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Today, Congressman David Scott applauded the unanimous approval of H.R. 203, the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act. This bipartisan legislation will address the epidemic of suicide among our nation’s veterans. H.R. 203 also includes legislation introduced by Congressman Scott to expand tuition assistance for VA mental health professionals.

“Ever since the scandals at the Atlanta VA have been exposed, I have been fighting to improve service at the VA,” Congressman Scott said. “Veterans mental health treatment is a serious problem in need of full bi-partisan commitment to change the culture at the VA. H.R. 203 is a major step toward these goals. But, our work is not over. I will keep working on this issue until I hear from Georgia veterans that they are receiving first class care in a timely manner.”

Twenty-two veterans commit suicide daily – over 8,000 every year – more than twice the rate of civilians. Of the more than 2 million Americans who have served in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is estimated that one-third, roughly 600,000 women and men, have traumatic brain injury, PTSD or depression.

To ease access to services, the bill will require the VA to create a one-stop, interactive website to serve as a centralized source of information regarding all mental health services for veterans. A student loan repayment pilot program aimed at recruiting and retaining psychiatrists included in the legislation will help address the shortage of mental health care professionals. To improve care, the legislation will require an annual, third-party evaluation of all mental health care and suicide prevention practices and programs at the VA to find out what’s working and what’s not.

The student loan repayment portion of the legislation is similar to an idea introduced last year by Congressman David Scott and his colleague, Congressman Larry Bucshon. They authored H.R. 4234, the Ensuring Veterans Resiliency Act, to improve psychiatric care in military and veteran communities. Their language was also included in H.R. 3230, The Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-146).

The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act (H.R. 203) is named in honor of late Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran and noted suicide prevention advocate. H.R. 203 passed the House and the Senate by unanimous approval and now awaits the President’s signature into law.

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