PRINTER'S NO. 1820
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
336
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY SCHLOSSBERG, BERNSTINE, CALTAGIRONE, CIRESI,
DeLUCA, DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, HARKINS,
KENYATTA, KINSEY, KIRKLAND, LONGIETTI, MADDEN, MALAGARI,
MARKOSEK, McCLINTON, McNEILL, MERSKI, MILLARD, O'MARA,
PASHINSKI, READSHAW, SAINATO, SOLOMON, STURLA, ULLMAN, WARREN
AND YOUNGBLOOD, MAY 14, 2019
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, MAY 14, 2019
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Urging the President of the United States and the Secretary of
the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to
expeditiously address insufficient awareness of emergency
mental health care services offered to veterans with an
other-than-honorable administrative discharge.
WHEREAS, The United States Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) expanded emergency mental health care services to veterans
with an other-than-honorable discharge in July of 2017; and
WHEREAS, An other-than-honorable discharge is an
administrative discharge that excludes a punitive dishonorable,
bad conduct or undesirable discharge; and
WHEREAS, This policy expanded emergency mental health care
services to 500,000 veterans nationwide with an other-than-
honorable discharge for an initial period of 90 days for
inpatient and outpatient care; and
WHEREAS, Media reports from 2018 suggest that fewer than 200
eligible veterans with other-than-honorable discharges have
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sought expanded emergency mental health care services offered by
the Department of Veterans Affairs; and
WHEREAS, The Veterans Health Administration and the Veterans
Benefits Administration will determine if veterans with an
other-than-honorable discharge are eligible for ongoing care
because of mental health conditions developed as a result of
their service; and
WHEREAS, There are approximately 840,000 veterans who reside
in this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 11% to 20% of veterans who served in
Afghanistan or Iraq suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder;
and
WHEREAS, Veterans without access to services and health care
provided by the VA are 30% more likely than other veterans to
die by suicide; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 230 veterans in Pennsylvania die by
suicide each year; and
WHEREAS, The Department of Veterans Affairs must work to
fulfill its obligations to veterans who have developed mental
health conditions because of their service to this country;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, (the Senate concurring), That the General Assembly
of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the President of the
United States and the Secretary of the United States Department
of Veterans Affairs to take immediate action to expand efforts
to address the mental health needs of veterans with an other-
than-honorable administrative discharge; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
the President of the United States, the Secretary of the United
States Department of Veterans Affairs, the presiding officers of
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each house of Congress and each member of Congress from
Pennsylvania.
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