This past week President Donald Trump ordered improved mental health care for veterans who are leaving the service in order to prevent suicides.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order directing government departments to try to prevent suicide among military veterans by treating mental health problems before they become more serious.
Trump’s order directs the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs to ensure all uniformed service members have access to mental health treatment and suicide prevention resources in the first year following military service.
“They get out of the military and they have nobody to talk to,” Trump said as he signed the order. “It’s a very sad situation.”
Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin said the White House wants to address the alarming trend of 20 veterans a day taking their own life.
“That 12-month period after you leave service is the highest risk for suicide,” Shulkin told reporters. Currently, only 40 percent of military members have mental health coverage, he said.
It is certainly about time that we provided additional care for veterans and this is a step in the right direction. But in a typical case of judge me by my actions and not my words…at Veterans Affairs, no one has been tapped to be the undersecretary for health or benefits. So once again a key position remains unfilled in the Trump regime just when we need them most.
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