Bipartisan group of 34 senators ask VA to help struggling veterans after botched Afghanistan withdrawal

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A bipartisan group of 34 senators sent a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough calling on the department to hasten connecting struggling Afghanistan veterans to mental health services in the aftermath of the deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan and Kabul bombing, which killed 13 U.S. service members.

Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, led a bipartisan letter calling on the VA secretary to "quickly develop a comprehensive outreach plan" to help Afghanistan and Global War on Terror veterans receive their service benefits.

Meantime, Republicans on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee on Tuesday urged Chairman Mark Takano, D-Calif., to convene a hearing promptly to examine the effects of the chaotic withdrawal on vets' mental health.

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In the senators' letter reviewed by Fox News, the senators noted that the VA "recently sent out correspondence" to veterans containing digital resources "encouraging them to seek help if they are experiencing distress related to their service in Afghanistan or if they need any mental health services."

"This is the first step, but the VA should go beyond this initial outreach," the senators wrote. "As you know, veterans aged 18 to 34 have the highest suicide rate among former service members."

Citing the VA’s National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, the senators pointed out that veterans don’t use the Veterans Health Administration’s anti-suicide programs and called on the department to come up with a plan to get struggling veterans the help they need.

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"This plan must proactively contact veterans in the coming months through means including, but not limited to: digital correspondence, social media, phone calls, and text messages," they wrote, adding the VA’s outreach "should consist of detailed information on mental health services."

"As a country, we must keep the physical and mental wellbeing of our veterans at the forefront of our minds and efforts," the senators concluded the letter. 

"Especially given the constant media coverage and disturbing images coming out of Afghanistan, we ask for your commitment to developing a comprehensive outreach plan for our Global War on Terrorism, and specifically our Afghanistan veterans."

VA press secretary Terrence Hayes told Fox News in an emailed statement that the "VA received the letter from congressional leadership and is in the process of responding."

The VA press secretary also pointed to initiatives the agency has put together for veterans, including resources for spouses and caregivers for caring for veterans with PTSD, live Q&A chat events to open communication between veterans and resources and community outreach programs through local facilities to engage veterans.

"If a Veteran, a Veteran’s family or caregiver, or a survivor is facing a crisis, we encourage them to immediately contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive free, confidential support and crisis intervention available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, text to 838255, or chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat," Hayes added.

The senators joining Hassan and Ernst on the letter include Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

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The House Republicans' letter to Takano stressed, "We must convey to our nation’s veterans that their service and sacrifice have not been in vain, and that despite political failures in Washington, they are heroes that have indeed accomplished their mission in Afghanistan and left the world a better, safer place." They also urged the chairman to include McDonough as part of the hearing.

Takano's office did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.

Houston Keene is a reporter for Fox News Digital. You can find him on Twitter at @HoustonKeene.