The Washington Times (12/13, Klimas) reported that on Dec. 12, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), “said…a bill that veterans groups are trying to get passed before Congress leaves town for the year carries too hefty a price tag for authority that the VA could, in most cases, already exercise.” The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act “would require a report on successful veteran suicide prevention programs and allow the VA to pay incentives to hire psychiatrists,” among other provisions. Coburn, a physician, referred to the proposed measure as “ineffective legislation.”
In response, “Saul Levin, CEO of the American Psychiatric Association, said, ‘Hundreds of additional lives will be lost’ if lawmakers wait until the next Congress to put these reforms into place.” When the article went to press, Coburn had plans to block the measure.
Related Links:
— “Tom Coburn puts hold on veterans suicide prevention bill,” Jacqueline Klimas, Washington Times, December 12, 2014.