In our previous VA News article, I talked about the first two of seven strategies VA is taking to support Veterans at risk for suicide. In today’s article, you’ll learn about the next five.
Expanding crisis intervention services
VA offers many crisis prevention and intervention services, including the Veterans Crisis Line. We’re constantly working to enhance and refine these services to effectively provide Veterans with the resources they need.
One of our most recent projects, Caring Letters, works to support Veterans after they contact the Veterans Crisis Line. Over the course of a year, the program mails eight letters demonstrating ongoing support and reducing risks associated with isolation and lack of care. Recipients of the letters have reported feeling appreciated, cared for, supported, connected, encouraged, validated, heard and seen.
VA also supports Veterans outside VA programs and facilities. The COMPACT Act allows eligible Veterans in acute suicide crisis to go to any VA or non-VA health care facility for no-cost emergency health care. This may include inpatient or crisis residential care for up to 30 days and outpatient care for up to 90 days. Veterans don’t need to be enrolled in the VA system to use this benefit.
Tailoring prevention and intervention services
Through innovative projects and partnerships, VA provides suicide prevention resources in various settings, including firearms retailers and faith-based organizations.
Initiatives like Mission Daybreak create suicide prevention strategies that potentially benefit Veterans, like training enhancements, wellness checks and mental health tools. Programs from groups like ReflexAI and NeuroFlow reach Veterans across VAMCs, while Cabana and Televeda focus on specific communities, such as National Guard members and American Indian Veterans, respectively.
Advancing suicide prevention into non-clinical supports
In an attempt to reach all Veterans, not just those enrolled in VA, we’re expanding programs and initiatives into non-clinical areas, like financial, occupational, legal and social support services.
For example, the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (SSG Fox SPGP) awards grants to community organizations providing or coordinating suicide prevention services. Since its launch in 2022, the program has awarded $157.5 million to 95 organizations across 43 states, U.S. territories and tribal lands. Early results show 80% of participants have improved in key areas, with 33% of participants new to VA services.
Enhancing mental health care access across the full continuum of care
We’re committed to increasing access to comprehensive mental health services across all stages of care.
The Suicide Prevention 2.0 Clinical Telehealth Program has received over 23,000 referrals and provided over 12,000 intake assessments since its launch. So far, we’ve seen significant reductions in suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms among participants. Efforts like REACH VET allow us to study data to proactively identify Veterans with increased risk for suicide, ensuring timely and appropriate care.
Integrating suicide prevention within medical settings
Incorporating suicide prevention strategies into medical environments ensures Veterans have access to critical support and enhances early identification and intervention for Veterans at risk.
The Clinical Interventions Program’s Risk Identification (Risk ID) focuses on making sure suicide risk assessment is included in routine medical care and has administered over 10 million suicide risk screenings since 2021. Safety planning for at-risk Veterans discharged from emergency care is a priority, with 92% of patients receiving safety plans before discharge.
How VA is taking action to prevent Veteran suicide in 2025
By combining data and community-based resources, we can identify, connect and support at-risk Veterans. If we can reach Veterans where they are with the resources they need, we can save more lives.
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My therapy was CANCELED back in December. Since then I have begged for help. There reply, we can give you more pills until the system is “fixed”.
Please tell me how this is “improvement “
Probably help like making sure they have place to live and can pay rent would be of much more help.
How about you just let me keep taking my hormones and give me the surgery I’ve been waiting nearly 10 years for so I can go on with my life instead of being trapped midway through a transition you jerks already paid halfway for – and which I’m not safe until is done and terrified to go to a VAMC because of. Thanks for nothing Sec. Collins! Now I’m at a higher risk of my depression getting me and more isolated than ever! So much for “VA Welcomes Trans Vets” huh?
Except for transgender veterans, the VA doesn’t care.
Considering that LGBTQ? persons have a phenomenally higher rate of suicide, it seems asinine and cruel to remove the care they need and have previously been given.
There can’t be a foot in each puddle. The VA either wants to prevent ALL veteran suicides, or just prevent suicides of ‘normal’ veterans.
Do LGBTQ? Vets just fall under the ‘acceptable losses’ or ‘collateral damage’?
Regrettable, but not regrettable enough to try to keep them alive?
Deplorable. This is not the America I was willing to die to defend.
Either everyone matters, or none of us do.
I’m still waiting to find out how healthcare is improving in this area. Honestly, whenever I speak with my VA team I feel they are not committed to individuals as much as the idea . For instance, last year vets learned because the VA supposedly hired more mental health workers, community care would be phased out. Some of us have worked with our therapists awhile and because life goes on, a 12week CBT or CPT skills group may not cut it. Especially when the new VA providers are intent on recommending “community resources”; many of which are limited to post 9/11 vets. I’m hoping for once and all Community Care is widely accepted and a true choice for vets—especially in the area of mental health.
Most veterans that commit suicide have interactions with the VA. The VA intentionally hides this information along with drug overdoses. It’s so hard to file an actual complaint many stories about what the VA is doing wrong never makes it to the public
https://www.freedommag.org/news/floridas-baker-act-leaves-trail-of-harm-for-involuntarily-committed-veterans-63b93e
The VA doesn’t help it’s a quota system. The frustration of trying to get care. The system causes more stress and anxiety. Little help is provided and the wait time is terrible.
Some more lies
Veterans who are 70% service connected for serious mental health issues should not be placed on “invisible” wait-lists for mental health care for 4+ years and forgotten about. No matter how much we cry, scream, or beg for help… we will still be dying by our own hands, by the dozens, every day, because it’s cheaper for the VA to bury us than to care of us. These articles are filled with such a stench, I can smell it through the Internet!
This is some kind of bullshit
The VA must reach out to all veterans who are seeing providers and have depression. The Suicide Hotline is not enough – there needs to be an actual “CRISIS LINE” to help veterans BEFORE they are so deep in the black bottomless hole of despair – NOT WHEN THEY ARE SUICIDAL ALREADY. The VA IS NOT PRO-ACTIVE in this regard, and something must be done about this. Additionally, the persons answering the phone for this crisis line should be trained better and be older and have experienced death and dying in their families, among their peers, etc. For example, my girlfriend woke up to find her husband dead in bed with her – THIS IS A CRISIS that could lead one to suicide – the VA has no Hotline in place for these kinds of things that often lead to suicide. Perhaps reading Edwin Shneidman which contains suicide letters would be enlightening and should be part of ANY CRISIS OR SUICIDE HOTLINE! When people are in crisis that can lead to suicide more time on the phone should be allotted to them and people that are trained, educated, older, have more life experience with death and dying and are extremely knowledgeable about CRISIS AND SUICIDE should be taking calls and not rushing veterans off the phone to take other calls or just out of graduate school with no experience working with depressives or those with other psychological problems. The persons’ answering the phone should have a list of nationwide call centers that are open 24/7 so the veteran has other places to call on those dark days or nights and of course, Emotions Anonymous for those veterans that want to be part of a group of others like themselves. Not to do these things makes the VA negligent and possibly participants in the veteran’s suicide. As an expert in this field and an attorney I believe this is a disaster, shows complacency and possibly a legal case against the VA for a veteran’s death by suicide.
Having been a “LPC/LMHC for over 20 yrs,
Suicide prevention. Many VET’s are closed
Mouth and won’t admit to “Such Thoughts.”
Locations such as VFW post encourage peer
interaction. Many groups exist already exist but are “Not publicized” …
In addition Peer groups are very important
because …Military to Military, enhances
the goal. Not every one can ‘”Identify” and
the “Secretly”.
Many VET’s will not “Admit to feelings of
depression….I.E. Darkness is my only friend!
I’m am a Retired US Navy service man.
Informal groups (Such as In Diners) Burger king, McDonalds the local coffee shop are excellent.
Finally we as therapist)counselors don’t
need to know you actual name.
Privacy//Confidentially
If you live in S.C. a plus.
.
Thank You VA for everything you do for for all us(have set the Standards very high) Thanks Ay