U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) joined an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives to approve legislation to reduce the risk of suicide among American veterans.

"Recent studies have found that one out of five suicides in the United States is committed by a veteran," said Rahall. "Since the beginning of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, we have witnessed a disturbing increase in the suicide rate of our returning veterans. I cosponsored this legislation to help address this alarming trend and do better by our veterans."

H.R. 327, The Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act, directs the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department to screen all patients at VA medical facilities for suicide risk factors and track at-risk veterans. The bill requires each VA medical center to designate one suicide prevention counselor and requires the VA to educate veterans and their families on mental health issues. Additionally, the bill establishes a 24-hour veterans' mental health hotline.

Having passed the House and Senate, H.R. 327 will now be sent to the White House to be signed into law by the President.

"With more and more injured service members returning home from tours of duty, it is critical that we provide them with quality health services to facilitate their speedy recoveries," Rahall said. "I am determined to help ensure that once we bring our troops home, they receive the benefits and care to which they are entitled."

Rahall also recently cosponsored H.R. 2514, The Assured Funding for Veterans Health Care Act of 2007. Under the current budget, the VA has been severely underfunded, suffering shortfalls of $1 billion in 2005 and $2 billion in 2006. This bill would make VA health care a mandatory spending item within the federal budget. VA health care is currently the only major federal health program that is not funded through mandatory spending.

"Supporting our troops does not end once they come home from the battlefield. I am proud to have cosponsored legislation to improve the health care services that our brave soldiers and their families so rightly deserve," added Rahall.