Columns
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
reaching out to returning war veterans
This bill – which is named for a soldier from Grundy Center, Iowa, who took his own life after returning from Iraq – directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to integrate mental health services into veterans’ primary care, and to step up screening, counseling and other mental health services for returning war veterans.
This is a genuine crisis, and it requires an urgent, stepped-up response from the VA, which is exactly the purpose of my bill. Congressman Leonard Boswell introduced a companion version of the Joshua Omvig Act in the House and did an outstanding job garnering support for the bill. The House passed Joshua Omvig Act by a vote of 423 to zero. In early August, with strong bipartisan support, I was on the verge of passing the bill in the Senate.
But then we hit an unexpected snag. Out of the blue, a Senator placed a hold on this bill to prevent the Senate from voting on it. Over the next few months, I worked tirelessly to move this legislation forward so that we could deliver the crucial help our veterans need. Thankfully, the hold was lifted on September 27 and the Senate promptly and unanimously passed the Joshua Omvig Act on September 28.
Earlier this year, Joshua’s parents traveled to Washington to testify before the Senate Veterans Affairs committee about why this bill is so vitally important. I will never forget Mr. Omvig’s testimony. He said: “The day after Josh's suicide, the Grundy Center police department and fire department had a time where a professional counselor was brought in to help them cope and deal with what happened that day. Do we as a nation take the same measures for our troops who have served for us for months in a combat area? Are we providing our military men and women the appropriate services to help them assimilate to civilian life? Are we providing them with what they need to survive the peace? Ellen and I have to say ‘No,’ not at this time. We can and must do more!”