bipartisan basis to make sure that 
this never happens again to any of our veterans under any 
circumstances.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I really 
appreciate the opportunity to say a few words.
  Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congressman so much.
  I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy) who is a 
psychologist, serves the Navy, and helps veterans at Walter Reed and 
other locations.
  Congressman Murphy, we have been talking about your bill this 
evening, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, of which we 
are all strongly supportive. As a cosponsor, I thank you for that work, 
and thank you for joining us this evening.
  Mr. MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, how much time is left?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Arizona has 5 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
her Special Order tonight.
  The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis bill is something the 
House passed 422-2, and I sure hope the Senate takes it up. I keep 
hearing they may think they don't have time. But I don't know how we 
tell a family that has lost someone to suicide--whether it be a 
civilian or a soldier--that the Senate didn't have time and they went 
home.
  Since September 1, the first day of National Suicide Prevention 
Month, so far this month, 1,416 Americans have died by suicide, 
including 240 veterans. That is 118 people a day, 22 veterans a day. 
That also means that every 12 minutes, a person dies by suicide; one 
veteran every hour. That also means that every hour, a new family is 
grieving, or every 13 minutes, a new family is grieving on something we 
hope we could have prevented. And certainly H.R. 2646 will have many 
things in there to prevent many deaths.
  I want to read a story about one veteran to convey the struggle he 
had. This is Sergeant Daniel Somers who bravely served under Operation 
Iraqi Freedom. When he returned home, he had PTSD pretty significantly 
and depression and traumatic brain injury. He was 30 years old.
  His parents gave me permission to share his letter where he said:
  ``I am sorry that it has come to this.
  ``The fact is, for as long as I can remember, my motivation for 
getting up every day has been so that you would not have to bury me. As 
things have continued to get worse, it has become clear that this alone 
is not a sufficient reason to carry on. The fact is, I am not getting 
better, I am not going to get better, and I will most certainly 
deteriorate further as time goes on. From a logical standpoint, it is 
better to simply end things quickly and let any repercussions from that 
play out in the short term than to drag things out into the long term. 
. . . My body has become nothing but a cage, a source of pain and 
constant problems. . . . It is nothing short of torture. My mind is a 
wasteland, filled with visions of incredible horror, unceasing 
depression, and crippling anxiety.''
  Daniel couldn't get help, so he lost hope. It doesn't have to be that 
way. Whether you are a citizen or a family member or a soldier 
listening tonight, Mr. Speaker, I want them to know there is hope that 
depression is something we can treat, that anxiety is something we can 
treat, that people can and do get better.
  Now, I, myself, have never seen the horrors of war through the scope 
of a combat rifle. I have had the opportunity to treat heroes at Walter 
Reed at the PTSD/TBI unit. They are a source of inspiration to me, 
particularly when I see them get better, when they come to grips with 
the horrors they have faced and somehow their heart turns to understand 
it is not their fault. They are not to blame. Life is sometimes 
torturous, but there are tremendous positives that can come out of this 
when they come to grips with that, whether it is a sense of faith in 
God that has brought them to that level or just finally realizing that 
they have a choice between being a victim forever and always lying 
under the giant boulder of remorse and depression or becoming a 
survivor and moving forward and being strong despite what happened to 
them. Or a third choice is to become a thriver, saying, I will take my 
adversity and turn it into a source of strength instead of turning away 
from it and letting it be a source of depression.

                              {time}  2015

  Mr. Speaker, my colleagues have spoken eloquently tonight about what 
we can do. It doesn't have to be that bad. So where there is a family 
member dealing with someone's depression and worry and anxiety or 
whatever the issue is, I would like to convey to them there are places 
they can get help.
  Our job as Congressmen--and our levels of State government, too--is 
to make sure those sources are well funded, to make sure we have more 
psychiatrists, more psychologists, more psychiatric social workers, 
more hospital beds, and more veterans affairs departments that can 
treat them.
  Perhaps the best message we can give people tonight is: where there 
is help, there is hope.
  I hope the Senate passes this bill before this week is out.
  Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues who joined us this 
evening. Our thoughts are with all the families who have lost a loved 
one to suicide.
  Our efforts to end veterans suicide will not end this month. We are 
committed to continuing this fight to ensure that our veterans always 
know they have a place to turn.
  We, who enjoy freedom every day thanks to the sacrifices of our 
military servicemen and servicewomen, must all step up to end the 
epidemic of veterans suicide.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. TORRES. Mr. Speaker, our Armed Forces sacrifice everything for 
us: their bodies, their minds and sometimes, their lives.
  To those who return, they far too often suffer in silence from the 
mental and physical wounds they endure in battle. Many times, that 
isolation leads to tragic outcomes.
  As we commemorate Suicide Prevention Month, it is important that we 
focus on solving the challenges that lead many of our veterans to make 
the choice to take their own lives.
  The numbers are staggering: 7400 veterans took their own lives in 
2014, roughly 20 individuals a day.
  The suicide rate among veterans has surged 35 percent since the 
beginning of the War on Terror, and 85 percent among our women 
veterans.

[[Page 12584]]

  A veteran is 21 percent more likely to commit suicide than a 
civilian.
  Mr. Speaker, we know the effects of PTSD on our servicemen and women; 
how almost one-fifth of veterans suffer from PTSD and how the illness 
is linked to increased suicidal behavior.
  What is most troubling is that almost half of the veterans with PTSD 
do not seek treatment from the VA.
  It is no surprise that 70 percent of veterans who commit suicide are 
not regular users of VA services. It is our obligation to ensure that 
we engage our veterans and let them know there is help available.
  It is also incumbent on us to ensure this care is responsive to their 
individual needs.
  Last year, we passed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Act in honor of 
Marine Clay Hunt, a sufferer of PTSD who had trouble seeing a VA 
psychiatrist and tragically, took his own life.
  This law is designed to save the lives of those like Clay by 
improving access to quality mental health care and coordinating VA 
suicide prevention efforts with private mental health organizations.
  In the spirit of that law, I was happy to learn of the efforts of the 
VA Medical Center in Loma Linda, California, which serves thousands of 
veterans from my congressional district.
  They are rolling out a pilot program that will integrate with 
community mental health providers in an attempt to reach the more than 
170,000 veterans not registered with the Loma Linda VA.
  Their example is encouraging, but funding is needed to make certain 
that no veteran is left behind.
  In that same vein, Congress must fulfill our obligation to VA 
services such as the Veterans Crisis Line.
  The Crisis Line has serviced some 2.3 million people and is credited 
with saving more than 50,000 lives. However, it has struggled to keep 
pace with increasing demand.
  It was disheartening to hear that there are individuals who have 
called the Crisis Line only to be placed on hold, or have their calls 
transferred to voicemail, or simply unanswered.
  We must provide the VA with the tools to adequately staff the call 
center and train their employees. Too much is at stake for Congress to 
shortchange this commitment.
  Mr. Speaker, everyone in this chamber honors and respects the 
sacrifices of the world's greatest fighting force. Our servicemen and 
women defend our freedoms and protect our homeland at great personal 
cost.
  When they return home, they deserve a nation that will look after 
them the way they look after us. I ask that my colleagues hold 
steadfast in reaffirming our commitment to our veterans.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate 
Suicide Prevention Month and to honor those of our veterans who 
tragically took their own lives after bravely fighting to protect ours.
  These courageous men and women fought valiantly so the rest of us 
could enjoy the freedoms and liberties secured by our forefathers. We 
must honor their dedication and sacrifice by supporting them through 
the physical, emotional, and psychological challenges they face upon 
returning home.
  One veteran committing suicide is one too many, and with an estimated 
twenty veterans committing suicide each day, we must do better and 
ensure that our actions mirror the unwavering gratitude we feel in our 
hearts. We must ensure they are welcomed home with the respect, dignity 
and support they deserve, and that we address the mental health issues 
of each veterans population with careful consideration to their unique 
needs.
  It is with a heavy heart that I recognize Suicide Prevention Month 
and urge every Member of Congress to honor our veterans with actions 
that reflect our nation's eternal gratitude for their service.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark Suicide 
Prevention Month and to join with my colleagues in helping to raise 
awareness of--and combat--the staggering rate of suicide among our 
veteran population.
  The men and women of our military make tremendous, selfless 
sacrifices on behalf of each and every American. As a result, many 
veterans return from service with physical and/or invisible wounds and 
a disturbingly high number are taking their own lives.
  In July, the VA released the most comprehensive study analyzing 
suicide among our veteran population to date, reviewing 55 million 
veterans' records since 1979. It showed that every day an estimated 20 
veterans commit suicide. This number is tragic beyond words, 
unacceptable and numbing.
  Mr. Speaker, we are in the midst of what can only be described as a 
staggering mental health crisis costing the lives of 20 of our nation's 
heroes every day. Too many veterans are being left behind and too many 
families are left with the pain and anguish of losing a loved one. 
Often times, family members witness the veteran struggling but the VA 
refuses to take their observations into account.
  As the son of a WW2 combat veteran, I have witnessed the residual 
wounds of war, the struggle to cope with the post-traumatic stress that 
can continue for decades and the pain that a lack of access to services 
can cause for veterans and their families.
  This Congress, we have passed legislation to give the VA additional 
tools and give veterans key support, including the Clay Hunt Suicide 
Prevention for American Veterans Act (P.L. 114-2), which targeted the 
gaps in the VA's mental health and suicide prevention efforts; and the 
Female Veteran Suicide Prevention Act (P.L. 114-188), which is intended 
to prod the VA to take into account the complex causes and factors that 
are driving the disproportionately high suicide rate among women 
veterans and use that information when designing suicide prevention 
programs.
  The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (P.L. 114-198) included 
provisions to direct the VA to take several actions to expand opioid 
safety initiatives that help prevent veterans from becoming opioid 
abusers. As a recent Frontline investigation entitled ``Chasing 
Heroin'' summarized: ``Veterans face a double-edged threat: Untreated 
chronic pain can increase the risk of suicide, but poorly managed 
opioid regimens can also be fatal.''
  The VA must do better: they cannot simply dole out drugs, as we saw 
in Tomah. It is a dereliction of duty for VA medical staff charged with 
the sacred task of caring for our nation's veterans and this law will 
help ensure proper management and controls are in place when the VA 
treats a veteran's chronic pain.
  The VA does have a number of suicide prevention programs that can be 
a resource for veterans, servicemembers, their families and loved ones, 
including and especially the Veterans Crisis Hotline. Any veteran in 
danger of self-harm or suicide can call, 24 hours a day. It is 
anonymous and confidential. It is staffed by trained professionals who 
will ``work with you to reduce the immediate risk, help you get through 
the crisis, make sure you are safe, and help you to connect with the 
right services.''
  We have an obligation to repay the debt we owe to those who have 
fought in defense of our nation and a sacred duty to ensure that we do 
everything in our power to get our vets the physical and psychological 
support they need.
  This year's Suicide Prevention Month theme is `Be There.' During the 
darkest hours in our history, the men and women who serve in uniform 
have always been there to answer the call. We can and must do better to 
be there for them.

                          ____________________