WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley, along with Senator Tom Harkin, today introduced legislation to direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to immediately begin implementing a comprehensive program to prevent suicide among veterans.
“Readjusting to civilian life is often difficult for our brave soldiers who are returning home from the War on Terror. As in the case of Joshua Omvig, the mental anguish they sometimes face is unbearable. With this bill we’ll begin fighting stigmas and reaching out to these veterans to ensure that they receive the treatment they need,” Grassley said.
The bill is named for Joshua Omvig, a young Iowan from Grundy Center who committed suicide after returning home from serving his country in Iraq.
The bill introduced today would require the Department to implement key measures consistent with the VA’s recently developed Comprehensive Mental Health Strategic Plan that could help identify potential suicide risks and encourage veterans to seek treatment.
Grassley said some of the key provisions of the bill include training Veterans Affairs employees to notice risk factors for suicide and in best practices for suicide prevention; educating families about issues that can arise in readjustment to civilian life, identifying symptoms of mental health problems, and encouraging veterans to seek treatment; developing a peer support program using other veterans as volunteer peer counselors; and collaborating with other agencies to ensure that veterans in rural areas have access to quality mental health treatment.
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