Ripon Forum


Vol. 58, No. 5

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In This Edition

With over 14 million Americans currently caring for a veteran or military service member in the United States, the 6th Annual Veteran Day Special Edition of The Ripon Forum examines the challenges facing these hidden heroes and what policymakers can do to support them.

“It’s a Day When I Reflect Upon What Made My Own Service so Meaningful.”

With shaven heads and fresh uniforms, we each sworn the same oath to support and defend the United States. In that moment, our differences faded away.

“Being a veteran means being a part of something bigger than yourself.”

No matter their background, whenever I speak to a fellow veteran there is a glimmer of recognition that can only come from our shared service.

“Honoring Our Brothers and Sisters Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice.”

As a combat veteran myself, I know the sacrifices made, the courage shown, and the dedication it takes to serve.

America’s Hidden Heroes

There are over 14 million military & veteran caregivers in the United States in the U.S. And according to the CEO of the Dole Foundation, they need our help.

Safeguarding Sacrifice: Improving Military Quality of Life

Military families make unimaginable sacrifices on behalf of our nation, and it is our responsibility to ensure we provide for their basic needs.

Rebuilding Integrity and Trust at VA

Recent instances of mismanagement have left veterans waiting for services and highlight the need for greater accountability within VA.

Comprehensive Support, Data Hold Answers to Veteran Suicide Crisis

Military families make unimaginable sacrifices on behalf of our nation, and it is our responsibility to ensure we provide for their basic needs.

SkillBridge is a Win for Veterans, a Win for Business, and a Win for America

Military service creates unparalleled opportunities for young Americans. Whether you serve in the infantry, fix jets, or provide supportive services, the military teaches young men and women how to think critically, be effective leaders, embrace change, and work as a team. These skillsets are becoming more and more valuable to corporate America. Over the last […]

Beyond “Thank You for Your Service”

Veterans face conflicting perceptions, on the one hand seen as being prone to violence, on the other hand seen as a hero and placed on a pedestal.

Beyond the Uniform

In 2010, a Marine Corps veteran saw the destruction caused by the Haiti earthquake and felt compelled to help. He, along with seven others, saw an opportunity to use their skills in a time of need and took the initiative to organize and deploy, aiding hundreds of the injured. Fifteen years later, this group has […]

Should Military Commissaries be Privatized? Yes…

It it will better serve our troops and their families

Should Military Commissaries be Privatized? No…

For struggling military families, commissaries are more important than ever

Ripon Profile of Tony Gonzales

Tony Gonzales discusses how his service in uniform has shaped his career.

Comprehensive Support, Data Hold Answers to Veteran Suicide Crisis

For too long, there’s been a devastating reality among the community of Americans who have worn our nation’s uniform, defending our freedom and way of life – mental health battles that end in suicide.

Veterans Day is an opportunity to honor and thank all former servicemembers for their efforts and sacrifice on behalf of our country, but it also presents us with an opportunity to recommit ourselves, as a nation, to do everything possible to help them navigate and overcome the struggles they face. This is part of what it means to truly have their backs.

According to the latest Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) report, 17 veterans take their own life each day, on average. This trend has remained stubbornly high for years.

Finding satisfactory answers to the veteran suicide epidemic has been a top priority for me and many of my colleagues in Congress. Ultimately, those at risk should always have support and never be without hope. We are actively pursuing solutions to supply both abundantly.

According to the latest VA report, 17 veterans take their own life each day, on average. This trend has remained stubbornly high for years.

After years of meeting with former servicemembers, veteran service organizations, nonprofit groups, VA leaders, and medical personnel about the root causes that result in these tragic deaths, we’ve advanced several major policy reforms to help identify the shortfalls that contribute to or fail to prevent veteran suicide. They represent important steps in our joint efforts to address this crisis and, while already making a difference, will take time to be fully felt.

In 2007, the Veterans Crisis Line was launched to provide real-time support to former servicemembers experiencing a mental health emergency. As of this July, it has received more than 10 million calls, texts, and electronic chats from veterans seeking help.

Back in 2014, Congress passed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act thatimproved care and suicide prevention resources for veterans by increasing access to mental health programs, providing incentives to recruit and retain psychiatrists to treat veterans, and enhancing resources for members of the military transitioning to civilian life. I was proud to support this landmark legislation.

A few years later, I championed the Improve Well-being for Veterans Act, which created a new grant program to enable the VA to conduct additional suicide prevention outreach through veteran-serving nonprofits in addition to state and local organizations. That effort grew out of the recognition that there were already a multitude of independent groups on the ground, ably serving and reaching veterans in their own communities, and the importance of leveraging that familiar care and contact given only about a quarter of veterans who die by suicide had received health services at the VA.

Just as important, the statute required the VA to develop a tool to monitor the progress of these initiatives so that resources can be concentrated on successful programs – because simply funneling more money to ineffective approaches is unacceptable.

That momentum spurred us to take an even closer look at the idea of producing and analyzing metrics that can help track the progress being made to save veterans’ lives.

That’s why in this Congress, I teamed up with the chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee to introduce the Not Just a Number Act to require the VA to examine veterans’ benefits usage in its annual suicide prevention report in order to evaluate the relationship between VA benefits and suicide outcomes.

Those at risk should always have support and never be without hope. We are actively pursuing solutions to supply both abundantly.

We know this issue is complex and should be viewed from a wider lens than a solely clinical perspective, because there is rarely a single cause to suicide. Challenges like food insecurity, lack of housing, and financial strain are all common contributors.

Our legislation would allow for the study, from a holistic standpoint, of how these variables factor into the persistently high number of veterans taking their lives in addition to better understanding the scope and scale of services available to them.

I’m pleased VA leaders testified before our committee that they agreed with the bill’s intent and share the desire to pinpoint correlations between Veterans Benefit Administration programs and clinical care. We hope to pass it through Congress and into law before January so that it can be implemented quickly and provide more desperately needed answers.

As the son of a Master Sergeant who retired from the Air Force and a longtime member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee in both the House and Senate, I take seriously our country’s obligations to those who answered the call to serve and sacrifice so much. There is no more urgent area where we must live up to our promise than veteran suicide prevention.

I will never give up on helping ensure our nation’s heroes have the support and hope it takes to keep them here with us and lead long, healthy and fulfilling lives.

John Boozman is the senior United States Senator from Arkansas and the dean of the state’s Congressional delegation.  He is also a senior member of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.