Despite the legislative challenges presented by COVID-19 in the past months, the U.S. House passed Senate legislation, S. 785 on September 23 to help prevent veteran suicide.
Originally introduced by Senator Jon Tester, D-MT, S. 785 aims to prevent veteran suicide by expanding access to care, services and support for at-risk individuals within the VA healthcare system and in their local communities. The bill includes a subcomponent dubbed the Fox provision which is a suicide prevention grant program that would include community resources in veteran care.
U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., who chairs the House committee on Veterans’ Affairs, noted the committee has passed 15 pieces of legislation to address veterans’ mental health conditions.
Promoting Partnerships To Improve Veterans’ Health