[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8566]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR VETERANS

  (Mr. SUOZZI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SUOZZI. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the Mental Health 
Services for All Veterans Act.
  Last week, on May 18, just before noon, a man in his car did a U-turn 
in Times Square, New York, and mowed down 23 people, killing a young 
woman. This man is obviously mentally ill. This man is also a Navy 
veteran.
  He is not alone. Every day in America, roughly 22 veterans commit 
suicide. In fact, according to a study by the GAO, 60 percent of troops 
that have been discharged for misconduct in recent years suffered from 
a mental illness.
  It is simply too difficult for many veterans in this country to 
receive mental health counseling, and we need to make mental health 
counseling available for every single veteran in this country, 
regardless of whether they were in the National Guard, in the Reserves, 
or in Active Duty.
  It is obvious when someone loses a limb or is injured tragically in 
war to identify that their injury is service related. But for veterans 
who go home at night and are alone by themselves suffering with a 
mental illness, too many are suffering alone, and it is not easy to 
identify these problems--especially when they are in crisis--to show up 
at a counseling center or to show up at a VA and demonstrate that their 
injury, their mental illness, is service related.
  We need to change this in this country. We need to make mental health 
services available for every single veteran in this country, regardless 
of their status and regardless of their income, in every single 
circumstance.

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