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From: Navy Times
A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Monday designed to improve access to mental health services for troops and veterans and strengthen the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments' suicide prevention efforts.
The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention bill would require the Pentagon and VA to submit to an independent review of their suicide prevention programs.
It also would establish a website to provide consolidated information on mental health services available to veterans and seeks to improve VA's recruitment efforts for quality psychiatrists by establishing a student loan reimbursement program for doctors who sign on to work for VA for a number of years.
Clay Hunt was a former Marine who died in 2011 by suicide after having actively sought treatment for combat-related depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Before his death, Hunt performed humanitarian work in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and was a key member of a group of former military personnel who formed the disaster relief organization Team Rubicon.
Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Richard Burr, R-N.C.; Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Ark.; and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., co-sponsored the bill to provide "additional resources for veterans who suffer from mental health disorders that place them on higher risk of suicide," according to a release
"Our nation has a long way to go to decrease the rate of suicide among our veterans and we must do much better in fulfilling our responsibilities to care for those who have risked everything on behalf of their fellow Americans," the senators wrote.
House lawmakers in July introduced their own Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans bill — legislation that would require VA to submit to yearly evaluations of its suicide and mental health programs, team with the National Guard to improve care for members and establish a peer support outreach program for veterans.
The bill, sponsored by Reps. Jeff Miller, R-Fla.; Tim Walz, D-Minn.; and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., also would require the Defense Department to establish a review process for troops who received unfavorable discharges possibly because of behavioral problems related to traumatic brain injury or PTSD.
In July testimony before the the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Hunt's mother, Susan Selke, said the legislation would have helped her son and she urged its passage to save other veterans from suffering.
"Clay's story details the urgency needed in addressing this issue," she said. "Despite his proactive and open approach to seeking care to address his injuries, the VA system did not adequately address his needs."
Selke, other family members and veterans advocates are scheduled to testify Wednesday before the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee on military and veterans suicides.
Joining them will be Dr. Harold Kudler, chief consultant for mental health services for the Veterans Health Administration.
"An estimated 22 veterans commit suicide every day, a shocking and unacceptable reality," wrote the sponsors of the Senate Clay Hunt suicide prevention bill. "This bipartisan legislation [would] improve and modernize the suicide prevention programs and resources available to our fighting men and women."
http://www.navytimes.com/story/veterans/2014/11/18/congress-pentagon-veterans-affairs-suicide-initiatives/19220877/
A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Monday designed to improve access to mental health services for troops and veterans and strengthen the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments' suicide prevention efforts.
The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention bill would require the Pentagon and VA to submit to an independent review of their suicide prevention programs.
It also would establish a website to provide consolidated information on mental health services available to veterans and seeks to improve VA's recruitment efforts for quality psychiatrists by establishing a student loan reimbursement program for doctors who sign on to work for VA for a number of years.
Clay Hunt was a former Marine who died in 2011 by suicide after having actively sought treatment for combat-related depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Before his death, Hunt performed humanitarian work in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and was a key member of a group of former military personnel who formed the disaster relief organization Team Rubicon.
Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Richard Burr, R-N.C.; Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Ark.; and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., co-sponsored the bill to provide "additional resources for veterans who suffer from mental health disorders that place them on higher risk of suicide," according to a release
"Our nation has a long way to go to decrease the rate of suicide among our veterans and we must do much better in fulfilling our responsibilities to care for those who have risked everything on behalf of their fellow Americans," the senators wrote.
House lawmakers in July introduced their own Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans bill — legislation that would require VA to submit to yearly evaluations of its suicide and mental health programs, team with the National Guard to improve care for members and establish a peer support outreach program for veterans.
The bill, sponsored by Reps. Jeff Miller, R-Fla.; Tim Walz, D-Minn.; and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., also would require the Defense Department to establish a review process for troops who received unfavorable discharges possibly because of behavioral problems related to traumatic brain injury or PTSD.
In July testimony before the the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Hunt's mother, Susan Selke, said the legislation would have helped her son and she urged its passage to save other veterans from suffering.
"Clay's story details the urgency needed in addressing this issue," she said. "Despite his proactive and open approach to seeking care to address his injuries, the VA system did not adequately address his needs."
Selke, other family members and veterans advocates are scheduled to testify Wednesday before the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee on military and veterans suicides.
Joining them will be Dr. Harold Kudler, chief consultant for mental health services for the Veterans Health Administration.
"An estimated 22 veterans commit suicide every day, a shocking and unacceptable reality," wrote the sponsors of the Senate Clay Hunt suicide prevention bill. "This bipartisan legislation [would] improve and modernize the suicide prevention programs and resources available to our fighting men and women."
http://www.navytimes.com/story/veterans/2014/11/18/congress-pentagon-veterans-affairs-suicide-initiatives/19220877/
Posted in these groups: United States Department of Defense
Suicide
Suicide
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 12
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While I'm pleased that the Senate is taking some action in regard to this issue, until I see some actual results, I just don't have any faith in the VA. Instead, I put my faith in other organizations that are run by veteran's and are dedicated to being proactive. To reach out and find at risk veterans and help them get help before suicide is an option. Organizations like;
Battle Bros.
http://www.battle-bros.com
At Battle Bros they have a database of at risk veterans. Their volunteers (all active duty or vets) reach out to one person in the data base each day for a quick phone call. Just to let them know, you're not alone. You have brothers and sisters who understand and we won't let you face your demons alone.
Warrior Pointe
http://www.warriorpointe.org
Warrior Pointe is also made up only of Active Duty and Veterans. It's a national organization broken up into Brigades, States, and Local chapters. It's very much like the VFW or the American Legion with two major differences. First, there are no dues. You paid them by serving. Second, unlike those two organizations, there are no limitations on when/where you served. The goal is to provide an organization with local and national support to all of our veterans regardless of when you served.
I don't trust the VA to take care of us. I don't trust Uncle Sam. They've broken that trust with me and have a lot of work ahead to rebuild it. I only trust my brothers and sisters who served. We're the ones actually doing something about this issue and not just talking about it.
Battle Bros.
http://www.battle-bros.com
At Battle Bros they have a database of at risk veterans. Their volunteers (all active duty or vets) reach out to one person in the data base each day for a quick phone call. Just to let them know, you're not alone. You have brothers and sisters who understand and we won't let you face your demons alone.
Warrior Pointe
http://www.warriorpointe.org
Warrior Pointe is also made up only of Active Duty and Veterans. It's a national organization broken up into Brigades, States, and Local chapters. It's very much like the VFW or the American Legion with two major differences. First, there are no dues. You paid them by serving. Second, unlike those two organizations, there are no limitations on when/where you served. The goal is to provide an organization with local and national support to all of our veterans regardless of when you served.
I don't trust the VA to take care of us. I don't trust Uncle Sam. They've broken that trust with me and have a lot of work ahead to rebuild it. I only trust my brothers and sisters who served. We're the ones actually doing something about this issue and not just talking about it.
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I have asked this question and never really gotten much of an answer.
It would be nice to see a comparison of the rate of suicide in the military to the rate of suicide in the civilian population. The reason I ask is that you see Soldiers who make the choice to commit suicide who have never deployed.
I asked a similar question of a senior civilian for safety regarding the rate of motorcycle accidents in the Military vs. the civilian sector and he admitted that there was not disparity between the two.
We should do everything in our power as leaders to take care of our people. I would just like to see what the scope of the issue is compared to the amount of time we spend on it.
It would be nice to see a comparison of the rate of suicide in the military to the rate of suicide in the civilian population. The reason I ask is that you see Soldiers who make the choice to commit suicide who have never deployed.
I asked a similar question of a senior civilian for safety regarding the rate of motorcycle accidents in the Military vs. the civilian sector and he admitted that there was not disparity between the two.
We should do everything in our power as leaders to take care of our people. I would just like to see what the scope of the issue is compared to the amount of time we spend on it.
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MAJ Jim Woods
CSM David Heidke,
I think you are on to something that I have been onto for years. The suicide rate in the Military (including Veterans) is approximately the same as the suicide rate among the general population. The difference is in the total population screened. The suicide rate in the US civilian world is based on a population of 317 million. As of Dec. 2012 the population of the Military was 1.3 million.The Pentagon says that although the military suicide rate has been rising, it remains below that of the civilian population. It says the civilian suicide rate for males aged 17-60 was 25 per 100,000 in 2010, the latest year for which such statistics are available. That compares with the military's rate in 2012 of 17.5 per 100,000. This data was available on Google. So it's gotta be true.....LOL. I guess what I am saying is that it seems to be relative percentages. The liberal media plays up the the Military/Veterans data because..... well it's the liberal media.
I think you are on to something that I have been onto for years. The suicide rate in the Military (including Veterans) is approximately the same as the suicide rate among the general population. The difference is in the total population screened. The suicide rate in the US civilian world is based on a population of 317 million. As of Dec. 2012 the population of the Military was 1.3 million.The Pentagon says that although the military suicide rate has been rising, it remains below that of the civilian population. It says the civilian suicide rate for males aged 17-60 was 25 per 100,000 in 2010, the latest year for which such statistics are available. That compares with the military's rate in 2012 of 17.5 per 100,000. This data was available on Google. So it's gotta be true.....LOL. I guess what I am saying is that it seems to be relative percentages. The liberal media plays up the the Military/Veterans data because..... well it's the liberal media.
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SPC David S.
With the right math anything is possible.
When tabulating the official military suicide rate, Pentagon medical statisticians use a total population figure that includes all Guard members or reservists who spent any period of time on active duty in a given year, even if it was only a few days. According to that approach, the total active military population was about 1.67 million for all of 2009, a review of Pentagon data shows.
But at almost any given moment, the United States military is much smaller than that. Another office of the Pentagon, the Defense Manpower Data Center, the personnel record-keeping office, used a total population number of about 1.42 million service members in 2009. That figure was calculated by including only National Guard and reserve troops who had been on active duty for at least six months in a given year.
The larger total population number yields a suicide rate of 18.5 per 100,000, which is slightly below the adjusted civilian rate for 2009, 18.8 per 100,000, as calculated by a joint Army-National Institute of Mental Health research team.
But using the Defense Manpower Data Center population figure, The New York Times calculated the rate to be about 21 suicides per 100,000, significantly above the adjusted civilian rate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/us/in-calculation-of-military-rates-the-numbers-are-not-all-straightforward.html?_r=0
When tabulating the official military suicide rate, Pentagon medical statisticians use a total population figure that includes all Guard members or reservists who spent any period of time on active duty in a given year, even if it was only a few days. According to that approach, the total active military population was about 1.67 million for all of 2009, a review of Pentagon data shows.
But at almost any given moment, the United States military is much smaller than that. Another office of the Pentagon, the Defense Manpower Data Center, the personnel record-keeping office, used a total population number of about 1.42 million service members in 2009. That figure was calculated by including only National Guard and reserve troops who had been on active duty for at least six months in a given year.
The larger total population number yields a suicide rate of 18.5 per 100,000, which is slightly below the adjusted civilian rate for 2009, 18.8 per 100,000, as calculated by a joint Army-National Institute of Mental Health research team.
But using the Defense Manpower Data Center population figure, The New York Times calculated the rate to be about 21 suicides per 100,000, significantly above the adjusted civilian rate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/us/in-calculation-of-military-rates-the-numbers-are-not-all-straightforward.html?_r=0
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