Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mrs. ERNST. Mr. President, as we begin this week with the serious and
necessary discussions about the budget, I rise today to talk about
something that is very personal to me, something that is incredibly
close to my heart--the service and sacrifice of our Nation's finest men
and women, those who serve in our Armed Forces.

As the budget process moves forward, we must ensure that our national
security needs are met and that our veterans can receive the much-
needed care and assistance they deserve.

Growing up on a farm in rural southwest Iowa, my parents instilled in
my sister, my brother, and me the importance of hard work, service, and
sacrifice.

In the summer between my freshman and sophomore years at Iowa State
University, I was very fortunate to attend an agricultural exchange in
Ukraine, when it was still part of the former Soviet Union. The Iowa
students and I lived on a collective farm for a number of weeks. In the
evening, when the community members came together, we did not talk
about agricultural practices, like I anticipated. What we talked about
was what it was like to be free, what it was like to be an American.
Those were the things the Ukrainians wanted to know. They wanted to
know about freedom, our Republic, and democracy. Just a few short years
later, they became an independent nation. They are a sovereign nation.

It was then that I better understood what it meant to have freedom
and how much people elsewhere truly desire it. I wanted to do my part
to ensure our country always remained free.

That realization led me to make a decision when I was 19 years old--
to join the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps, commonly known as
ROTC.

For over two decades, I have had the great honor of wearing our
Nation's uniform. Today, I serve as a lieutenant colonel in the Iowa
Army National Guard, and I have been privileged to have led and
commanded at many levels, from platoon to battalion. From 2003 to 2004,
I served as a company commander in Operation Iraqi Freedom. My unit was
tasked with running convoys through Kuwait and southern Iraq.

As a soldier, I learned firsthand the vital role that our citizen
soldiers play. Citizen soldiers are folks who train for military duty
so they are prepared to defend in the face of an emergency. These men
and women take on this task voluntarily and can be called upon to serve
at any time.

While overseas, I had the opportunity to serve alongside some of
America's finest, our bravest men and women. I saw firsthand how
dangerous threats against our Nation can be.

It is becoming increasingly important that our military--Active Duty,
National Guard, and Reserve--are always working together as one
cohesive unit. We are strongest in numbers when working together to
build one another up and support one another. Our mission is clear and
we come from all corners of the country united on the same goal--to
defend our freedom.

I continue to remain focused on strengthening our national security,
both in my role in the Iowa National Guard and on the Armed Services
Committee, where we discuss ways to support our exceptional military
and develop bipartisan strategies to confront terrorism and destroy Al
Qaeda, ISIS, and those who are radicalized by them.

Here in the Senate, we also have an incredible responsibility not
only to make sure our country is protected but also to ensure we live
up to the promises made to our veterans. These men and women are
trained and have selflessly sacrificed in defense of our freedoms and
our way of life. However, we must ensure that our veterans are prepared
to transition back to civilian life. They deserve nothing less than the
benefits they were promised and a quality of care we can all be proud
of.

Unfortunately, that has not been the case. According to the VA, there
are approximately 22 veteran suicides per day. We hear this number from
time to time. But think about it--22 veteran suicides per day.

In November 2014 testimony before the Senate Veterans' Affairs
Committee, the VA's chief consultant for mental health said the average
wait time for a mental health appointment at the VA is 36 days. We can,
and must, do better for our veterans.

If a non-VA mental health care professional can reach a veteran 1
day, 1 week or even 2 weeks earlier than 36 days, Congress nor the VA
should be an obstacle to affording a veteran potentially lifesaving
mental health treatment.

Veterans themselves are the only ones who know their mental health
limit, and a veteran should receive the benefit of the doubt about
where that limit is--not the VA.

This is an issue that impacts all eras of veterans. Since coming to
Washington, I have heard from many veterans on this very issue. One
veteran in particular from the Vietnam war era admitted that he had
twice attempted suicide. This veteran felt like he didn't have anywhere
to go. We have to do better.

Today, as my first piece of legislation in the Senate, I am
introducing the Prioritizing Veterans Access to Mental Health Care Act.

This legislation provides an option for our veterans to receive
mental health treatment until they can receive comprehensive mental
health care at the VA. This authorization for mental health care
provides a backstop--other than the emergency room--for our veterans.
Ultimately, the ER should not be considered a backstop for delayed
mental health care at the VA. Most veterans who seek mental health
treatment at emergency rooms do so when they have reached the limits of
their suffering.

There is no acceptable VA wait time for mental health care for our
veterans. The limits to how much suffering a veteran can endure simply
cannot be accurately measured by the VA or by any medical professional.

Specifically, this legislation puts veterans mental health care first
and foremost, provides a backstop to VA mental health care, and
prioritizes incentives to hire more mental health care professionals at
the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Prioritizing Veterans Access to Mental Health Care Act does
several things.

First, it amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act
of 2014 to where a veteran is instantly authorized non-VA care if the
veteran provides an electronic or hard-copy statement in writing that
he or she is not receiving adequate or timely mental health care at the
VA. This eliminates the 40-mile and VA wait-time triggers for mental
health care under the choice act.

Second, it prioritizes incentives for the hiring of mental health
care professionals at the VA.

And third, it provides the VA 90 days to enact the program.

I hope this legislation will receive broad bipartisan support because
ensuring our veterans have access to the mental health care they
deserve is not a conservative or liberal concept. It is not a
Republican or Democrat idea. It is an American value.

If we do not stand up for America's tenacious survivors, who will?
Thanks to these brave men and women, we are able to stand on this floor
and fight for our beliefs and ideals. These veterans fought for us and
defended us tirelessly. They endured more than some of us can ever
imagine. The invisible wounds of war can no longer go unnoticed. Now,
it is our duty to do all we can to thank them and ensure they have
access to the quality mental health care they deserve.

God bless these men and women, and let us strive to do better for
them.

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