Congressman Dan Kildee Introduces Legislation to Help Curb Veteran Suicides

Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) today announced new legislation he has introduced to direct the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) and the military to provide more effective mental health resources to veterans and active duty personnel at high risk of suicide. Recent reporting on veteran suicide rates has shown alarming suicide rates among a select number of units returning from combat. Despite these disturbing trends in particular units, neither the VA nor the Department of Defense track veteran suicide rates by unit or any other comparable measure.

Congressman Kildee’s legislation, the Honoring our Returning Veterans and Service Members Act, would require that the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the VA identify units with disproportionate rates of suicide and provide additional mental health resources to personnel that were deployed in those units. Additionally, the legislation would require the military to look at the conditions of deployment for those units and provide additional mental health resources to units with similar conditions of deployment going forward.

“We have an obligation as a nation to ensure that our veterans and service members get the medical and mental health care they need,” Congressman Kildee said. “Sadly, invisible wounds of war such as post-traumatic stress disorder are taking the lives of too many men and women who’ve served our country. The suicide rate among our veterans and active duty service members is staggering, including suicide rates in specific combat units. My legislation aims to get expedited mental health care to veterans and service members in need so we can stop this terrible epidemic of suicide.”

The New York Times recently reported that in one unit, “suicide is spreading like a virus,” with at least 13 Marines having killed themselves. That suicide rate is nearly four times the rate of young male veterans, and as a whole 14 times more than all Americans. “The authorities are not even aware of the spike in suicides in [particular units]; suicide experts at the Department of Veterans Affairs said they did not track suicide trends among veterans of specific military units. And the Marine Corps does not track suicides of former service members,” the New York Times report says.

Congressman Kildee’s legislation is also sponsored by Representatives Beto O’Rourke (TX-16) and Seth Moulton (MA-06), both members of the Armed Services Committee. Rep. Moulton is an Iraq war veteran. “This is a crisis and we must respond accordingly. I support any effort that will ensure that service members and veterans get the care they have earned and deserve as quickly and effectively as possible,” Congressman O’Rourke said. “As a Marine Corps veteran, the story of Manny Bojorquez and his battalion is tragic and personal.  His story is one that we hear too often from the men and women who return home from war,” Congressman Moulton said. “Congress is failing our veterans, and we must do more to address the systemic problems with veterans’ health care. I am honored to join Congressman Kildee on this important legislation that will improve our ability to provide care and resources to the veterans most at-risk of suicide.” Congressman Kildee’s legislation is his latest action in a series of efforts to curb suicide rates among veterans.

In January, Congressman Kildee championed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act. The bill was signed into law by the President on February 12. It expands access to mental health services for our nation’s veterans and increases the capacity and efficiency of VA care to deal with the more than one million veterans returning from war. The law was named after Marine Corporal Clay Hunt, an Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart after being shot by a sniper’s bullet. In March 2011, Corporal Hunt tragically took his own life.