Tim Walz: “As I spoke on this piece of legislation in March, the numbers show that veterans' suicide and mental health issues are…”

“As I spoke on this piece of legislation in March, the numbers show that veterans' suicide and mental health issues are urgent issues that require Congress' immediate attention. Although veterans make up 10 percent of our population, one in five people who commits suicide in the United States is a veteran. A full 35 percent of our veterans returning from Iraq are seeking counseling for mental health issues within the first year. PTSD is fast becoming a signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Veterans' Affairs Committee has seen in countless hearings that the need to expand care is there. H.R. 327 will meet this need. By directing the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer mental health screening to veterans, providing education to VA staff, contractors and medical personnel, and making available 24-hour mental health care for veterans who are at risk, we will alleviate some of these hardships. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation because of the critical service it will provide.”