Political Quotes

“Today I rise in support of H.R. 4635, the Peer-2-Peer Counseling Act. Currently, women veterans represent over 9 percent of our Nation's veterans, and that number is expected to increase to 15 percent by the year 2030. As more women veterans utilize VA healthcare, it is critical for the VA to update and improve services for women veterans. One area that warrants our particular attention for improved services is VA mental health counseling services for women veterans. An alarming statistic from VA's 2016 suicide data report noted that the ``risk of suicide was 2.4 times higher among female veterans when compared with civilian adult females,'' and it also noted ``rates of suicide increased more among women than men in the same study.'' Unfortunately, many women veterans have experienced sexual trauma and PTSD while serving in the military. Some women veterans are suffering from other mental health conditions from multiple combat tours of duty and are at risk of suicide and becoming homeless. The Peer-2-Peer Counseling Act addresses these issues by requiring the Secretary of the VA to ensure a sufficient number of volunteer peer support counselors are available to facilitate peer-to-peer counseling and assist women veterans with gender-specific care and services. H.R. 4635 will increase access to vital mental health opportunities within the VA for women veterans.…”