Vern Buchanan Introduces Military Mental Health Bill to Reduce Suicides

Representative Vern Buchanan (R-FL) has introduced a bipartisan bill designed to address potential flaws in the mental healthcare system and reduce military suicides.

Named the Treating Invisible Wounds on Base Act, Rep. Buchanan's bill would require the Department of Defense to examine the accessibility of mental health services in the military, and then propose how to improve it.

Rep. Buchanan stated in his press release, "The health and safety of our active-duty military community is one of my top priorities in Congress."

"The health and safety of our active-duty military community is one of my top priorities in Congress. Unfortunately, military service often takes an immense psychological toll on our service members and far too many are dying by suicide as a result. We need to ensure our men and women in uniform have access to critical mental health care services where they are stationed so they remain healthy and ready to serve their country," Buchanan added.

Similarly, Buchanan stated on Twitter, "Tragically, our troops are committing suicide at alarming rates."

"Tragically, our troops are committing suicide at alarming rates. That’s why I just introduced a bill to require the Pentagon to identify holes in the current military mental health care system and provide recommendations to improve access to care," he said.

Florida saw a decrease of sixty veteran suicides in 2020, from 553 in 2019 to 493, with 40.9 percent of those individuals between ages 18 and 34. Firearms were the most common method of taking one's own life at a whopping 74%.

In November, Representative Greg Steube spoke on Fox about his True Choice for Veterans bill, which would enable veterans to receive TRICARE, which he suggested would provide better treatment of mental health episodes compared to the Veterans' Affairs system.

At the end of March, Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) introduced a similar bill to Buchanan's proposing funding for joint research into Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) between the United States and Israel.