Lee-Backed Bipartisan Legislation Has Provided 50,000 Veterans with Suicide Prevention Care, Saved $64+ Million in Health Care Costs

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Lee (NV-03) applauded the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) recent announcement that nearly 50,000 veterans have received free emergency suicide prevention care since the implementation of the bipartisan Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment (COMPACT) Act, which Lee helped craft and get signed into law. 

The bipartisan Veterans COMPACT Act includes language co-authored by Congresswoman Lee to require that the VA contact veterans who have not had contact with the VA in two or more years to encourage them to receive comprehensive exams. This is so veterans can continue their eligibility for coverage of emergency care not related to service-connected disabilities.  

“Every day in this country, seventeen veterans take their own lives. That number should be zero,” said Congresswoman Susie Lee. “I'm proud that the Veterans COMPACT Act — legislation I crafted — is having an immediate impact on the lives of veterans and their families in southern Nevada and across the country. We need to build on our bipartisan work to get more veterans the care they need and deserve.” 

The announcement comes on the heels of Congresswoman Lee’s recent women veterans townhall at the North Las Vegas VA Medical Center where she met with southern Nevada women veterans to discuss the unique challenges they face. 

Background: 

• Congresswoman Lee’s provisions helped make possible a new VA policy allowing eligible veterans and certain former service members in acute suicidal crisis to go to any VA or non-VA health care facility for no-cost emergency health care. 
• This policy has helped prevent veteran suicide by guaranteeing no cost, world-class care to eligible individuals in times of crisis — including emergency room care, inpatient or crisis residential care for up to 30 days, outpatient care for up to 90 days, and transportation costs. 
• The policy has also increased access to no-cost emergent suicide care for up to 9 million veterans, because eligible veterans do not need to be enrolled in the VA system or go to a department facility to use this benefit. 
• In its first year of implementation, the policy has helped 49,714 veterans and former service members use this benefit — providing them with lifesaving care and saving more than $64 million in health care costs. 

Congresswoman Lee has been a strong supporter of veterans across Nevada. In addition to the Veterans COMPACT Act, Lee introduced legislation last year to incentivize employers to hire student veterans for part-time work and paid internships as well as legislation to enhance the VA’s suicide prevention efforts by launching a Zero Suicide Initiative pilot program at five VA medical centers across the country. She also voted to pass and helped ensure the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act was signed into law in 2022, which provides benefits and care to veterans impacted by toxic exposure.  

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