Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021

I just wanted to post this information about the Health Act of 2021. As we ( Veterans included ) know, many Veterans are stubborn when first getting signs of some kind of " not normal " is happening while in the military and keep it to themselves. THIS IS WRONG BUT IT WAS QUITE NORMAL WHEN I WAS SERVING . I'll just post here a little about it and if interested, the article can lead you in the right direction.

Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021
Veteran rates of PTSD are estimated to be between 11% and 20% across the United States. Additionally, according to NAMI, the last quarter of 2020 saw a 25% increase in veteran suicides compared to the same time period in 2019.

On June 30, 2021 President Biden signed the Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021 into law. It was named for Sgt. Brandon Ketchum, who committed suicide in 2016 after an Iowa-based Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) center denied him mental health treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“People who have not received mental health assistance or acknowledgment that mental health assistance is as important as getting a proper cast put on are those who may turn to things that could have a solution or be stopped before they start,” says Dr. Smerling.

Congresswoman Cindy Axne (D-IA) first introduced the legislation in April 2021. It took only two months to pass the Senate and be enacted into law. The legislation has two parts.

The first requires the VA to create three new centers for the Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement (RANGE) Program.
It also requires the Government Accountability Office to investigate whether the VA has the resources to support veterans who need mental health services beyond outpatient care.
Veteran organizations such as the Disabled American Veterans and the Wounded Warrior Project endorsed the law’s passage.

As for many of us that walk into a www.vfw.org... place in our hometown to kick back over what the housewives bring in for us to eat during the evening hours and tell war stories over ( these days most of us just drink sodas ), for real. When I visit my hometown near Rock Island , Illinois, there is/was a VFW place to hang out. My last time there to visit was in December, snow was on the ground and I really walked about 10 miles (rt) to the place in Moline. The chili was so good as I recalled. And the friendship among everyone was a true enlightenment of that having the honor to serve in the US Military. I told them I came from all the way from Japan to say hello to all, and the conversations never ended. Many served in Okinawa and Japan and they couldn't believe I really just arrived in town until I showed them my passport that evening. I continued to go as much as I could while I was home ( my mother had a stroke and I came to be with her for 2 months ). You can't go wrong in life with having good military buddies.

a reply to: musicismagic
My last squad leader killed himself about six years ago. Need to keep your brothers close and pay attention then maybe this stuff wouldn't happen as much.

Many of us have lost people who might have been alive today, had the VA been granted the authority and means to provide care directly, as it was created to. Now it is a mish-mash of "contracted" providers who are trying to extract profit from healthcare services to the detriment of patients... (go on, argue with me on this, it's literally everywhere)

VA is the least politically significant agency; relegated primarily to "feel good" PR and slick sloganeering... this comes with the territory of "political appointee" leadership. I have very little (almost no) faith in politicians who make excellent-sounding mouth-hole sounds when speaking of it... but somehow it continues to remain the single worst healthcare opportunity for veteran's - most of whom overtly avoid it, if at all possible.

I am terribly sad about this. I naively imagined my service would have some positive after effect on my life, and secretly, I thought at least I'll have healthcare for my service-connected injury... they haven't followed up in well over two decades. I am on my own for that... and no one there wants to 'hear it.'

As for mental health? Same trash... they don't have their own doctors anymore, just a rotating door of swapped out -over worked - under paid people.. mostly surrounded by staff that process cattle.

Sorry, really, I have a difficult time with this topic.