WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, praised the Senate's passage of S. 2162, the Veterans Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008, tonight by unanimous consent. 

"I am pleased that the Senate passed this vital legislation to help both veterans and their families deal with the trauma of war," Akaka said.  "This bill is for Justin Bailey, a young veteran of the Iraq war who died tragically while under VA care, and all veterans who suffer with invisible wounds because of their service to this Nation.  I look forward to working my colleagues in the House to send this bill to the President as soon as possible."

Senator Akaka's statement in support of the bill is copied below:

I am pleased to express my strong support for S. 2162, the "Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008", as amended.  This bill includes provisions on mental health care, suicide prevention, care for substance use disorders, prevention of homelessness, pain and epilepsy care, and other health care matters.  This comprehensive legislation addresses many critical issues facing our Nation's veterans.

Returning home from battle does not necessarily bring an end to conflict.  Servicemembers return home, but the war often follows them in their hearts and minds.  Their invisible wounds are complicated and wide-ranging, and we must provide all possible assistance.  I am working with VA Secretary James Peake to ensure that VA is forthright about the numbers of suicides and attempted suicides among veterans.  Solid and reliable information is critical to our understanding of the issues.  Prevention of suicide is a vitally important mission.

A growing number of veterans are in need of mental health care.  VA's Special Committee on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder advised in its 2006 formal report that virtually all returning servicemembers face readjustment issues.  An assessment of mental health problems among returning soldiers, recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in November, 2007, found that 42.4 percent of National Guard and reservists screened by the Department of Defense required mental health treatment.

Additionally, a March 2007 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine reported that more than one-third of war veterans who have served in either Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from various mental ailments, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, substance use disorder and other problems.  A RAND study released in April 2008, emphasized the high risks of PTSD and depression, especially among servicemembers sent on multiple deployments, and among National Guard and reservists.

Further, the RAND study found that the stigma associated with mental health care continues to prevent servicemembers and veterans from accessing care.  VA and the Department of Defense must redouble their efforts to ensure that receiving mental health care does not harm one's career.  No individual is immune to the risk of mental health problems, and all must have the opportunity to receive care.

On April 25, 2007, the Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a hearing on veterans' mental health concerns, and on VA's response.  We heard heart-wrenching testimony from the witnesses.

The provisions of this bill are a direct outgrowth of that hearing and the testimony given by those who have suffered with mental health issues, and by their family members.  Earlier versions of the provisions included in this bill were also discussed at a legislative hearing on October 24, 2007.

This bill represents a bi-partisan approach, and is cosponsored by Senators Burr, Rockefeller, Mikulski, Bingaman, Ensign, Smith, Collins, Clinton, Dole, Sessions and Stevens.  It is a tribute to Justin Bailey, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, who died in a VA domiciliary facility while receiving care for PTSD and a substance use disorder.  This was a tragedy that will live on with Justin's parents, who have so courageously advocated for improvements to VA mental health care.

Provisions included in this legislative package stem from bills which have all been reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, including: S. 1233 as reported on August 29, 2007; and S. 2004, S. 2142, S. 2160, and S. 2162, as ordered reported on November 14, 2007.

I will briefly outline other provisions in S. 2162, as amended.

As I mentioned, the legislation would make sweeping changes to VA mental health treatment and research.  Most notably, it would ensure a minimum level of substance use disorder care for veterans in need.  It would also require VA to improve treatment of veterans with multiple disorders, such as PTSD and substance use disorder.  To ascertain if VA's residential mental health facilities are appropriately staffed, this bill would mandate a review of such facilities.  It would also create a vital research program on PTSD and Substance Use Disorders, in cooperation with, and building on the work of, the National Center for PTSD.

Veterans with physical and mental wounds often turn to drugs and alcohol to ease their pain.  Experts believe that stress is the primary cause of drug abuse, and of relapse to drug abuse.  Research by Sinha, Fuse, Aubin and O'Malley in Psychopharmacology (2000), and by Brewer et al. in Addiction (1998) has found that patients with psychological trauma, including PTSD, are often susceptible to alcohol and drug abuse.  Similarly, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, patients subjected to chronic stress, as experienced by those with PTSD, are prone to drug use.  VA has long dealt with substance abuse issues, but there is much more than can be done.  This legislation would provide a number of solutions to enhance substance use disorder treatment.

The inclusion of families in mental health treatment is vital.  To this end, the bill would fully authorize VA to provide mental health services to families of veterans and would set up a program to help veterans and families transition to civilian life. 

Beneficiary travel reimbursements are essential to improving access to VA health care for veterans in rural areas.  This legislation would increase the beneficiary travel mileage reimbursement rate from 11 cents per mile to 28.5 cents per mile, and permanently set the deductible to the 2007 amount of $3 each way.

It is important that veterans who rely on VA for their health care have access to emergency care.  This bill would make corrections to the procedure used by VA to reimburse community hospitals for emergency care provided to eligible veterans so as to ensure that both veterans and community hospitals are not inappropriately burdened by emergency care costs.

Too often, veterans suffer from lack of care merely because they are unaware of the services available to them.  This legislation would enhance outreach and accessibility by creating a pilot program on the use of peers to help reach out to veterans.  It would also encourage improved accessibility for mental health care in rural areas.

The legislation also addresses homelessness, which is far too prevalent in the veteran population.  The bill would create targeted programs to provide assistance for low-income veteran families.  It would also allow homeless service providers to receive VA funds without offsetting other sources of income and require that facilities which furnish services to homeless veterans are able to meet the needs of women veterans.

The Committee heard testimony that epilepsy is often associated with traumatic brain injury, the injury that many are calling the signature wound of the current conflicts.  This suggests a strong need to improve VA's effectiveness in dealing with epilepsy.  The pending legislation would establish six VA epilepsy centers of excellence, which will focus on research, education, and clinical care activities in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy.  These centers would restore VA to the position of leadership it once held in epilepsy research and treatment.

The medical community has made impressive advances in pain care and management, but VA has lagged behind in implementing a standardized policy for dealing with pain.  The bill includes a provision that would establish a pain care program at all inpatient facilities, to prevent long-term chronic pain disability.  It also provides for education for VA's health care workers on pain assessment and treatment, and would require VA to expand research on pain care.

I urge all of my colleagues to support S. 2162, as amended.  It has the potential to bring relief and support to tens of thousands of veterans and their families across the country. 

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