WASHINGTON, DC  – U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today urged his Senate colleagues to pass the bipartisan Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans (Clay Hunt SAV) Act, a bill that seeks to address the growing epidemic of veteran suicide in the United States.  The legislation, which is cosponsored by Reed, aims to expand mental health resources and accountability at the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA). 

The legislation is named in honor of the late Iraq and Afghanistan War Veteran and suicide prevention advocate Clay Hunt, who was dedicated to serving his fellow veterans before tragically taking his own life in March 2011.  The Reed-backed Clay Hunt SAV Act passed the House in the last Congress, but was blocked from Senate passage late last month over objections by a single retiring Senator. 

“We must do everything we can to improve access to high-quality mental health services for our nation’s veterans.  No veteran should ever have to wait for this type of critical mental health care,” said Reed, who has worked as a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction-Veterans Affairs to increase funding for the VA’s mental health and suicide prevention budget.  “The Clay Hunt SAV Act is a bipartisan, commonsense proposal that helps remove barriers to support and would allow the VA to expand its reach by jointly carrying out its suicide prevention programs with nonprofits dedicated to promoting mental health.  It would also strengthen oversight of the VA’s existing suicide prevention programs by having outside, independent experts review them to gauge their effectiveness.”

In 2012, Senator Reed worked with Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) to include language in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to improve access to needed mental health services for members of the National Guard and Reserves, and their families.  Based on the Reed-Ayotte Joining Forces for Military Mental Health Act, the bill authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to enter into community partnerships with non-profit organizations and institutions engaged in research, treatment, education, and outreach on mental health, substance use disorders, and traumatic brain injury to ensure that every member of the National Guard and Reserves, as well as their families, gets the mental and behavioral health care that he or she needs.

A 2012 study from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs estimated that as many as 22 veterans a day are lost to suicide, amounting to more than 150 veteran suicides per week, over 600 per month, and roughly 8,000 per year.  

The Clay Hunt SAV Act seeks to address the growing epidemic of veteran suicide by:

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

The bipartisan bill is supported by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the measure would cost $22 million over five years.  The bill passed unanimously this week in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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