A Legacy for Our Nation’s Veterans: Brain Health Advocacy
Since 2008, NAMI Montana has been at the forefront of national efforts to reform veterans' mental health policy. This mission is deeply personal to our Executive Director, Matt Kuntz, who joined the organization after serving as an infantry officer in the Army.
Matt's advocacy was born from tragedy following the loss of his stepbrother, Chris Dana, a Montana National Guardsman who died by suicide after returning from a difficult deployment to Iraq. This personal loss fueled a relentless drive to ensure no other veteran or family has to navigate these "invisible wounds" alone.
Under Matt’s leadership, NAMI Montana has moved from a "grassroots" effort in Helena to a pivotal voice in the halls of Congress, successfully championing landmark federal legislation.
Our Federal Policy Milestones
Our advocacy has directly shaped several major pieces of federal legislation, ensuring that brain health and suicide prevention remain national priorities:
National Defense Appropriations Act of 2010 (October 2009): Successfully advocated for Section 708, which mandated person-to-person mental health screenings for all U.S. military members both before and after combat deployments.
Commander John Scott Hannon Mental Health Improvement Act (October 2020): Named for a dear friend and NAMI Montana member, this bipartisan act introduced revolutionary changes:
Sections 202-203: Launched reports and pilots for integrative care like yoga, mindfulness, and service dogs.
Sections 302-304: Established new clinical practice guidelines for mental health and suicide prevention.
Section 305: Created the Hannon Precision Brain Health Initiative to modernize the diagnosis and treatment of brain conditions through cutting-edge science.
Section 507: Mandated suicide safety planning within all VA emergency departments.
Joseph Maxwell Cleland and Robert Joseph Dole Memorial Act (December 2022):
Section 181: Streamlined VA research by excluding it from the Paperwork Reduction Act.
Section 191-193: Focused on expanding care for treatment-resistant depression, integrating peer specialists into the VA healthcare system, and conducting a gap analysis of psychotherapeutic interventions.
Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare Act (January 2025):
Sections 107 and 109: Established value-based care planning and pilot programs to improve the quality of care veterans receive.
Continuing the Mission
We are so grateful to everyone who has supported these efforts: policymakers, Congressional staff, colleagues, and donors.
We remain dedicated to working with the VA, researchers, and Congress to ensure that every veteran has access to a precise diagnosis and effective treatment. Our goal is simple: to save lives by getting the right care to the right veteran at the right time.