Press Releases

Last night, the United States Senate passed S. 785 - the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act. This bill contains the provisions from the IMPROVE Act, which Rep. Jack Bergman has fought to pass in the House. To address the suicide crisis faced by our Veterans, this legislation will allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to support and coordinate with community partners already providing lifesaving services in local communities.

Rep. Bergman’s bipartisan legislation has gained formal support from a majority of all Members of Congress, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, and multiple Veterans Service Organizations. He has worked with House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Dr. Phil Roe to achieve the best possible version of this policy in S.785, which was agreed to unanimously thanks to the efforts of Chairman Jerry Moran, Ranking Member Jon Tester, and Senator John Boozman on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Rep. Jack Bergman, Member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the highest ranking combat Veteran to serve in Congress, issued the following statement:

“I applaud the Senate for passing S. 785, which contains the provisions from the bipartisan IMPROVE Act. Preventing Veteran suicide is one of my highest priorities in Congress, and this is a critical step forward in the legislative process. Reaching into the community and connecting at-risk Veterans – including those 70% who take their own lives but are not within the VA system – to accessible mental health and other suicide prevention services should not be partisan in nature. I urge Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Takano to do what is right by our Veterans, pass this bill in the House, and get it to President Trump’s desk immediately.”

To learn more about the IMPROVE Act, as introduced, click here.

To learn more about Rep. Bergman’s efforts to pass the IMPROVE Act, click here.