Tim Ryan: Veterans deserve better, it is time for Congress to act

The dramatic and sudden end to the war in Afghanistan added to the pain and mental vulnerability of many veterans.

The images from Kabul and Kandahar coinciding with the 20th anniversary of 9/11 may have exacerbated already overwhelming symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other mental health conditions for those who have served, as well as current military personnel.

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The Veterans Administration reports that approximately 22 Veterans die by suicide every day.

According to the National Council for Mental Well Being, 30 percent of active duty and reserve military personnel deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan — approximately 730,000 men and women — have a mental health condition requiring treatment — with many experiencing PTSD and major depression. Yet less than 50 percent of returning veterans in need receive any kind of mental health treatment.

This is disheartening and unacceptable. 

Sadly, stigma still plays a major role in how military personnel manage their mental health — or not.

A study by the National Association for Mental Illness showed that of military personnel or veterans who have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, 65% say that they do not disclose their mood disorder due to concern of being seen as weak. Treatment is an issue for veterans as well – 44% report that they considered a specific treatment but decided not to pursue it due to concerns about side effects.

However, we know that treatment works.

That’s why I am asking my fellow members of Congress to continue helping veterans get the mental health treatment they deserve. We have had some success so far in 2021:

• Combatting veteran suicide and other initiatives are included in a $768 billion defense authorization bill recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.

• Expanding mental health care for rural veterans is included in the Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act, recently signed by President Biden.

• Creating a Department of Veterans Affairs pilot program to train service dogs for veterans with PTSD called the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers, or PAWS. This program was part of the Veterans Therapy Act which was recently passed by the House and Senate.

But these milestones aren’t nearly enough. As co-chair of the Military Mental Health Task Force along with my colleague, Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa, we are working to find more outside-the-box solutions for military mental health and suicide prevention.

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Together with our colleagues Jenniffer González-Colón, R-Puerto Rico, and Stephanie Bice R-Okla, we have introduced bipartisan legislation to eliminate the stigma of mental health in the Armed Forces by identifying ways to encourage service members to seek help when they need it.

The Mental Health Stigma in the Military Act of 2021 has been introduced when mental health needs in among our military have never been greater.

I’m calling on my fellow members of Congress to join our efforts to bring better mental health treatment to veterans.

John F. Kennedy said in recognition of Veterans Day, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.”

Thanking veterans and military personnel for their service will always be important. Working for their mental health and well-being is a matter of life and death.

Congressman Tim Ryan, D-Howland Township, is running for U.S. Senate to replace replace Sen. Rob Portman.