Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2441) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to expand the Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study to assess certain mental health care resources of the Department of Veterans Affairs available to veterans who live in rural areas.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 2441.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to speak on H.R. 2441, the Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021, introduced by Congresswoman Axne.

This bill has not only bipartisan support, but also bicameral support with the recent introduction of a companion bill from Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Tester and Ranking Member Moran.

This bill is named for an Iowa veteran who died by suicide after failing to receive intensive treatment for his PTSD. It is designed to honor his memory with action and to prevent a similar outcome for his fellow veterans.

Through this legislation, VA will open three new RANGE programs in rural locations, including territories and insular areas. VA RANGE programs offer intensive outpatient services and case management for rural veterans with mental illness, housing and food insecurity, financial issues, and problems with daily living. They can be absolutely lifesaving for veterans who need this kind of wraparound care and safety nets.

Additionally, this bill calls for a GAO study of how accessible VA's continuum of superior mental healthcare services, from outpatient to residential and inpatient, really is for rural veterans.

We all know that even a well-designed system may not reach every veteran who needs it. With this legislation, our work to close the gaps will be guided by data. I, therefore, ask my colleagues to join me in supporting the Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act.

Madam Speaker, I support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Axne), my good friend and the author of H.R. 2441.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.

But before I reserve the balance of my time, let me say that I am very, very pleased that we are addressing the issue of mental healthcare in our rural areas. As we wind down this pandemic, I think we are going to see not just veterans but Americans of all stripes who live in our rural areas dealing with the need for increased numbers of mental healthcare practitioners.

I congratulate and I thank the work of my colleague, Congresswoman Axne, in moving the VA a step forward in this area. But there is far more that needs to be done.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I extend my thanks to Ranking Member Bost and the Republicans on the committee and all staff from both sides of the aisle for putting together this package of 10 bills in advance of Memorial Day. It is especially poignant to end today's package of bills with a bill named in memory of Sergeant Ketchum.

As we failed to reach Sergeant Ketchum in a timely and effective way in rural America, let's not forget that the VA's mental healthcare has improved greatly over the past several years. We need to make sure that quality of healthcare gets out into the rural areas.

We are charged as a Veterans' Affairs Committee to deal with our veterans and their healthcare needs. Part of the answer to serving our veterans is to make sure that we have robust providers, regardless of whether they serve veterans or the general population. We need to look at how we are going to do that in rural America, including our territories and insular areas.

I will use this moment on the floor to plug that cause with all of my colleagues who may be listening from their offices. We must, for the sake of all the folks that have suffered so long from this pandemic, look at how we are going to provide a robust provider network for mental healthcare.

As we head into the Memorial Day weekend, I am so gratified and pleased with the work we have done on a bipartisan basis to produce this package of bills and that we have preserved the spirit of the committee.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 2441, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an Iowan, a Marine, and a fallen hero, Brandon Ketchum.

I am also here to make a promise to his mother, Bev. When I introduced this legislation, I told Bev that Brandon's story was one that would ensure that other veterans get the mental health help that they need. Today, we are here to take that next step in keeping that promise.

Five years ago, retired Sergeant Brandon Ketchum took his own life when he was unable to get the mental healthcare he needed. Sergeant Ketchum had served two tours in Iraq and another in Afghanistan. In his first tour alone, he helped clear 92 roadside bombs in 7 months, service that earned him the Combat Action Ribbon.

His heroic service wasn't his only role, however. He was a loving father, son, brother, and friend. But like many veterans, Sergeant Ketchum struggled with depression, addiction, and PTSD related to his time in uniform.

After his service, Brandon volunteered and spoke publicly to students about his experience with PTSD. But despite receiving therapy and addiction treatment after returning from his tours, Brandon had a hard time adjusting to civilian life.

When he sought inpatient hospitalization in 2016 from an Iowa VA, the treatment rooms were full, and he was turned down for the care he needed. Hours later, Sergeant Ketchum took his own life.

We all know that veterans do not have enough mental health resources across this country. Nearly 17 veterans die by suicide every day, and a recent HHS study found that only 50 percent of returning vets who need mental health treatment will receive it. And, in particular, these mental health services are even harder to find in our Nation's rural areas, areas that I and my Iowa colleagues represent here in Congress.

The truth is sad, but it is pretty simple. We are failing our veterans. Brandon asked us for help, but he was turned away because of a lack of resources. So, we must make sure, in his memory and for the sake of others still serving, that when our soldiers return home, they can get the treatment that they need.

My bill will increase mental health facilities in rural areas by establishing three new Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement programs, known by their acronym RANGE. RANGE programs provide rural veterans with more mental health resources, including access to a team of experts who can provide intensive addiction and mental health treatment, helping veterans reintegrate into their communities.

My bill will also study how the VA is currently meeting the needs of rural veterans with mental health issues and what resources may be needed to improve their care so that we can actually address the root causes of mental health issues in our rural areas and with our veterans.

Not only is this an important cause, but it is a bipartisan one, too. As mentioned, all four members of our Iowa delegation have joined together and signed on to this. I would like to thank them all for doing that, my incredible cosponsors, and, of course, Chairman Takano and subcommittee Chairwoman Brownley for their support of this bill, as well as their constant dedication to our veterans.

Veterans put their lives on the line and serve our Nation with honor. When they come home, they should be able to receive the care that they need regardless of ZIP Code.

We can't simply accept that Brandon's death is a tragedy, and that is just what it is. We have to use his story to make the changes that are long overdue and to ensure that no other veteran falls through the cracks.

We must take action to address the rural health shortages and the mental health needs of our Nation's veterans. I urge all of my colleagues to honor Sergeant Ketchum's legacy with a ``yes'' vote on this bill.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2441, the Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. I am pleased to commemorate it today by passing this bill to expand mental healthcare to veterans in rural areas.

The Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act would expand VA's RANGE program. The RANGE program provides veterans who have serious mental illness or who are at risk of homelessness with intense case management.

Almost a quarter of our Nation's veterans reside in rural communities. I am one of those veterans who does. While I wouldn't have it any other way, I know firsthand that living in a rural area can be a barrier to care. This bill will help remove that barrier for some of our most vulnerable veterans. It will help ensure that they do not fall through the cracks. It will help them heal.

It will also require GAO to assess whether VA has sufficient resources to support mental health in rural areas. That will help identify any other barriers to care that may exist for these veterans so that we can break them down.

This bill is supported by the entire Iowa delegation, including by my friend, fellow veteran, and fellow committee member, Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

It is named after Brandon Ketchum, an Iowa veteran who died by suicide in 2016. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends. I am honored to support this bill today in Brandon's memory.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks), from the Second Congressional District.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Hinson), from the First Congressional District.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Feenstra).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.

Madam Speaker, I just encourage everyone to support this piece of legislation. There should be no one that would vote against this.

Like all of the pieces of legislation that we have worked on this afternoon, Madam Speaker, I do want to thank the chairman and his staff for the job of working together. This is truly a case where this committee has done its bipartisan work the way it should.

I also want to thank our staff for the hard work that they have put in with each one of these bills, as well as each of the Members today who have presented these pieces of legislation.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise in support of H.R. 2441, the Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act.

I want to start off by thanking my colleague, Congresswoman Cindy Axne, for introducing this legislation and for her leadership. I was proud to join the gentlewoman and our entire Iowa delegation, as has already been mentioned, to introduce this very important bipartisan bill for our veterans.

Sergeant Ketchum from Davenport served our country honorably overseas in both Iraq and Afghanistan. But let's be real: Not every war wound is visible.

Many veterans struggle when they come home with serious mental health challenges. When Sergeant Ketchum returned home from his tours, he battled again; this time with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Sergeant Ketchum sought help at the Iowa City VA hospital but was turned away. Shortly after, he did take his own life.

No veteran should be denied the help and the care that they need after dedicating their lives to serving our country. No veteran should ever be turned away like Sergeant Ketchum was.

Unfortunately, veterans who live in rural areas face increased challenges and additional barriers to accessing the treatment that they need.

Our legislation, named in honor of Sergeant Ketchum, will improve access to mental health services for veterans in rural areas. Our veterans put their lives on the line every day to protect our freedoms, and we have a duty to ensure that they can receive high-quality treatment once they return home from service.

We have a duty to ensure that our veterans know they aren't alone and that we have their backs, regardless of where they live.

I am proud to work alongside my colleagues in Iowa to improve access to mental health services for veterans in rural areas and to help ensure that no veteran is denied the care that they deserve.

I urge all of our colleagues to support the Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act. Vote ``yes'' in honor of Sergeant Ketchum and the thousands of veterans like him who need and deserve our support.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Illinois for yielding me time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the bipartisan Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act, which I was proud to introduce with the Iowa House delegation.

This legislation was named in honor of the memory and service of Sergeant Brandon Ketchum of Davenport, which is in my congressional district. Sergeant Ketchum died by suicide in 2016 after being denied access to much-needed mental health services for PTSD at the VA facility in Iowa City.

Our legislation would establish new Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement, or RANGE, programs throughout the VA and support additional research on rural veteran mental healthcare needs.

The case of Sergeant Ketchum is tragic and shows us that we must do more to serve our veterans. Expanding healthcare services in rural America and among our veterans are two of my top priorities in Congress, so I am proud to join the entire Iowa delegation in this effort. We simply have to do better for our veterans. There is no other option.

I would like to thank my colleagues in the Iowa delegation, Congresswoman Axne, Congresswoman Hinson, and Congressman Feenstra, for their partnership in this simple legislation to help veterans. I urge all of my colleagues to support the bipartisan Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act.