Sen. Keyeski Introduces Bills to Support & Honor Wisconsin’s Veterans, Including Bill to Improve Veterans’ Mental Health

Madison – Today, Senator Sarah Keyeski (D-Lodi) and her Democratic colleagues introduced the “Veterans Promise” bill package. The following three bills were proposed in recognition of the service and sacrifices of veterans and their loved ones:

LRB-4617: Establishing Veterans Day as a state holiday,

LRB-4716: Establishing a Veterans Mental Health Grant Program,

LRB-4720: Funding the UW Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project.

As a mental health provider, Senator Keyeski is particularly proud to be the lead author of LRB-4716, which would provide $5 million to the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs to award grants across Wisconsin to promote and assist veterans’ access to mental health services.

After bravely serving our country, many veterans struggle with symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) and other mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders as a result of their military service. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), 31% of veterans who receive care through the Veterans Health Administration have a confirmed mental health diagnosis. Further, the VA reported that the suicide rate for veterans in Wisconsin is significantly higher than the national general population suicide rate. In 2022 alone, there were 136 reports of veteran suicides in Wisconsin.

Senator Keyeski released the following statement regarding the introduction of LRB-4716:

“The statistics on veterans’ mental health and rates of suicide among veterans are heartbreaking. We cannot and should not accept poor mental health as the norm for our veterans. The people who bravely volunteered to protect our country and defended our freedoms deserve so much better, but currently, they are being left behind.

“We need to ensure our veterans have, at the ready, the support and resources they need to address any mental health challenges they are experiencing. We owe them this.

“There should be no reason that this bill does not receive bi-partisan support, so I look forward to my Republican colleagues joining us to better serve the veterans who have served us so well.”

Governor Tony Evers included $5 million in his 2025-27 executive budget proposal budget for a Veterans Mental Health Grant Program, which was removed by the Republican-led Joint Finance Committee and not included in the final version of the budget, 2025 Wisconsin Act 15.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.