Congressman Bill Huizenga has introduced new legislation aimed at reducing veteran suicides by improving access to trained mental health providers.
Huizenga tells us the Veterans Suicide Prevention and Care Enhancement Act would encourage more Community Care Network providers outside the VA system to complete VA-administered suicide prevention training.
“This would be a voluntary, basically, certification of having an expertise, and what we would do is we would direct people that are experiencing health issues, mental health issues based on their military service and what’s been going on, we get them talking to people directly who have an understanding of what they’re going through,” Huizenga said.
In many cases, Huizenga says the counselors may have been through something similar. The bill would also create a public list of preferred providers who have completed the VA training, helping veterans find the best care in their communities.
“The idea is to make sure that our veterans who are experiencing mental health crisis are talking to people, to counselors that are specifically trained to handle those veterans’ situations, meaning they have an understanding of what their PTSD, coming out of a war zone, what that has done to them.”
Huizenga was joined by Congressman Tim Walberg, among others, in introducing the legislation. They say the package addresses a serious need, noting the VA’s 2025 National Veteran Suicide Prevention report found nearly 6,400 veterans died by suicide in 2023 while most had not received VA healthcare services in the year before their deaths.
