Press Releases

Today, Reps. Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.), chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) released the following statements after Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Shulkin’s announcement of his intention to expand mental health care services to veterans with other-than-honorable discharges:

“I take the health and well-being of every man and woman who has served our country very seriously,” said Roe. “I appreciate Secretary Shulkin taking steps to ensure veterans in crisis with other-than-honorable discharges have access to mental health services. With that said, this must be done in a fair, transparent way that ensures no veteran, especially those who have honorably served, are being skipped over for the care they need,” Roe added. “I look forward to continuing this conversation with Secretary Shulkin and Representative Coffman, and I thank them both for their commitment to our nation’s veterans.”

“I was delighted to hear Secretary Shulkin say that he is authorizing mental health assessments and urgent mental healthcare services for our veterans with ‘other than honorable’ discharges,” said Coffman. “This will particularly help those suffering from the ‘invisible’ wounds of combat that can lead to behavioral and other mental health conditions and, sadly in too many cases to an other than honorable discharge.”