While House Democrats and the media were consumed with trying to find an impeachable act against the president last week, there were others in the Congress doing nonpolitical work to benefit all Americans.

One crucial piece of legislation few reported on concerned the suicide epidemic affecting our military veterans.

Co-sponsored by 228 Members of Congress, the Improve Well-Being for Veterans Act would expand the reach of services aimed at preventing suicide among veterans by providing grants to community groups for suicide prevention services.

The legislation was introduced by Rep. Jack Bergman, a Michigan Republican, and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, a Democrat and former Air Force officer from Pennsylvania’s 6th congressional district, which includes all of Chester County and the southern portion of Berks County.

From 2005 to 2017, the veteran suicide rate increased by nearly 41 percent. Veterans are 1.5 times more likely to die by suicide than Americans who never served in the military. For female veterans, the risk factor is 2.2 times more likely.

The highest suicide rate of any service group is the National Guard with 30 deaths per 100,000 service members. In the Keystone State, 34 members of the Pennsylvania National Guard have died by suicide in just the past four years.

Although deployments have taken their toll on U.S. troops in the past two decades, more than half of those in the Guard who died by suicide were not deployed.

This could reflect the pressures of their dual roles of being both soldiers and civilians. The conflicts, often involving finances, can arise with employers, spouses and others.

Pennsylvania Adjutant General Anthony J. Carrelli who oversees the National Guard, said it’s important to recognize that different age groups have different needs and therefore must be targeted differently. Vietnam veterans and World War II veterans often prefer personal contact while younger veterans are more tuned to social media.

Last Wednesday, Rep. Phil Roe of Tennessee, the ranking Republican on the House VA Committee, stressed the need for immediate action on the Improve Well-Being for Veterans Act.

Since the introduction of the bipartisan bill 148 days ago, he said the lives of 2,960 veteran and service members have been lost.

Roe said that preventing any other lives from being taken should be Congress’ priority, not who gets credit for the action taken. He drafted a compromise proposal in hopes of advancing the bill.

The objective is to increase support for outside groups who can then reach out to veterans who either don’t have easy access to the VA or are skeptical about becoming a patient.

Some avoid taking the step because they consider asking for help to be a sign of weakness.

Others may fear that seeking counseling or using mental health services could hurt their career.

Counselors advise that the one person who can make changes in your life is yourself. Thus, self-responsibility is a major step.

With 20 service members and veterans dying by suicide every day for the past 20 years, it’s obvious that the stakes could not be higher.

Robert Wilkie, secretary of Veterans Affairs, said that when American men and women put on our nation’s uniform, they don’t fight for one political party or just some of the states but for all of America.

It’s paramount then to work together and find solutions to prevent veteran suicide, which Wilkie calls the most daunting challenge of our time.

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com