Veterans

Floor Speech

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Mr. BOOZMAN. I want to take a second to thank the Presiding Officer for the great work that he is doing on the Veterans' Affairs Committee. As the Senator just spoke earlier, he is working hard to take these bills and improve them. Everyone is working together, and we certainly appreciate the fact that the Senator has so much experience in a variety of different ways and has added so much the committee. We are very thankful for that.

I rise today to recognize the significant steps that the Senate recently took to improve the mental healthcare of veterans and save lives with the passage of the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act. This moves us one step closer to paving a new path forward in suicide prevention and implementing a new strategy that, I believe, will give hope and purpose to the men and women who live with these invisible injuries. More than 50,000 organizations nationwide provide suicide prevention services for veterans. These nonprofits and community organizations play a vital role and have taken the lead to build effective programs.

I have heard from veterans how organizations like the one based in Rogers, AR, Sheep Dog Impact Assistance, are encouraging them to live their best life. I have also seen how outdoor therapies like Rivers of Recovery are supporting the mental health needs of veterans and how veteran service organizations are stepping up and addressing mental healthcare in their communities.

We have so many organizations in Arkansas and throughout the country that are doing a great job in this capacity. In Mount Home, AR, the Disabled American Veterans chapter changed its approach to outreach after the region experienced the highest veteran suicide rate in the State, one of the highest in the Nation. Members enhanced their contact with veterans in the area. This connection has saved lives and reversed the suicide rate in Northern Arkansas.

It makes sense that we harness the ideas and successes of this DAV chapter and other advocates into sound policy. That is why I joined with Senator Mark Warner to champion a new strategy that authorizes the VA to provide grants to nonprofits in their communities, establishing a framework to coordinate these efforts and expand outreach to more veterans. Additionally, this legislation will enable the VA to establish greater partnerships with communities to better measure the effectiveness of ongoing suicide prevention programs.

I appreciate the leadership of the VA Committee Chairman Jerry Moran, Ranking Member Jon Tester, and the assistance of them and their staffs in working with me and Senator Warner and our staffs to include our proposal, the IMPROVE Well-Being for Veterans' Act, in the comprehensive mental healthcare package, again, that we just passed in the Senate. I especially want to thank Rosie Heiss, Amanda Want, and Pat McGuigan, members of my staff who spent countless hours and worked with numerous groups to find a solution to help advance this idea.

The VA estimates around 20 veterans commit suicide each day. That number has remained roughly unchanged despite a tremendous increase in funding. Interestingly, only 6 of those 20 veterans are receiving healthcare services in the VA. By sharing information and collaborating with veteran-serving nonprofits and other community organizations, we can expand our network and provide the help the veterans need and, ultimately, capture more veterans into our VA system.

VA Secretary Robert Wilkie called this approach ``key'' to unlocking the veteran suicide crisis. Hopefully, he is right. I applaud the Senate for advancing this bill and look forward to working with my colleagues in the House of Representatives to quickly approve this legislation so that we can reassure veterans that their best days are ahead of them.

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