Though we do a lot more to honor veterans of any and all wars than we did long ago, there’s something even more specific we could do to help soldiers and veterans: stop the suicides. And sadly, money, or the lackthereof, is very much at the root of the problem.
In 2024, nearly 500 soldiers on active duty took their own lives, according to a Congressional report. Though there’s nearly a ten percent decline from 2023 numbers, it’s still a figure that readers here will recognize as way too high. Though the report notes the role mental health plays in this, the authors cite trouble with financial and administrative stress, as well as intimate relationship problems. StopSoldierSuicide is a great national nonprofit that gets involved.
The statistics are quite jarring for veteran suicide. According to a Rand publication from last year “In 2022 (the most recent year for which data are available), 6,407 veterans and 41,484 nonveteran adults died by suicide. Because there are many more nonveterans in the U.S. population, the rate of suicide among veterans was 34.7 per 100,000, compared with 17.1 per 100,000 for nonveterans (Office of Suicide Prevention, 2024b).”
What’s more shocking is that the report by Rajeev Ramchand and Tahina Montoya is that both adult groups had similar suicide rates in 2002, and both of those were much lower (around 15 per 100,000 for non-veterans and about 17 per 100,000 for veterans). War has always been traumatic for veterans; since 2002, veterans face new threats from budget cuts and economic dislocation.
Ramchand and Montoya add that “Among veterans receiving VHA care, those who had limited economic resources consistently had elevated suicide rates.”
The number of veterans who took their own lives by firearms has skyrocketed, while suicide by other means has dropped significantly. It got so bad that the VA recently developed a program helping veterans secure and lock their firearms to limit impulsive decisions.
At this point, you’re probably wondering what you can do about this serious problem. The good news is that lots of people are becoming aware, and engaged, with the problem. The Veterans Crisis Line (Dial 988, then Press 1, Chat Live, or text 83825), is a good example. They point out “You don’t have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect.” They add that “Your call is free and confidential, and you decide how much information to share” but also “Support doesn’t end with your conversation. Our responders connect you with resources that can help when you’re in distress.” These all sound like really good ideas.
The VA’s Caring Contacts Program has been lauded by veterans. The Rand report “Suicide Among Veterans” notes that they reach out to those in the VHA psychiatric inpatient programs, Veterans Crisis Line callers, those with high-risk flags, and those identified by REACH Vet. But while the program boosted health care usage, it did not reduce suicide rates, in a clinical trial. It’s not that the program is bad but it’s more about who isn’t helped by the program. “Implementation studies suggest that caring contacts do not reach veterans without mailing addresses, including those with unstable housing and, therefore, miss reaching some veterans at heightened suicide risk,” the Rand researchers write. Prior reports show that those veterans have the highest suicide risk. Without Caring Contacts, perhaps the suicide rate could be even worse.
There is some additional good news. The Trump Administration is looking to boost Defense Department and Veterans Affairs funding, along with an increase in the electronic health record modernization (EHRM) initiative, according to Federal News Network.
Congress (and therefore you, contacting your members of Congress at https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials), should make sure that those without economic resources or stable housing not slip through the cracks in these changes to VA and DoD funding, if we want to reverse the terrible trends in veteran suicides since 2002.
John A. Tures is Professor of Political Science and Coordinator of the Political Science Program at LaGrange College, in LaGrange, Georgia. His first book, “Branded”, is available on Amazon. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu.