Garbarino Introduces Bipartisan Bill To Prevent Veteran Suicides
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY-02), joined by Congressman Dave Joyce (R-OH-14), led a bipartisan effort to introduce the Veteran Suicide Prevention Act. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) to compile a publicly available review of suicides by veterans in the last five years.
While suicide is a national concern, rates among veterans are on average 1.5 times higher than those who have not served in the military. In September 2019, the VA released an alarming report showing that at least 60,000 veterans died by suicide between 2008 and 2017. According to the VA’s most recent annual report, nearly 18 veterans take their own life every day.
Additional original cosponsors of the Veteran Suicide Prevention Act include Representatives Mark Amodei (R-NV-02), Derek Kilmer (D-WA-06), Peter Welch (D-VT-AL), Bobby Rush (D-IL-01), Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-AS), and John Katko (R-NY-24).
“There are over 838,000 veterans living in the Empire State who have put their lives on the line to protect the sanctity of our freedom, and every single one of them deserves the best mental health care available,” said Garbarino. “After surviving the horrors of war, we must continue to safeguard the physical and mental health of our nation’s heroes. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan effort with Congressman Joyce to combat the alarming uptick in veteran suicides.”
“Issues surrounding mental health are a complex and unfortunate challenge for so many of our nation’s heroes,” said Joyce. “My heart breaks trying to understand the pain and suffering that drives 18 veterans a day to suicide. We have the responsibility to reverse that terrible statistic and provide those who have served our country with the care and support they have earned. I’m proud to join Rep. Garbarino in introducing this important bill and know that it can help us better treat the invisible wounds of war and prevent veteran suicides.”
“If you serve our country, the federal government should have your back. That means understanding and ending death by suicide among our troops and veterans. It means ensuring that all military families and veterans get the treatment and support they need,” said Kilmer. “That’s why I’m supporting this bipartisan legislation so we can get a full picture of the steps needed to prevent these tragedies.”
“According to the VA, approximately 18 veterans take their own life every day. As a nation, we must do more to ensure those who served and protected our country have access to the support services they need when they return to civilian life,” said Katko. “That’s why, I’m joining Reps. Garbarino and Joyce in introducing the Veteran Suicide Prevention Act. This bipartisan bill takes important steps to ensure we have the necessary information to develop meaningful policy to prevent veteran suicide.”
Specifically, the review will include, but will not be limited to:
- the total number of veterans who died by suicide during the five-year period;
- a summary that includes age, gender, and race;
- a list of the medications prescribed to, and found in the systems of, such veterans at the time of their deaths, and a summary of medical diagnoses by VA physicians which led to the prescribing of such medications;
- the number of instances in which the veteran was concurrently on multiple medications prescribed by VA physicians;
- the percentage of veterans who were not taking any medication prescribed by a VA physician;
- the percentage of veterans with combat experience or trauma;
- Veterans Health Administration facilities with markedly high prescription and patient suicide rates;
- a description of VA policies governing the prescribing of medications; and
- recommendations to improve the safety and well-being of veterans.
The full text of the bill can be found here.
###