Pass the Veterans' Mental Health Act
The men and women who sign up for service in the military or the
national guard — especially at a time when they know that signing up
means they'll be putting their lives on the line — should be receiving
our utmost gratitude for making huge sacrifices in the name of our
national security.
Instead, in return for their service, during which they are exposed to
horrific violence, hazardous living conditions, and dangerous convoys
using limited resources, our troops return home without receiving as
much as a physical. Instead of a physical, they are told to fill out a
brief questionnaire, the results of which, reports indicate, scarcely
receive any follow-up.
Furthermore, despite the alarming increases in both veteran suicide
and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), VA mental health services
remain grossly insufficient.
As many as one in five veterans suffer from PTSD. We cannot allow them
to go untreated. We need better mental health services for our veterans.
The Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008, approved by the Senate in June and now working its way through the House, will force the expansion
of VA mental health services. This bill will: 1.) ensure a minimum
level of substance abuse care for veterans in need; 2.) expand and
improve mental health services to help prevent suicides; 3.) require
improved treatment for veterans with multiple disorders; 4.) establish
a research program on PTSD and substance abuse disorders; 5.) mandate
a review of VA's residential mental health facilities; and 6.) extend
mental health services to the family members of veterans receiving care.
Sign our petition urging the U.S. House of Representatives to pass this bill as soon as possible.
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