Of the 20 veterans who take their lives each day, about 14 had not been connected to VA care. "We are not going to let the fact there are not additional monies right now to prevent us from offering these additional services," Shulkin said. The coverage also includes up to 90 days of follow-up mental care as part of an "emergency episode." The proposal includes $8.4 billion for veterans' mental health services, an increase of 6 percent from 2017. The VA hopes to hire 1,000 more mental health providers and establish hubs in rural areas to provide veterans with mental health assistance by phone.

Source: ABC News May 24, 2017 17:03 UTC