On the recordJanuary 12, 2015
I thank the distinguished gentleman from Florida for yielding, and I am grateful to be here today to support the Clay Hunt SAV Act. Every day, 22 veterans take their own lives. We have all experienced this in our districts; I have as well. On March 31, 2011, Clay Hunt was one of those 22 veterans that day who took his own life. Today, we honor Clay and his family with the Clay Hunt SAV Act. Clay's story was one of bravery and dedication. He relied on the VA for care and received a 30 percent disability rating for PTSD brought on during his service. He appealed the rating and encountered a bureaucratic nightmare. Clay had to wait months to see a psychiatrist at a VA Medical Center. Two weeks later, Clay took his own life. Five weeks after his death and 18 months after filing an appeal with the VA for his PTSD rating, his appeal was approved. Clay's story details the urgency that our Nation's heroes deserve. The Clay Hunt SAV Act will increase access to mental health care and improve the quality of care troops and veterans receive. Together, we can change this system so that no other veteran ever has to endure what thousands of veterans have already gone through, including Clay. I am honored to stand here today and am grateful to my colleagues. I urge support for this legislation.
