(Washington D.C.) This week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to advance Iowa U.S. District 3 Representative Cindy Axne bipartisan legislation to expand mental health care for rural veterans.
The Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veteran’s Mental Health Act, named in memory of Iowa veteran Brandon Ketchum, establishes new Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement (RANGE) programs through the VA and supports additional research on rural veteran mental health care needs.
Axne says she can’t think of a better way to honor the service and story of Iowa veteran Brandon Ketchum, just days before Memorial Day, than the House passing legislation named in his honor to secure better care for our veterans,”
In 2016, Sgt. Brandon Ketchum of Davenport died by suicide after he was denied access to mental health services related to his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility in Iowa.
According to the VA, at least one in five veterans returning from combat with at least one serious mental health condition, yet 85% of rural residents live in a Mental Health Care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA).
To address this, the VA developed RANGE programs, which provide a small team of specialists to meet the needs of rural veterans with serious mental health and daily living issues.
These programs are designed to support veterans who often are at high risk for housing insecurity and extensive inpatient hospitalization by integrating community, family, and financial resources in support of independent living.
In addition to establishing three new veteran mental health programs, the new legislation bill will direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study how the VA can improve mental health care for rural veterans to enable better response in the future for veterans like Sgt. Ketchum who request treatment.
