WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Friday called on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to enhance veterans’ mental health services and seek additional ways to support homeless veterans.

In a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake, Sen. Cornyn said: “There is a clear need for increased collaboration with the nation’s community mental health centers, as well as training veterans to provide peer outreach and support.”

“Given such strong congressional and veterans’ support for increased VA collaboration with community mental health centers, I ask you to ensure the VA carefully considers this tremendous resource,” Sen. Cornyn added.

Sen. Cornyn noted that there are 39 community mental health centers in Texas that could play an important role assisting the VA in meeting the needs of veterans in rural areas, where some veterans are forced to travel unreasonable distances to receive services. “Our National Guard, veterans’ organizations, and state policymakers see good reason to implement this approach in Texas, and I am hopeful that you will consider doing so during this calendar year.”

In addition, Sen. Cornyn called on Secretary Peake to expand ways of supporting homeless veterans. “I want to call to your attention the outstanding American GI Forum National Veterans Outreach Program (NVOP) in San Antonio. This exceptional program provides important outreach and a safe, nurturing environment to promote reintegration into society for this often overlooked population.”

“I ask you to support this exemplary American GI Forum initiative and consider whether such programs should be established in other Texas cities and other states as part of the effort to address the homeless veterans situation,” Sen. Cornyn said. “The program has a strong 35-year track record serving our homeless veterans and there is a clear need to find more effective ways to address this lingering problem.”
Sen. Cornyn is a co-sponsor of the bipartisan Veterans’ Mental Health Outreach and Access Act, S. 38.

--Below is the complete text of Sen. Cornyn’s letter to Secretary Peake--

Dear Secretary Peake:

I write today on a topic of great importance to our nation: efforts to ensure that our veterans receive the mental health services they need and have undoubtedly earned. Your leadership will be required to assure that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) moves forward with innovative approaches to providing mental health services to our veterans, including those who have served honorably in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. There is a clear need for increased collaboration with the nation’s community mental health centers, as well as training veterans to provide peer outreach and support.

The Congress has provided guidance to the VA with regard to the need for new initiatives and approaches in its efforts to effectively meet the compelling and unique mental health needs of our returning OIF and OEF veterans. Specifically, the report language accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2007:

In addition, the Veterans’ Mental Health Outreach and Access Act (S. 38), a bill that I proudly cosponsored, would encourage this contracting with community health centers and other qualified entities, as well as the peer training approach referenced in the report language. The House of Representatives has already passed legislation that calls for the VA to contract with community mental health centers in rural areas, H.R. 2874, the Veterans’ Health Care Improvement Act of 2007. Because this legislation specifically addresses the needs of the Guard and Reserve in our small towns and rural areas, it has attracted the enthusiastic support of the key veterans’ organizations on this issue, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the National Guard Association of the U.S., the Reserve Officers Association, the Vietnam Veterans of America, the American GI Forum, and the Military Officers Association of America.

Given such strong congressional and veterans’ support for increased VA collaboration with community mental health centers, I ask you to ensure the VA carefully considers this tremendous resource. In the State of Texas, our 39 community mental health centers could play an especially useful role assisting the VA in meeting the needs of our veterans in rural areas, where some veterans are forced to travel unreasonable distances to receive services. Our National Guard, veterans’ organizations, and state policymakers see good reason to implement this approach in Texas, and I am hopeful that you will consider doing so during this calendar year.

In addition, with regard to the homeless veterans situation facing our nation, I want to call to your attention the outstanding American GI Forum National Veterans Outreach Program (NVOP) in San Antonio. This exceptional program provides important outreach and a safe, nurturing environment to promote reintegration into society for this often overlooked population. In operation since 1972, it offers food, clothing, transitional housing, low-cost apartments, help finding employment, and even temporary employment in its box manufacturing and weatherization companies, as well as linkages to VA Vet Center counselors and the San Antonio business and public services communities.

I ask you to support this exemplary American GI Forum initiative and consider whether such programs should be established in other Texas cities and other states as part of the effort to address the homeless veterans situation. The program has a strong 35-year track record serving our homeless veterans and there is a clear need to find more effective ways to address this lingering problem.

With the significant increase in resources for mental health appropriated by the Congress for Fiscal Year 2008, it would be prudent to assure that some funds are allocated soon for collaborative efforts with community mental health centers and other innovative approaches before these resources are fully committed to other initiatives.

Thank you for your service on behalf of America’s veterans. I appreciate your attention to these issues, and I urge you to give my recommendations every consideration.

Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator

Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge.