A bipartisan bill currently before the Senate is focused on increasing efforts to prevent suicide among our veterans. According to a study done by the Veterans Administration (VA), an average of 22 veterans commit suicide every day. The bill is named for Clay Hunt, a young man who joined the Marines in 2005. After multiple deployments and a Purple Heart, he left the military in 2009 and became a veterans’ advocate. Clay suffered from severe PTSD and receiving the mental health care and counseling he needed was difficult and took months to schedule. Clay took his own life in 2011 and unfortunately, this warrior’s story is not unique. The Clay Hunt SAV Act seeks to quell this epidemic by:
Increasing Access to Mental Health Care and Capacity at VA to Meet Demand
- Requires VA to create a one-stop, interactive website to serve as a centralized source of information regarding all department mental health services.
- Addresses the shortage of mental health care professionals by authorizing VA to conduct a student loan repayment pilot program aimed at recruiting and retaining psychiatrists.
Improving the Quality of Care and Boosting Accountability at VA
- Requires a yearly evaluation of all VA mental health care and suicide prevention practices and programs to find out what’s working and what’s not working and make recommendations to improve care.
Developing a Community Support System for Veterans
- Establishes a pilot program to assist veterans transitioning from active duty to veteran status.
- Requires VA to collaborate with nonprofit mental health organizations to improve the efficiency of suicide prevention efforts.
The AFL-CIO's Union Veterans Council strongly urges you to support the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act. We need your help to push the Senate to vote on this measure before they go home for the Holidays. Sign our petition to tell them that this veteran’s crisis deserves their attention.
