Baldwin, Sullivan, Teseter, Daines Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Combat Veteran Suicide Crisis

Statement

U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced bipartisan legislation to expand community-based outreach that will help veterans access services to improve their health and wellness and prevent suicides.

The number of veteran suicides nationwide continues to rise, and approximately 14 of the 20 veterans who die by suicide each day are not receiving care from the Veterans Health Administration. County Veteran Service Officers (CVSOs) are often the first point of contact in the community for veterans and are on the frontlines in this battle against veteran suicides by helping enroll veterans into the VA Health Administration. The Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach (CVSO) Act will increase resources for CVSOs that will better connect more veterans to the services they need.

"In 2017 alone, more than 6,100 veterans died by suicide, an amount nearly equal to the number of servicemembers killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001. The veteran suicide rate has stayed relatively constant for the past 10 years and we need to do something about it," said Senator Baldwin. "County Veteran Service Officers are on the frontlines everyday working to combat this tragic crisis, and this bipartisan legislation will support their efforts to provide needed services and solutions for our veterans that will improve their health and well-being."

"Alaska is home to more than 75,000 veterans, yet less than half of them are currently enrolled in the VA system," said Senator Sullivan. "That means thousands of veterans are not connected to the benefits and health care services that they have earned. Local partners and veteran service officers are crucial resources in states, like Alaska, to reaching these off-the-grid veterans. This bipartisan bill, along with the groundwork already being done at my request by the Veterans Benefits Administration in Alaska, will reinforce the VA's mission to expand its reach and ensure veterans who live in rural, frontier states do not get left behind."

"Too often our Montana veterans have to drive hundreds of miles one way to get to help with VA claims," said Senator Daines. "This bipartisan legislation provides critical resources to expand outreach for Montana veterans to help with their healthcare, benefits and wellness needs."

Veterans are not always aware of the benefits available to them and CVSOs are often the first to inform them of their eligibility. CVSOs are local county employees who are nationally accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to help veterans process their VA claims. These employees are responsible for successfully processing more than $22 billion in claims annually for direct compensation and pension benefits for veterans. They also provide assistance to veterans on a range of benefits and services, including compensation benefits, VA home loans, education benefits and available job placement assistance. However, there is currently no federal funding support directly available for CVSOs.

The CVSO Act authorizes $50 million annually for five years to expand and support CVSOs or similar local entities, who currently assist veterans in obtaining critical benefits and services. The VA will award competitive grants to CVSOs, through the states, to create, expand, or support programs that promote health and wellness, prevent suicide and reach veterans who need help navigating the often-burdensome VA process. By increasing the number of CVSOs, states will be able to better leverage their local and federal resources to serve our veterans.

The legislation is supported by the National Association of Counties (NACo), the National Association of County Veteran Service Officers (NACVSO), the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, and many individual CVSOs, local officials and stakeholders in Wisconsin and Alaska.

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