Senator Walsh Calls President Obama’s EO Step In Right Direction

Senator John Walsh today called President Barack Obama’s executive orders a step in the right direction to fulfilling the promises made to America’s veterans and outlined his continued effort to improve veteran services:

“The President’s action today is a win for veterans and their families. There is more to do to prevent suicide among veterans, and Congress needs to step up to do our part, but I'm pleased to see the Administration moving the ball forward. My bipartisan bill, the Suicide Prevention for America’s Veterans Act, includes several elements that the President has moved forward today, including greater standardization between DOD and VA drug formularies, improved health record sharing between agencies, greater training to identify veterans at-risk of suicide, a new focus on recruiting more mental health care providers, and accountability measures to track the success of the VA's mental health care programs.

Obama’s actions include increasing resources to treat mental health illness, requiring the standardization of electronic records, recruiting and retaining more health professionals to serve in the VA system, and requiring the Administration to periodically update the public on VA operations.