U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Virginia), along with U.S. Rep. Ed Case (D-Kaneohe), have introduced a bill by the name of "Be Ready to Assist Veterans in Extremis" Act (BRAVE), or House Resolution 5548, to notify veterans of available counseling and mental health resources.
This new bill will take the initiation of receiving such services away from the veterans, instead making it possible for them to receive help without seeking it out.
"Rep. Rob Wittman and I introduced HR 5548, our Be Ready to Assist Veterans in Extremis Act (BRAVE Act), which would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to notify veterans, who experienced extreme situations, of counseling and mental health options (rather than wait for them to contact the VA) because proactive mental health outreach is especially important in these circumstances," Case wrote in a Oct. 12 Facebook post.
The act, if passed, would put into motion a system for patient outreach in the area of mental health care and would give the Department of Veterans Affairs the ability to implement this system in areas where it would be useful.
The BRAVE Act also would give special attention to the privacy concerns that veterans have.
"Many of our nation’s veterans carry invisible scars from their incredible sacrifices in pursuit of the freedoms that we are allowed each and every day,” Wittman said, according to his website. “We owe these selfless heroes a debt that can never be fully repaid. By empowering the Department of Veterans Affairs to create this critical outreach program, those who sacrificed for our country will not only have the tools they need, but will also be reminded that their service will never be forgotten.”