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Bills To Reduce Suicides Among Military Advance

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
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Two bills dealing with the suicide rates among active military service members and military veterans have passed the House of Representatives.

2nd District Republican Jackie Walorski is a co-sponsor of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act which she says hopes to address the urgent nature of mental health issues among veterans.

Among other things, the bill would require a third-party evaluation of suicide prevention programs within the Department of Defense and the V-A as well as an examination of which mental health programs need improvement.

Walorski says according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 22 veterans commit suicide every day.

"I just think the sense of urgency has to be higher," says Walorski. "It really is like a five-alarm fire because now you're dealing with the lives of men and women who deserve the best when they come home, and that's just simply not happening and they're giving up."

Senator Joe Donnelly of Indiana authored the Jacob Sexton Military Suicide Prevention Act which would require an annual mental health assessment for all service members, maintain strong privacy protections and require a Pentagon report to evaluate existing military mental health practices and provide recommendations for improvement.

Both bills are now waiting to be heard in the Senate.

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