PRESS CONTACT
Gretchen Andersen
Press Secretary
Tel: 212-982-9699
press@iava.org
Washington D.C. (February 12, 2015) – This afternoon
President Obama signed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American
Veterans (SAV) Act into law at a public signing ceremony inside the
White House. Susan and Richard Selke, parents of Clay Hunt, and Paul
Rieckhoff, IAVA CEO and Founder, joined the President on-stage. IAVA
members from across the country were also present. The Clay Hunt SAV
Act, which passed the House in January and the Senate unanimously last
week, will combat veteran suicide and improve access to mental health
care. The legislation is named after Marine sniper Clay Hunt from Texas,
who died by suicide in 2011. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
(IAVA) commends the President for standing with our veterans and passing
the bipartisan bill.
“Richard and I are humbled and thankful to have met with the
President today and witness him signing this legislation into law,” said
Susan Selke, mother of Clay Hunt. “It is encouraging to know that this
law, among other things, will enable the VA to evaluate all of its
current suicide and mental health programs and attract and hire more
doctors and mental health care professionals to serve our veterans’
needs. Had legislation like this existed years ago I believe Clay would
be here with us today.”
“This is a momentous day for veterans and their families. IAVA is
proud to have led this fight with Susan and Richard Selke to ensure
every veteran gets access to quality mental health care,” said IAVA CEO
and Founder Paul Rieckhoff. “We thank President Obama for signing this
bill to combat suicide and help curb the veteran suicide rate. We can’t
afford to lose any more veterans to suicide — these brave men and women
are leaders, mentors, friends and family members. The Clay Hunt SAV Act
will increase capacity and access to mental health care at VA to meet
demands, improve the quality of care, boost accountability at VA, and
develop a community support system for veterans. This legislation will
also get more mental health professionals into VA so they can start
helping veterans like Clay with their invisible injuries. This bill will
not stop every suicide but it will definitely help save lives. And it’s
important for all Americans to understand that today is not the end of
our fight against suicide, it’s just the beginning. We hope this day and
Clay’s legacy will inspire all Americans to join our fight and work
even harder in the years ahead.”
Rieckhoff added: “We also thank the more than 20 veteran service
organizations and partners who helped support this critical legislation.
IAVA praises Senators McCain and Blumenthal for leading on this issue
and reintroducing the bill as their first agenda items this year. IAVA
also applauds Rep. Tim Walz for introducing the House version and
Chairman Jeff Miller for his stewardship. Their leadership and
commitment to veterans have been vital in this fight.”
Click
here to visit a timeline of IAVA’s work on combating suicide. For an updated list of sponsors for the Clay Hunt SAV Act click
here.
Developed by IAVA and its allies on Capitol Hill, and driven by quantitative and qualitative data from IAVA’s annual
member survey, the Clay Hunt SAV Act will:
Increase Access to Mental Health Care and Capacity at VA to Meet Demand
· Requires the VA to create a one-stop, interactive website to serve as a
centralized source of information regarding all VA mental health
services for veterans.
· Addresses the shortage of mental health care professionals by
authorizing the VA to conduct a student loan repayment pilot program
aimed at recruiting and retaining psychiatrists.
· Extends Combat-Eligibility for mental health care services at VA for
one-year, providing for increased access for veterans that may be
suffering from conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Improve the Quality of Care and Boosting Accountability at VA
· Requires evaluations of all mental health care and suicide prevention
practices and programs at the VA to find out what’s working and what’s
not working and make recommendations to improve care.
Develop a Community Support System for Veterans
· Establishes a peer support and community outreach pilot program to
assist transitioning servicemembers with accessing VA mental health care
services.
In March of 2014, IAVA launched a yearlong effort to elevate
conversation about the veteran suicide crisis. Over the course of the
year, united with its partners Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors,
American Psychiatric Association, Brigade, Causes.com, Pivot TV,
Change.org, Linkin Park, Cale Conley, Mayhem Music Tour and thought
leaders from across the country, IAVA was able to galvanize attention
and support for the Clay Hunt SAV Act.
Note to media: Email press@iava.org or call 212-982-9699 to speak with IAVA CEO and Founder Paul Rieckhoff or IAVA leadership.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.IAVA.org) is the
nation's first and largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization
representing veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and has nearly 300,000
Member Veterans and civilian supporters nationwide. Celebrating its 10th
year anniversary, IAVA recently received the highest rating -
four-stars - from Charity Navigator, America's largest charity
evaluator.
veterans
