[Pages H8899-H8904]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

CLAY HUNT SUICIDE PREVENTION FOR AMERICAN VETERANS ACT

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 5059) to direct the Secretary of Defense and the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide for the conduct of annual
evaluations of mental health care and suicide prevention programs of
the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, to
review the terms or characterization of the discharge or separation of
certain individuals from the Armed Forces, to require a pilot program
on loan repayment for psychiatrists who agree to serve in the Veterans
Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for
other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 5059

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention
for American Veterans Act'' or the ``Clay Hunt SAV Act''.

SEC. 2. EVALUATIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE AND SUICIDE
PREVENTION PROGRAMS OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS.

(a) Evaluations.--
(1) In general.--Not less frequently than once each year,
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide for the
conduct of an evaluation of the mental health care and
suicide prevention programs carried out under the laws
administered by the Secretary.
(2) Elements.--Each evaluation conducted under paragraph
(1) shall--
(A) use metrics that are common among and useful for
practitioners in the field of mental health care and suicide
prevention;
(B) identify the most effective mental health care and
suicide prevention programs conducted by the Secretary,
including such programs conducted at a Center of Excellence;
(C) identify the cost-effectiveness of each program
identified under subparagraph (B);
(D) measure the satisfaction of patients with respect to
the care provided under each such program; and
(E) propose best practices for caring for individuals who
suffer from mental health disorders or are at risk of
suicide, including such practices conducted or suggested by
other departments or agencies of the Federal Government,
including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration of the Department of Health and Human
Services.
(3) Third party.--Each evaluation conducted under paragraph
(1) shall be conducted by an independent third party
unaffiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Such
third party shall submit to the Secretary each such
evaluation.
(b) Annual Submission.--Not later than December 1 of each
year, beginning in 2015, the Secretary shall submit to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of
Representatives a report that contains the following:
(1) The most recent evaluations submitted to the Secretary
under subsection (a)(3) that the Secretary has not previously
submitted to such Committees.
(2) Any recommendations the Secretary considers
appropriate.

SEC. 3. PUBLICATION OF INTERNET WEBSITE TO PROVIDE
INFORMATION REGARDING MENTAL HEALTH CARE
SERVICES.

(a) In General.--Using funds made available to the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to publish the Internet
websites of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary
shall survey the existing Internet websites and information
resources of the Department to publish an Internet website
that serves as a centralized source to provide veterans with
information regarding all of the mental health care services
provided by the Secretary.
(b) Elements.--The Internet website published under
subsection (a) shall provide to veterans information
regarding all of the mental health care services available in
the Veteran Integrated Service Network that the veteran is
seeking such services, including, with respect to each
medical center, Vet Center (as defined in section 1712A of
title 38, United States Code), and community-based outpatient
center in the Veterans Integrated Service Network--
(1) the name and contact information of each social work
office;
(2) the name and contact information of each mental health
clinic;
(3) a list of appropriate staff; and
(4) any other information the Secretary determines
appropriate.
(c) Updated Information.--The Secretary shall ensure that
the information described in subsection (b) that is published
on the Internet website under subsection (a) is updated not
less than once every 90 days.
(d) Outreach.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary
shall ensure that the outreach conducted under section
1720F(i) of title 38, United States Code, includes
information regarding the Internet website published under
subsection (a).

SEC. 4. PILOT PROGRAM FOR REPAYMENT OF EDUCATIONAL LOANS FOR
CERTAIN PSYCHIATRISTS OF VETERANS HEALTH
ADMINISTRATION.

(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
carry out a pilot program to repay loans of individuals
described in subsection (b) that--
(1) were used by such individuals to finance education
relating to psychiatric medicine, including education leading
to--
(A) a degree of doctor of medicine; or
(B) a degree of doctor of osteopathy; and
(2) were obtained from any of the following:
(A) A governmental entity.
(B) A private financial institution.

[[Page H8900]]

(C) A school.
(D) Any other authorized entity as determined by the
Secretary.
(b) Eligible Individuals.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), an individual
eligible for participation in the pilot program is an
individual who--
(A) either--
(i) is licensed or eligible for licensure to practice
psychiatric medicine in the Veterans Health Administration of
the Department of Veterans Affairs; or
(ii) is enrolled in the final year of a residency program
leading to a specialty qualification in psychiatric medicine
that is approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate
Medical Education; and
(B) demonstrates a commitment to a long-term career as a
psychiatrist in the Veterans Health Administration, as
determined by the Secretary.
(2) Prohibition on simultaneous eligibility.--An individual
who is participating in any other program of the Federal
Government that repays the educational loans of the
individual is not eligible to participate in the pilot
program.
(c) Selection.--The Secretary shall select not less than 10
individuals described in subsection (b) to participate in the
pilot program for each year in which the Secretary carries
out the pilot program.
(d) Period of Obligated Service.--The Secretary shall enter
into an agreement with each individual selected under
subsection (c) in which such individual agrees to serve a
period of two or more years of obligated service for the
Veterans Health Administration in the field of psychiatric
medicine, as determined by the Secretary.
(e) Loan Repayments.--
(1) Amounts.--Subject to paragraph (2), a loan repayment
under this section may consist of payment of the principal,
interest, and related expenses of a loan obtained by an
individual who is participating in the pilot program for all
educational expenses (including tuition, fees, books, and
laboratory expenses) of such individual relating to education
described in subsection (a)(1).
(2) Limit.--For each year of obligated service that an
individual who is participating in the pilot program agrees
to serve under subsection (d), the Secretary may pay not more
than $30,000 in loan repayment on behalf of such individual.
(f) Breach.--
(1) Liability.--An individual who participates in the pilot
program and fails to satisfy the period of obligated service
under subsection (d) shall be liable to the United States, in
lieu of such obligated service, for the amount that has been
paid or is payable to or on behalf of the individual under
the pilot program, reduced by the proportion that the number
of days served for completion of the period of obligated
service bears to the total number of days in the period of
obligated service of such individual.
(2) Repayment period.--Any amount of damages that the
United States is entitled to recover under this subsection
shall be paid to the United States not later than one year
after the date of the breach of the agreement.
(g) Report.--
(1) Initial report.--Not later than two years after the
date on which the pilot program under subsection (a)
commences, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on
the pilot program.
(2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall
include the following:
(A) The number of individuals who participated in the pilot
program, including the number of new hires.
(B) The locations in which such individuals were employed
by the Department, including how many such locations were
rural or urban locations.
(C) An assessment of the quality of the work performed by
such individuals in the course of such employment, including
the performance reviews of such individuals.
(D) The number of psychiatrists the Secretary determines is
needed by the Department in the future.
(3) Final report.--Not later than 90 days before the date
on which the pilot program terminates under subsection (i),
the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
of the House of Representatives an update to the report
submitted under paragraph (1) and any recommendations that
the Secretary considers appropriate.
(h) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe regulations
to carry out this section, including standards for qualified
loans and authorized payees and other terms and conditions
for the making of loan repayments.
(i) Termination.--The authority to carry out the pilot
program shall expire on the date that is three years after
the date on which the Secretary commences the pilot program.

SEC. 5. PILOT PROGRAM ON COMMUNITY OUTREACH.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
establish a pilot program to assist veterans transitioning
from serving on active duty and to improve the access of
veterans to mental health services.
(b) Locations.--The Secretary shall carry out the pilot
program under subsection (a) at not less than five Veterans
Integrated Service Networks that have a large population of
veterans who--
(1) served in the reserve components of the Armed Forces;
or
(2) are transitioning into communities with an established
population of veterans after having recently separated from
the Armed Forces.
(c) Functions.--The pilot program at each Veterans
Integrated Service Network described in subsection (b) shall
include the following:
(1) A community oriented veteran peer support network,
carried out in partnership with an appropriate entity with
experience in peer support programs, that--
(A) establishes peer support training guidelines;
(B) develops a network of veteran peer support counselors
to meet the demands of the communities in the Veterans
Integrated Service Network;
(C) conducts training of veteran peer support counselors;
(D) with respect to one medical center selected by the
Secretary in each such Veterans Integrated Service Network,
has--
(i) a designated peer support specialist who acts as a
liaison to the community oriented veteran peer network; and
(ii) a certified mental health professional designated as
the community oriented veteran peer network mentor; and
(E) is readily available to veterans, including pursuant to
the Veterans Integrated Service Network cooperating and
working with State and local governments and appropriate
entities.
(2) A community outreach team for each medical center
selected by the Secretary pursuant to paragraph (1)(D) that--
(A) assists veterans transitioning into communities;
(B) establishes a veteran transition advisory group to
facilitate outreach activities;
(C) includes the participation of appropriate community
organizations, State and local governments, colleges and
universities, chambers of commerce and other local business
organizations, and organizations that provide legal aid or
advice; and
(D) coordinates with the Veterans Integrated Service
Network regarding the Veterans Integrated Service Network
carrying out an annual mental health summit to assess the
status of veteran mental health care in the community and to
develop new or innovative means to provide mental health
services to veterans.
(d) Reports.--
(1) Initial report.--Not later than 18 months after the
date on which the pilot program under subsection (a)
commences, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on
the pilot program. With respect to each Veterans Integrated
Service Network described in subsection (b), the report shall
include--
(A) a full description of the peer support model
implemented under the pilot program, participation data, and
data pertaining to past and current mental health related
hospitalizations and fatalities;
(B) recommendations on implementing peer support networks
throughout the Department;
(C) whether the mental health resources made available
under the pilot program for members of the reserve components
of the Armed Forces is effective; and
(D) a full description of the activities and effectiveness
of community outreach coordinating teams under the pilot
program, including partnerships that have been established
with appropriate entities.
(2) Final report.--Not later than 90 days before the date
on which the pilot program terminates under subsection (e),
the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
of the House of Representatives an update to the report
submitted under paragraph (1).
(e) Construction.--This section may not be construed to
authorize the Secretary to hire additional employees of the
Department to carry out the pilot program under subsection
(a).
(f) Termination.--The authority of the Secretary to carry
out the pilot program under subsection (a) shall terminate on
the date that is three years after the date on which the
pilot program commences.

SEC. 6. COLLABORATION ON SUICIDE PREVENTION EFFORTS BETWEEN
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND NON-PROFIT
MENTAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS.

(a) Collaboration.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may
collaborate with non-profit mental health organizations to
prevent suicide among veterans as follows:
(1) To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of suicide
prevention efforts carried out by the Secretary and non-
profit mental health organizations.
(2) To assist non-profit mental health organizations with
the suicide prevention efforts of such organizations through
the use of the expertise of employees of the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
(3) To jointly carry out suicide prevention efforts.
(b) Exchange of Resources.--In carrying out any
collaboration under subsection (a), the Secretary and any
non-profit mental health organization with which the
Secretary is collaborating under such subsection shall
exchange training sessions and best practices to help with
the suicide prevention efforts of the Department and such
organization.
(c) Director of Suicide Prevention Coordination.--The
Secretary shall select

[[Page H8901]]

within the Department a Director of Suicide Prevention
Coordination to undertake any collaboration with non-profit
mental health organizations under this section or any other
provision of law.

SEC. 7. ADDITIONAL PERIOD OF ELIGIBILITY FOR HEALTH CARE FOR
CERTAIN VETERANS OF COMBAT SERVICE DURING
CERTAIN PERIODS OF HOSTILITIES AND WAR.

Paragraph (3) of section 1710(e) of title 38, United States
Code, is amended to read as follows:
``(3) In the case of care for a veteran described in
paragraph (1)(D), hospital care, medical services, and
nursing home care may be provided under or by virtue of
subsection (a)(2)(F) only during the following periods:
``(A) Except as provided by subparagraph (B), with respect
to a veteran described in paragraph (1)(D) who is discharged
or released from the active military, naval, or air service
after January 27, 2003, the five-year period beginning on the
date of such discharge or release.
``(B) With respect to a veteran described in paragraph
(1)(D) who is discharged or released from the active
military, naval, or air service after January 1, 2009, and
before January 1, 2011, but did not enroll to receive such
hospital care, medical services, or nursing home care
pursuant to such paragraph during the five-year period
described in subparagraph (A), the one-year period beginning
on January 1, 2015.
``(C) With respect to a veteran described in paragraph
(1)(D) who is discharged or released from the active
military, naval, or air service on or before January 27,
2003, and did not enroll in the patient enrollment system
under section 1705 of this title on or before such date, the
three-year period beginning on January 27, 2008.''.

SEC. 8. PROHIBITION ON NEW APPROPRIATIONS.

No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to
carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act, and
this Act and such amendments shall be carried out using
amounts otherwise made available for such purposes.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Miller) and the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.

General Leave

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks on H.R. 5059, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
might consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in proud support of H.R. 5059, as amended,
the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act.
In July, amidst the largest scandal--an accountability scandal--the
Department of Veterans Affairs has ever faced, the committee heard
testimony from three mothers whose sons had lost their lives to suicide
following their service in our military.
One of those mothers was Susan Selke, the mother of Clay Hunt. Clay
was a Marine Corps combat veteran who served honorably in both
Afghanistan and Iraq, where he was wounded in battle.
Despite suffering from post-traumatic stress upon his separation,
Clay devoted himself to humanitarian work and advocated on behalf of
his fellow veterans.
Nevertheless, in March of 2011, Clay took his own life at the age of
28. Tragically, Clay was far from alone in his struggle, and his family
and friends are far from alone in their heartbreak.
On average, 22 of our Nation's heroes commit suicide each day, in
spite of significant increases in VA's mental health and suicide
prevention budget, staff, and programs over the last several years.
What is more, for some groups of veterans, including female veterans
and veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, suicide rates are actually
getting worse.
Mr. Speaker, we must do more to help these veterans. With the passage
of H.R. 5059, as amended, which is named in Clay's memory, I think we
will. The Clay Hunt SAV Act will help struggling veterans access the
supportive services and mental health care they need to, hopefully,
save their lives.
To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of VA programs and
increase awareness of available services, the bill would require an
annual third-party evaluation of VA's mental health care and suicide
prevention programs, and it would require that VA publish an
interactive Web site to serve as the central source of information
regarding VA mental health services.
To increase VA's capacity to meet the mental health care needs of our
veterans, it would establish a pilot program to repay education loans
for individuals who have received a degree in psychiatric medicine and
who agree to work at VA for at least 2 years.
To create a seamless transition from Active Duty to veteran status
and increase community support for those in need, it would establish a
pilot program to assist veterans during transition and require VA to
collaborate with nonprofit mental health organizations in their
communities.
Importantly, the bill would also extend an additional 1 year of
eligibility for VA health care services for certain combat veterans who
have not yet enrolled and whose 5-year combat eligibility period
recently expired.
Congressman Walz from Minnesota introduced the bill, along with me
and Congresswoman Duckworth from Illinois. I would like to express my
heartfelt appreciation to both of them for their service to our Nation
in their uniform and in this Congress.
I am proud to say that this bill has the support of numerous groups
of veteran service organizations, including Iraq and Afghanistan
Veterans of America, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States,
the American Legion, the Disabled American Veterans, the Military
Officers Association of America, and the Wounded Warrior Project.
The Clay Hunt SAV Act will not singlehandedly halt the scourge of
suicide. The problems the VA health care system faces, and the mental
health wounds of war that our veterans face, are far too deep for any
single solution to resolve. But it is an important first step, and it
is a step that we owe Clay and those like him who returned home from
honorable service troubled in mind and in need of help.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in
supporting H.R. 5059, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5059, the Clay Hunt SAV
Act, which was introduced in July of this year. It has 134 cosponsors,
including myself, Chairman Miller, and the chairman and ranking member
of the Health Care Subcommittee. Congressman Walz is the primary
sponsor of this very important piece of legislation.
Over the years, the Veterans Affairs' Committee has taken steps to
address the rise of suicide among veterans. In the 110th Congress we
enacted the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act.
Earlier in this Congress we reported H.R. 4971, which included a
measure sponsored by our colleague, Representative Sinema, that would
protect veterans who have worked in classified environments by ensuring
that appropriate mental health care treatment options exist for them.
Today, we are acting again, by considering H.R. 5059, the Clay Hunt
SAV Act. There are no easy answers or quick fixes to addressing
veterans suicide. It will take a concerted effort for all of us in
Congress, the White House, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the
Department of Defense to work together to find real solutions. Veterans
support groups, community employers, and families are part of the
solution too.
H.R. 5059 takes a number of steps toward that goal. It will improve
the safety net for at-risk veterans, while introducing some
accountability into the Department of Veterans Affairs mental health
care and suicide prevention programs, using a third-party evaluation.
It will provide veterans with a Web site that will serve as a
centralized source of information on mental health services.
H.R. 5059 initiates a program to help address some of the glaring
mental health personnel shortages at the Department of Veterans
Affairs. While the incentives in this bill are limited to the
psychiatric field, I would like to see this effort expanded in the
future to all mental health professional shortfalls.
H.R. 5059 also takes steps to temporarily expand peer support
networks,

[[Page H8902]]

which we have heard are quite effective. I believe the reports required
by this bill will confirm additional resources that should permanently
be dedicated to fully utilizing peer support.
H.R. 5059 also provides an additional window of eligibility for
combat veterans who may have missed the window of opportunity to sign
up for VA health care. This extra time will help to ensure that
veterans receive the health care, including mental health care, that
they need. I would encourage my colleagues to support this piece of
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to yield 2
minutes to the gentleman from the First District of Michigan (Mr.
Benishek), who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health.
Mr. BENISHEK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman, the ranking member,
and Mr. Walz, thank you so much for introducing this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to support the Clay
Hunt SAV Act. I am honored to be an original cosponsor of this
important legislation.
As the father of a veteran, and a doctor who worked at the VA
hospital in northern Michigan, I know that the challenges of military
life do not end once our servicemembers return from active duty.
The mental wounds of war may be invisible, but no less real to the
young men and women suffering from them. Facing high unemployment
rates, the stigma of post-traumatic stress disorder, and the loss of
military fellowship, returning veterans often face a crisis of
confidence at the very moment they should feel nothing but relief and
rest.
That is why our bill will help the VA to put the very best mental
health professionals to work for our veterans and will create peer
support networks to help catch those transitioning servicemembers who
might otherwise fall through the cracks.
The time to act to address the epidemic of veterans suicide is now.
With this bill, and with continued focus on the health of our veterans,
and their mental health as well, we can make a real impact.
I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and pass the Clay
Hunt SAV Act.
Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Minnesota (Mr. Walz). I want to thank Mr. Walz for his continued effort
to make sure that our veterans are taken care of in this great Nation
of ours.
Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I want to extend my thanks to Chairman Miller
and Ranking Member Michaud. I think an American public which, many
times, thinks all politics is is bickering and fighting and pettiness
needs to see the two examples that these leaders show, consistently
putting the needs of our veterans first and foremost, finding areas to
improve, and holding people accountable, but this piece of legislation,
most importantly, finding solutions to make life better for our
veterans. And for that, I am forever grateful to them for the work and
for the staff that worked on this.

{time} 1515

Ms. Duckworth is not able to be with us today. I said a lot of times
that people talk about patriotism and service and heroics. In Tammy
Duckworth's case, you just state her name, and her life is a living
testament to that, and she works every day. We are just happy she is
with her little one now, but she had a big part in this.
There are very few things that unite this country in the security of
our Nation and in the care of our warriors, as I think many of us know,
as do the millions who have fought the conflicts and who have fought
extremism across the globe--people like Clay Hunt, a young marine, who
went and did his duty. He was wounded in Iraq.
That was not enough for Clay, so he went to Afghanistan, where he
experienced some of the most horrific conditions you could imagine.
That was not enough for Clay. He came home after he did his service in
the Marine Corps, and he continued to serve. He went to Haiti, taking
his skills that he had learned in the military to help after the
hurricane.
Then he came and sat in many of our offices and had many
conversations--everything from the GI Bill to the transitioning back of
our warriors who are dealing with PTS and making sure that we address
their mental health issues.
I know, for many of us, Clay was the epitome of American patriotism,
of strength, of everything that is right, and it comes as such a shock.
I know it sounds like a cliche, but how could someone so strong and who
had done so much be dealing with these demons? We know he was, and we
know this Nation didn't do enough. We know he didn't receive the
adequate care that he deserved and had earned. To be quite honest with
you, it is in our Nation's best interest, both morally and security-
wise and everything else, to give them that.
Again, he didn't stop there, and his parents didn't stop there. His
parents--his mother and father--are here in this Chamber, as are his
friends, to make sure this never happens to another family. Our friends
at the veterans service organizations, like the IAVA and Paul Rykoff
and his folks and the VFW, have asked us to do better.
The result of this piece of legislation is the folks like Chairman
Miller, Ranking Member Michaud, Tammy Duckworth, Mr. Benishek, and
others who have come down here to speak. Our differences are small
compared to our commonalities, and our care for our warriors has to be
there. You heard the specifics of this bill, some of the things that it
will do.
There is not one of us who is kidding oneself that this is going to
be the silver bullet, but it puts it on the forefront. It brings some
solutions that came from our warriors, that came from best practices,
that came from both sides of the aisle, and brought it forward to find
real solutions.
The thing that most encourages me about this is that it is asking us,
if things are not working, evaluate them and get rid of them, and bring
the things forward that are going to work. Don't get buried in studies
for 10 years. We don't have 10 years. We don't have 10 days for people.
It is now.
That is, I think, the beauty of this piece of legislation. It starts
to move those things forward. It starts to bring the communities back
into this. It starts to understand a holistic approach to dealing with
the issues of veterans' suicides, because this Nation cannot allow this
to happen. We morally cannot. It attacks our soul when we do this. To
be very honest, we can't afford to lose people like Clay Hunt.
Clay Hunt is our leader. He is our future leader. He is our business
leader. He would at some point have been in this Chamber or wherever he
would have chosen to have gone. That was his destiny, and this is
happening over 22 times every day.
I encourage my colleagues to support this piece of legislation but,
more importantly, to support the spirit that is behind it--bringing us
together to get it right: to care for our warriors with the best
possible use for our resources and an accountability to those resources
to make sure that the outcome is most important.
That outcome is honoring our commitment to the reintegration of these
warriors. Once they have done their service to this country, bring them
home; make them whole; make sure that they are able to continue to
serve this Nation as they wish.
For that, I am grateful. I am especially grateful for the leadership
of Clay's family and of his mother, Susan, who absolutely said this can
be done; this must be done; and it will be done. Thanks to these two
gentlemen's leadership, it will.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from the Second District of Indiana (Mrs. Walorski), who is
a stalwart supporter of veterans in her district and who has a great
future ahead in veteran issues.
Mrs. WALORSKI. I thank the distinguished gentleman from Florida, the
chairman.
Mr. Speaker, every day, 22 veterans take their own lives. Many of us
in this Chamber have experienced this in our own districts. This has
been a tragedy in my district as well. Sadly, on March 31, nearly 3
years ago, Clay Hunt was one of those 22 veterans who took his own life
at the age of 28.
An Afghanistan and Iraq war veteran and suicide prevention advocate,
Clay

[[Page H8903]]

Hunt epitomized what it meant to have a life of service both in and out
of uniform. Today, we honor Clay and his family with H.R. 5059, the
Clay Hunt SAV Act. Clay's story was one of bravery and dedication to
our country.
He enlisted in the Marine Corps and served on several missions to
Iraq and Afghanistan. After his final deployment to Afghanistan, his
unit returned in October of 2008, and he was honorably discharged from
the Marines.
Here is the key: Clay relied on the VA for medical care and received
a 30 percent disability rating from the VA for PTSD. After realizing
his PTSD is what prohibited him from keeping a steady job, he appealed
the 30 percent rating and encountered a bureaucratic nightmare,
including the VA's losing his files.
Clay had to wait months to get in to see a psychiatrist at a VA
medical center. When he finally did, he told his mother he would never
go back. Two weeks later, Clay took his own life. Five weeks after his
death and 18 months after filing an appeal with the VA for his PTSD
rating, Clay's appeal went through. His PTSD rating was 100 percent.
Too little, too late.
Clay's story details the urgency our Nation's heroes deserve in care.
If we are going to lower this incredibly alarming rate of suicides, we
have to improve the access and effectiveness of mental health care
available to our returning heroes, and this step is a step in the right
direction. The Clay Hunt SAV Act will increase access to mental health
care and improve the quality of care that troops and veterans receive.
Together, we can change this system so no other veteran or spouse or
parent will ever have to do what thousands of veterans have endured,
including Clay. We owe it today to do what we can do and to continue
the fight for our veterans, for what they have endured, and give them
nothing but the best.
Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Brown), the incoming ranking member for the Veterans'
Affairs Committee, who has been a strong advocate for our veterans for
the number of years she has been on the committee.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Thank you, Ranking Member Michaud.
First of all, let me just thank you for your service--your 12 years
of service to this Congress--for what you have done for veterans
throughout this country and also for working with you on
transportation. I want to salute you for all that you have done. Thank
you very much.
Mr. Speaker, earlier today, I visited the Walter Reed National
Military Medical Center, where part of the facility is named the Murtha
Cancer Center. Jack Murtha was a friend of mine, and he was the biggest
advocate in Congress for men and women who serve in our military. I am
especially proud of the visitors' center at the Normandy American
Cemetery in France.
I had the opportunity to visit this center not long after it opened
in 2007. The visitors' center truly pays tribute to the soldiers who
stormed the beaches. It gives visitors a true sense of what the men and
their loved ones had gone through on that D-day. I am pleased to have
worked with John Murtha, and I am pleased that his memory will live on
in the Murtha Cancer Center at Walter Reed.
I rise in support of this legislation, introduced by Mr. Walz, to
help bring attention to the horrible problems that are affecting our
Nation's veterans.
I am pleased that my colleague introduced this legislation, which
will require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of
Defense to arrange for an outside evaluation of their mental health
care and suicide prevention programs. I am also requiring any
servicemember who is discharged for posttraumatic stress disorder or
brain injury or military sexual trauma to get treatment. Twenty-two
veterans' suicides per day is too many. One suicide is too many.
Again, I want to thank Mr. Walz for introducing this legislation.
Last night at the White House Christmas ball there were cards
available for Members of Congress to sign that would be sent to
servicemembers this holiday season. I have placed these cards in the
Democratic cloakroom and in the Republican cloakroom, and I am asking
for Members who would to sign these cards and send notes to our
veterans throughout the world.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. I now yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
the great State of Florida (Mr. Jolly), a colleague of mine and a fine
member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.
Mr. JOLLY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5059, legislation to
improve mental health and suicide prevention services for our Nation's
veterans.
Across the country today, there are families grieving, remembering
loved ones who, in a moment of tragedy, took their own lives. These
families also have in common another memory--the day their loved ones
put on the uniform of the Armed Forces for the first time, who raised
their right hands and took an oath to defend the Nation, to defend and
protect each of us.
In many ways, we as a nation have failed to defend and protect them.
We have failed to ensure sufficient access to mental health care and
suicide prevention services.
We have remarkable caregivers and mental health counselors in our VA
and DOD health systems who are on the front lines of mental health
services every day, who do remarkable work; but, administratively, we
must do more. We must empower veterans to seek immediate care for
mental health and suicide prevention services. We must incentivize
mental health professionals to join the VA workforce and deliver health
care to our veterans, and we must improve the coordination between the
VA and the DOD to deliver these services. This legislation does exactly
that, and it is why it deserves our full support.
Mr. Speaker, this is a matter of national importance, but it is also
a matter of personal conviction for many families, including for a
mother in my district who, on Memorial Day of this year, at the C.W.
Bill Young VA Medical Center at Bay Pines, approached me to share a
story about the loss of her son who took his own life while awaiting
enrollment in the VA, while awaiting mental health treatment from the
VA. His mental health needs were left untreated, and he took his own
life.
There are very few things more important for this body than to give
voice to the voiceless. We are doing that today by speaking out about
the tragic experiences of those who are no longer with us and by
improving a health care system that provides remarkable care every day
to our veterans but who need this Congress and this administration to
enact much-needed changes. Mr. Speaker, this is critically important
legislation, and I urge my colleagues to join me in its passage.
Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, how many more speakers has the gentleman
from Florida?
Mr. MILLER of Florida. We have one more speaker before I close.
Mr. MICHAUD. We have one more speaker, and I believe she is on her
way.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from the Sixth District of Illinois (Mr. Roskam), a gentleman
who does not serve on the committee with us but who has a very keen
interest in veterans affairs issues.
Mr. ROSKAM. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Speaker, in listening to the debate and this discussion today,
this is really a bill about real contrasts. The contrast, as the
gentleman from Minnesota described a couple of minutes ago, is starting
at a very high point, which is a sense of calling, a sense of
patriotism, a sense of going forward and meeting a duty and joining the
Armed Forces of the United States. That is one end of the spectrum. At
the other end of the spectrum was the description that Mrs. Walorski
had, and that was of Clay Hunt's experience.
From one end of the spectrum to the other.
As I was sitting and listening, Mr. Speaker, I was looking above your
head. There is a clock over your head. If you look at these numbers,
you have 22 people every day who are going to kill themselves, and we
know that. If you think about that and if you look at that clock, you
think, in a little bit more than an hour, there is going to be a
terrible thing that is going to happen. The good news is that Tammy

[[Page H8904]]

Duckworth from Illinois and Tim Walz from Minnesota and Jeff Miller
from Florida decided to do something about it.
The power of this is when you have that broad of a political spectrum
that says we are not going to tolerate this, that we are going to make
sure that this issue is not lost in the shuffle, that this is not a
statistic, that this is not 22. Rather, these are people who are going
to be named; these are people who are going to be discussed; and these
are people who are going to be defended.

{time} 1530

So I am happy today to join with those who are asking for favorable
passage of the Clay Hunt SAV Act.
Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Providing sufficient and effective mental health care to our veterans
is an issue that I believe we must focus on. It is an issue that I hope
will bring comprehensive policies in the next Congress. Finding real
solutions will require all of us working together and will require
sufficient resources and dedication.
I know my colleague, the gentleman from Minnesota, will be at the
forefront of this fight, joined by Chairman Miller, Ranking Member-
elect Ms. Brown, and all of the Republicans and Democrats on the
Veterans' Affairs Committee. But I will not be in the House of
Representatives next session to join that fight.
In my years in Congress, I have worked hard toward solutions that
provide modern and effective care and benefits for our veterans. I have
fought against inadequate budgets and for resources necessary to do the
job. I have worked hard to improve the care and benefits of our newest
veterans, while never forgetting our veterans from previous conflicts.
I have been encouraged by what we have all been able to accomplish
together. But there is more that we have to do, and I know my
colleagues will not give up the fight until we have won that battle.
But I do want to thank Chairman Miller for his leadership, his
support, and his friendship over the years. It has been an honor to
work with Chairman Miller, and it has been a pleasure to serve with him
as well.
I also want to thank the members of the House Veterans' Affairs
Committee, both past and present. They have been true colleagues,
mentors, and friends.
I want to wish the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown), our ranking
member-elect, the best of luck, and I hope that she will enjoy her time
as ranking member as much as I have enjoyed my time as ranking member.
And for the staff, both the majority and minority staff, they are the
ones that make Members look good. They work very hard day and night to
make sure that the policies that the members of the committee want are
put into legislation.
I can say truly that the majority and minority staff in this Congress
has worked very well together. They have put aside the partisanship
that other committees have not. So I thank them for their hard work and
dedication to making sure that we do what we are here to do, and that
is to serve our veterans.
There is no more noble calling than serving those who have served
this great Nation of ours.
And to my colleagues here in Congress who are veterans and to
America's veterans, I will simply say, thank you. Thank you for your
service to this great Nation of ours. It is because of you that we are
the country that we are today. You never turned your back. You never
faltered. And some of you have made the ultimate sacrifice and have
given your life for this country. So thank you for your service.
Mr. Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to support this bill and move
it to the Senate.
With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I would be remiss if I did not say thank you to the gentleman from
Maine, Mike Michaud. As the ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs
Committee, we, as a team, along with the members and the staff, have
accomplished much this year, but it has all been done in a bipartisan
way. We were able to move large pieces of legislation that will impact,
in a positive way, veterans for years to come.
We uncovered probably the largest scandal that has ever been
uncovered at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and we are now turning
that agency in a direction to where it serves the veterans and not
itself.
This wouldn't have happened without the steady hand of the gentleman
from Maine, Mike Michaud, as the ranking member. Again, he is a fine
man. He has been a great Representative, and he is a friend that will
be missed. I look forward to going to Maine one day and hunting moose
with Mike, whom I have pestered for 12 years to get a chance to go up
and visit. But we will miss him, and we wish him well.
And with that, I want to take a moment to express my condolences and
my appreciation to Clay's family, whom I understand are in the Capitol
with us today, as well as to all the families of veterans who have lost
their lives to suicide. My thoughts and my prayers are with each of
them.
Once again, I encourage all the Members to support this legislation,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I was proud to help introduce H.R. 5059,
the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act with
Chairman Jeff Miller and Representative Tim Walz.
This bipartisan bill, named after 28-year-old Marine Veteran Clay
Hunt, who tragically took his own life in March 2011, will reduce the
barriers that prevent our Veterans from receiving quality mental health
care.
It is a heartbreaking reality that twenty-two Veterans take their own
lives each day. These are all casualties of war. As a nation, we are
failing these brave men and women.
This legislation will task an independent, third party to annually
review mental health care and suicide prevention programs and make
recommendations on how to improve care. The bill also requires the VA
to create a centralized source of information for all mental health
services for Veterans. It will also address the shortage of mental
health care professionals in order to ensure access to care as demand
increases. Finally, through a pilot program, Veterans will receive
reintegration assistance directly from the communities in which they
live, fostering a smoother and more inclusive transition to life after
the uniform.
Just as these Veterans remained faithful to our country on the
battlefield, it is our turn as their Representatives to remain faithful
to them. When our service men and women make the brave decision to seek
help, we must ensure that they can get the quality assistance and
treatment they deserve in a timely manner.
I urge all of the Members to support this legislation so that we can
begin to turn the tide against suicide.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Salmon). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5059, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to direct
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide for the conduct of annual
evaluations of mental health care and suicide prevention programs of
the Department of Veterans Affairs, to require a pilot program on loan
repayment for psychiatrists who agree to serve in the Veterans Health
Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other
purposes.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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