Giffords: Many veterans issues need to be addressed

Giffords and Michaud are members of the House Armed Service Committee, where the Maine congressman chairs the committee’s subcommittee on health.

Michaud said Congress, specifically the House of Representatives, has stepped up to ensure there are sufficient funds, especially being put into the VA coffers.

The VA has seen a $12 billion increase, and that “money was desperately needed,” he said.

While the House passed 66 bills addressing health care for active duty, National Guard and reserve members, the U.S. Senate has only passed 16 or 17, Michaud said.

Both members of Congress said the time is short before Congress’ new session in January, when a new administration takes over that will require reintroduction of most of the bills still waiting to be passed.

Of the 869,000 veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom — the missions in Afghanistan — and Operation Iraqi Freedom, 40 percent have sought help from the VA health care services, with 300,000 reporting “having mental health conditions,” Michaud said.

Added to that is the ever-increasing number of active duty, National Guard and Reserve military members who have committed suicide or attempted to, Michaud said.

Attending the two-hour meeting were veterans, representatives from the VA, many of them mental health experts, a few active-duty military members, and some non-military connected mental health agency individuals.

Jonathan Gardner, who heads the Southern Arizona VA Medical Center in Tucson, said his facility has seen a large increase of people seeking mental health help in the past three years.

That has led to an outreach to other professionals throughout Southern Arizona for assistance, he said.

Neal Cash, CEO and president of Community Partnership of Southern Arizona, said his organization, which covers Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima and Santa Cruz counties, recognizes a number of needs, which includes understanding the military, navigating the military mental health care system, providing financial services for veterans and their families and knowing the importance of local planning.

Reaching out to provide post-deployment mental health care is important, Cash said. The active-duty military does that well, but those in the National Guard and Reserves lack the same quality and quantity of care, he added.

Much more also has to be done to provide home-base care for veterans, Cash added.

Dr. (Col.) William Humphrey, who commands Fort Huachuca’s Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Center, was in Tucson to participate in the video-teleconference.

Humphrey said recent funding has allowed the post facility to double “the size of our mental health outreach.”

At the same time, because of the issues in providing the service, there has been a decline in productivity of the staff because of the complexities they face when supporting patients, Humphrey added.

What bothers him is not knowing how long the additional mental health staff will be available in light that the fort’s Warrior Transition Unit, of which the post medical facility is in charge, now has 51 soldiers.

Saying “the (mental) wounds of the current war” are difficult to treat, Humphrey said he envisions that the Warrior Transition Unit’s size will soon level off.

When it comes to leveling off financial support, Giffords and Michaud promised they will do their utmost to ensure Congress continues supporting veterans mental health programs, both for the active duty forces and for the VA that picks up most of the veterans.

Giffords said new programs have set a precedence when it comes to both “mental health and (other) physical healing.”

But when it come to funding items, “it’s the squeaky wheel” that is serviced, she said.

Michaud said he, too, has concerns about ensuring funding for veterans, and not just regarding mental health.

One of the proposals that could help is a plan to provide the VA with a guaranteed amount of funding forever, without the agency having to go through the process every budget year, where funds are cut. Michaud said a guaranteed amount will allow the VA to continue to do its work, as well as the possibility of additional funds being provided and the basic amount not being cut.

That will mean both chambers of Congress will have to agree on the plan. And while there is some support in the House, there is not enough yet to send it to the Senate, Michaud said. There doesn’t seem to be support in the Senate for the idea, he added.

He and Giffords are both up for re-election. Giffords is facing Arizona State Senate President Tim Bee, a Republican, in the Nov. 4 election. Michaud said he and Giffords will keep the importance of supporting veterans and their families, especially in the mental health arena, in the forefront of the public view.

Although Bee could not be reached for comment on Saturday, he has said in the past that he supports providing service members and their families — active duty, national Guard and Reserves — what they need on a variety of issues, including health care needs.

HERALD/REVIEW senior reporter Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or by e-mail at.

GOALS OF THE EVENT

The goal of the Community Initiative on Veterans’ Mental Health Services hosted by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud, D-Maine, involved five areas. Those areas discussed Saturday in a video-teleconference hooking up Tucson and Sierra Vista include:

• Reviewing the mental health needs of returning wounded warriors.

• Examining best practices to deliver and treat veterans.

• Discussing the status of mental health services in Southern Arizona.

• Identifying local needs to improve mental health services.

• Determining the next steps that will mobilize mental health agencies, veterans’ organizations and communities to provide the needed services.