Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act
On October 23, 2007, the House passed the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act, H.R. 327, and the bill was signed into law on November 5, 2007. The legislation directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop and implement a comprehensive program to reduce the incidence of suicide among veterans. It is named for an Iraq veteran who took his own life, and recognizes the special needs of veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and elderly veterans who are at high risk for depression and experience high rates of suicide.
A government report released in May of last year found that for calendar year 2005, the suicide rate for the Operation Iraqi Freedom area of operations was 19.9 per 100,000 soldiers. That rate is considerably higher than the national average, and the Army’s overall reported rate of 13.1 per 100,000. This legislation requires the VA to report within 90 days on status, timeline and costs for complete implementation within 2 years, and recommendations for further legislation to improve suicide prevention programs.
Specifically, this legislation directs the VA to develop a comprehensive program that includes:
- Staff Education - requires the VA to provide education and training for VA staff, contractors, and medical personnel who have interaction with veterans.
- Screening - directs VA to regularly screen and monitor all veterans who receive medical care in the VA health care system for risk factors for suicide and to provide for referral of veterans at risk for suicide for appropriate counseling and treatment.
- Tracking – requires VA to track veterans.
- Counseling and Treatment – directs VA to provide for referral of veterans at risk for suicide for appropriate counseling and treatment.
- Designation of Suicide Prevention Counselors - requires VA to designate a suicide prevention counselor at each VAMC.
- Best Practices Research - mandates VA to research the best practices for suicide prevention among veterans, including best practices for helping veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma.
- Research – requires VA to work with HHS, NIH, CDC, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration when conducting research. Requires VA to conduct mental health research on veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma.
- 24-Hour Mental Health Care - requires VA to provide for the availability of 24-hour mental health care for veterans.
- Hotline – provides for a toll-free hotline to be available at all times.
- Outreach and Education for Veterans and Families - provides outreach and education for veterans and their families to promote mental health.
- Peer Support Counseling Program – creates a peer support-counseling program where veterans can volunteer as peer counselors to assist other veterans with mental health and readjustment problems.
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