releases: http://roby.house.gov/column/wounds-we-cannot-see
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
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| http://roby.house.gov/column/wounds-we-cannot-see | Wounds We Cannot See | 2014-12-12 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Republican | House | AL | Martha Roby | R000591 | roby.house.gov | legacy | Physical injuries are not the only ones endured in war. Many soldiers return home with wounds we cannot see. For some veterans, the psychological trauma endured on the battlefield affects them and their families long after the shots stop firing. Of the two million Americans who served in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan, as many as 300,000 meet criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. So, imagine being one of these soldiers who recently returned home with the lasting psychological effects that so commonly result from war. Now imagine that in seeking treatment from the VA, you go 67 days without an appointment. That startling number is now the average wait time for new mental health patients at the Central Alabama VA. That average has gotten worse since May, when the wait time was 57 days. Administrators tell me scheduling and labeling errors have contributed to making the problem appear worse on paper than it actually is. But, if after all this time, we haven’t figured out how to properly schedule patients at the VA, we have worse problems than I thought. I don’t expect it to magically improve overnight, but we shouldn’t be moving in the wrong direction. A two-month wait for mental health patients at the VA is obviously a disservice veterans. But it is also a major safety concern – for veterans, their families and the public. We have an alarmingly high suicide rate for veterans – 22 take their own lives every day. This week the House passed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Act. This bi-partisan bill aims to increase access to mental health care for veterans, better meet the demand for mental health professionals and improve accountability of suicide prevention efforts through the Department of Defense and the VA. The bill is named for Clay Hunt, a Marine veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning the Purple Heart. He was diagnosed with PTSD and worked diligently to raise awareness about the psychological effects of war. But, like many veterans, Clay ran into roadblocks in his efforts to access care. On March 31, 2011, at the age of 28, Clay took his own life. His story is sad, disheartening, even infuriating. But it is not uncommon enough. We have a long way to go as a nation in making sure veterans get the mental health care they need and deserve. But we started on the right track this week with the passage of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Act. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |