Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to speak on H.R. 2441, the Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021, introduced by Congresswoman Axne.

This bill has not only bipartisan support, but also bicameral support with the recent introduction of a companion bill from Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Tester and Ranking Member Moran.

This bill is named for an Iowa veteran who died by suicide after failing to receive intensive treatment for his PTSD. It is designed to honor his memory with action and to prevent a similar outcome for his fellow veterans.

Through this legislation, VA will open three new RANGE programs in rural locations, including territories and insular areas. VA RANGE programs offer intensive outpatient services and case management for rural veterans with mental illness, housing and food insecurity, financial issues, and problems with daily living. They can be absolutely lifesaving for veterans who need this kind of wraparound care and safety nets.

Additionally, this bill calls for a GAO study of how accessible VA's continuum of superior mental healthcare services, from outpatient to residential and inpatient, really is for rural veterans.

We all know that even a well-designed system may not reach every veteran who needs it. With this legislation, our work to close the gaps will be guided by data. I, therefore, ask my colleagues to join me in supporting the Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act.

Madam Speaker, I support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.

As we wind down this pandemic, I think we are going to see not just veterans but Americans of all stripes who live in our rural areas dealing with the need for increased numbers of mental healthcare practitioners.

I congratulate and I thank the work of my colleague, Congresswoman Axne, in moving the VA a step forward in this area. But there is far more that needs to be done.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I extend my thanks to Ranking Member Bost and the Republicans on the committee and all staff from both sides of the aisle for putting together this package of 10 bills in advance of Memorial Day. It is especially poignant to end today's package of bills with a bill named in memory of Sergeant Ketchum.

As we failed to reach Sergeant Ketchum in a timely and effective way in rural America, let's not forget that the VA's mental healthcare has improved greatly over the past several years. We need to make sure that quality of healthcare gets out into the rural areas.

We are charged as a Veterans' Affairs Committee to deal with our veterans and their healthcare needs. Part of the answer to serving our veterans is to make sure that we have robust providers, regardless of whether they serve veterans or the general population. We need to look at how we are going to do that in rural America, including our territories and insular areas.

I will use this moment on the floor to plug that cause with all of my colleagues who may be listening from their offices. We must, for the sake of all the folks that have suffered so long from this pandemic, look at how we are going to provide a robust provider network for mental healthcare.

As we head into the Memorial Day weekend, I am so gratified and pleased with the work we have done on a bipartisan basis to produce this package of bills and that we have preserved the spirit of the committee.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 2441, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source