Senator met with parents of SGT Daniel Somers to discuss their continued work on veterans’ access to mental health care
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema met with the parents of SGT Daniel Somers, with whom she worked in 2015 and 2016 to pass the SGT Daniel Somers Classified Veterans Access to Care Act. The legislation ensures veterans who serve in a classified or sensitive capacity receive private counseling from the VA. They discussed their continued work to improve mental health care for veterans.
“Sergeant Daniel Somers’ parents made it their mission to improve mental health care for veterans after they lost their son to suicide,” said Sinema, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “We’re continuing our work to ensure servicemembers have a network of support while in uniform and long after.”
Sinema worked with the family of SGT Daniel Somers, a veteran who lost his life to suicide, to introduce and successfully enact the SGT Daniel Somers Classified Veterans Access to Care Act, which ensures veterans who serve in a classified capacity can get private counseling from the VA. The SGT Daniel Somers Classified Veterans Access to Care Act passed the House of Representatives on February 9, 2016 and was later signed into law. Sinema is now working with them to advance their Network of Support concept, which would help expand the community of care available to veterans and allow their support systems access to critical information so they can facilitate that care.
Sinema also led the charge to reform the VA as an original cosponsor of the VA Accountability Act and by supporting the VA Choice Act, both of which were signed into law.