Bipartisan legislation that U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) recently reintroduced would enable the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide mental health assessments and urgent services to veterans who were discharged from the military and would otherwise not be eligible for that care.
The Veteran Urgent Access to Mental Health Care Act, H.R. 918, would also require a study of veteran suicides to assess the effect of combat service on veteran suicide rates, the rate and method of suicide among veterans who have and have not received care from the VA.
“It is critical that our men and women in uniform know they can reach out to the VA for help when they come home from a combat deployment,” Coffman said. “We particularly need to watch out for those suffering from ‘invisible’ wounds that may lead to behavioral and other mental health conditions. This bill would let more veterans facing a crisis know that they are not alone and have a place to turn for expert support and treatment.”
A service member may receive an other than honorable discharge when released from the military for relatively minor forms of misconduct, often a result of a service member’s experiences during combat. The Army has separated at least 22,000 combat veterans diagnosed with mental health disabilities or traumatic brain injury for alleged misconduct since 2009.
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA), who introduced the bipartisan bill with Coffman, said a great deal is asked of those who serve the country.
“The men and women who protect our freedoms at home should expect to receive quality care when they retire,” Kilmer said. “But too many veterans are struggling with mental health issues and don’t have access to the medical professionals that could help them heal. This bill would let more veterans facing a crisis know that they are not alone and have a place to turn for expert support and treatment.”