United States Senate members have unanimously passed the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) – chairman and ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) – to improve veterans’ access to mental health care. Chairman Moran spoke on the Senate floor last night to urge his colleagues to quickly pass this groundbreaking legislation, which will now advance to the U.S. House of Representatives.
This legislation is a comprehensive and aggressive approach to connect more veterans with mental health care. This bill will bolster the VA’s mental health workforce and increase rural or hard-to-reach veterans’ access to VA care, while making sure veterans have access to alternative and local treatment options.
“Sadly, our veterans continue to struggle with mental health, and through no fault of their own, this pandemic has led to more veterans being isolated from friends and family and cut off from lifesaving services,” said Chairman Moran. “Now, more than ever, we need to invest into mental health services for veterans especially for those in hard-to-reach areas in rural America. The Senate took an important step by unanimously passing this legislation, and I urge my colleagues in the House to act quickly so our veterans can access critical mental health services to help prevent veteran suicide.”
It is estimated that more than 20 veterans die by suicide every day. Of those, 14 have received no treatment or care from the VA. The Act will improve outreach to veterans and their mental healthcare options in five major ways ranging from bolstering the VA's mental health workforce and improving rural veterans' access to mental healthcare to investing in innovative treatment option, holding the VA accountable for its mental healthcare and suicide prevention efforts and establishment of a grant program requiring the VA to better collaborate with community organizations that already serve veterans