WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) on Monday cosponsored and urged his colleagues to pass a bipartisan bill that would improve mental health care and suicide prevention resources for American service members. The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act was passed by the House of Representatives on January 12. Each day, an estimated 22 American veterans commit suicide.

“Our troops deserve the best mental health care our nation can provide,” Senator Coons said. “Too many of our service men and women return home and fall through the cracks after receiving either inadequate care or no care at all. It’s unacceptable, and our staggering veterans suicide rate speaks volumes about the urgency of our work. The bipartisan Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act would go a long way toward making mental health and suicide prevention programs more effective and responsive to the needs of our veterans and I’m proud to sign on as a cosponsor. We have a lot of work to do to uphold our promise to those who serve our nation, and I look forward to working hard with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure we take this important step.”

The bill has unanimously passed the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. The bill was introduced as S. 167 in the Senate by Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and currently has 35 cosponsors.

When enacted, the bill would:

  • Require a third-party evaluation of existing suicide prevention programs at the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to gauge their effectiveness and make recommendations for consolidation, elimination or improvement;
  • Provide for a new website that offers veterans information regarding available mental health care services;
  • Create a pilot loan repayment program for VA psychiatrists;
  • Improve the exchange of training, best practices, and other resources among the VA and non-profit mental health organizations to enhance collaboration in suicide prevention efforts;
  • Create a community outreach pilot program to help veterans transition from active duty service; and
  • Extend the ability for certain combat veterans to enroll in the Veterans Health Administration for one year.