U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-ME) this week helped introduce the bipartisan Enhancing Veterans Experience with Telehealth Services Act, also known as the eVETS Act, in an effort to tackle rising suicide rates among veterans.
H.R. 7017, introduced on Oct. 2 with U.S. Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH), would improve access to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment via telemedicine.
“Tragically, the rate of Veteran suicide in Maine — which is home to more than 114,000 veterans — is significantly higher than the national level,” said Rep. Poliquin, a new member of the U.S. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Since joining the committee, the congressman said he’s made the issue a top priority to help tackle the nationwide crisis.
“I’m proud to work across the aisle with Democratic Congresswoman Ann Kuster of New Hampshire to introduce this important piece of legislation, which will help Maine veterans living in rural areas receive treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder,” he said.
Introduction of H.R. 7017 follows release of the recent report by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of the significant spike in the rates of suicide among U.S. military veterans, according to an Oct. 3 statement from Rep. Poliquin’s office.
H.R. 7017 aims to strengthen evidence-based treatments for veterans with PTSD, the statement said.
Additionally, H.R. 7017 encourages partnerships like Microsoft’s Rural Airband program, which is currently underway in Rep. Poliquin’s home state of Maine to increase online access for veterans to receive essential treatments, he said.
Such improved access, said Rep. Kuster, also would improve veterans’ access to treatment, especially those who may be feeling discouraged and hopeless.
In rural communities, for instance, she said the nearest VA facility might be hours away from where veterans reside, in turn deterring many of them from seeking needed medical attention.
“For these veterans, qualified, private therapists are few and far between,” Kuster said. “By rapidly expanding the VA’s offering of telehealth to these areas, we hope to address obstacles that have kept far too many veterans from receiving care.”
H.R. 7017 would permit veterans to choose between two researched methods of treatment: prolonged exposure therapy and cognitive processing therapy, according to Poliquin’s statement, and also would ensure that each patient has access to at least a dozen therapy sessions that would be delivered via the VA’s video conferencing software.
H.R. 7017 is under consideration by the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.