Ripon Forum


Vol. 55, No. 5

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In this edition

For the third year in a row, The Ripon Forum is dedicating an entire edition to the Veterans Day holiday and those brave men and women who risked their lives in defense of America.   

VA Update: Our Work for Veterans is Never Done

Our country made a binding pact with our servicemembers. Upholding our end of the bargain is a moral obligation.

Equipping Our Veterans for the Next Season of Service

Too many of these servicemembers struggle to have their talents fully understood and utilized amidst transitioning back to civilian life.

Burn Pits Cannot be the Next Agent Orange

Otherwise-healthy veterans are suffering from uncommon cancers that may be result of exposure to open-air burn pits. The time for action is now.

“You kept us safe. You did your duty.”

Members of the United States military have done more to liberate humankind from oppression and tyranny … than any other force in human history.

“We honor veterans’ service and sacrifice for this great nation.”

There is something incredibly unique about those who sacrifice so much to serve our country – who choose to run towards conflict in the name of freedom.

“There is no greater calling than service to country”

There is no greater calling than service to one’s nation. And if there’s one thing veterans understand, it is that service never stops.

“We remember and honor the sacrifices, both large and small.”

At one point in every veteran’s life, they made the tough decision to leave behind the comforts of home to fight for a cause bigger than themselves.

More Needs to Be Done to Meet the Mental Health Challenges Facing Veterans

Transitioning from active duty brings many challenges and mental health stressors.

How Veterans View the U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan

Like the public, they are deeply divided along party lines.

We Said We’d Never Forget: Will We?

For the first time in 20 years, we celebrate Veterans Day in relative peace.

More Needs to Be Done to Meet the Mental Health Challenges Facing Veterans

My mental health was not high on my to-do list as I transitioned from the Coast Guard to civilian life. Extending my eight-year service contract by eight months to complete a medical board only deepened my depression. This extension kept me in Houston far from my family support system while adjusting to life with my new physical injuries. I was alone, I was hurt, and I worried about what my new future would look like. For many transitioning veterans, this remains the case.

More than 500 active duty service members transition to veteran status every day. Moving a family, finding housing, searching for employment, starting school, all while going through the complicated process of filing a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation claim, usually takes precedence over treatment for depression, anxiety, PTSD, or MST. This delicate time of leaving the routine, structure, and purpose the military provides while looking to new beginnings and unknowns can be a whirlwind of emotions for these new veterans as they work to successfully navigate their next life chapter.

Recently, the VA created programs like Solid Start to address a gap in assisting veterans as they transition back to civilian life. This program reaches out to newly separated service members three times during their first year of separation to connect them with VA resources. Within the first year of this program, the VA contacted 60 percent of active duty members who separated in 2020. Sixty percent is a good start, but, according to the VA’s 2021 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, veterans between the ages of 18-34 continue to have the highest unadjusted suicide rate. Therefore, more must be done.

Transitioning from active duty service member to veteran brings many challenges and mental health stressors.

Removing the barrier to access allows veterans the opportunity to receive mental health services from the VA shortly after their transition. Over the past 10 years, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) increased upstream mental health programs to address suicide prevention. The VA expanded mental health services to meet veterans’ mental health needs even if they are not enrolled in VHA. The VA Mission Act of 2018 allows providers to deliver care via telemedical systems to veterans across state lines. Although access had increased, staff shortages still remain. Psychiatry is the most common severe clinical shortage in 60 percent of VA facilities, according to a 2020 Office of Inspector General report.

For 42 years, Vet Centers have been VA’s unheralded program. Vet Centers offer various services, including individual and family counseling, benefits explanation, substance abuse assessment and referral, and many others. There are over 300 centers, 83 mobile units, and several outstations and community access points to serve eligible veterans and their families, and yet, not many veterans know they exist nor do they know who may be eligible for service. Vet Centers operate without a proper staffing model to provide service for an increasingly eligible group of veterans and their families. Evaluating and understanding who uses Vet Centers and why will help to coordinate adequate staffing, resources, and funding.

Transitioning from active duty service member to veteran brings many challenges and mental health stressors. Therefore, these individuals are at a higher risk of suicide the first 12 months after separation and may require increased access to services. Expanding mental health access to both VHA and Vet Centers further reduces the barriers to care. While these programs are slowly moving the needle, they miss the mark on considering other aspects of a veteran’s life that may lead to crisis.

Therefore, these individuals are at a higher risk of suicide the first 12 months after separation and may require increased access to services.

As new legislation becomes law, new grants are given, and new programs are established, there remains a vast amount of unexplored VA data that can help better identify and understand the underlying causes of veteran suicide. Every year since 2014, the VA has published the National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. This report contains information from two years prior on veterans who died by suicide and their interaction with the VHA. The current annual report excludes other veterans’ benefits programs from the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). VBA programs such as the GI Bill, disability compensation, or home loan guarantee lead to workforce skill attainment, steady income, and stable housing, which are social determinants of health. Improvements to social determinants of health positively impact health outcomes, both mental and physical. Therefore, by including VBA data in the annual report, the VA will have a more complete picture of the impact of its programs on reducing the rate of suicide. 

The VA’s top priority is the health and well-being of our nation’s veterans. If the VA is serious about understanding and preventing suicide, then we must demand a more thorough evaluation of all VA programs. Congress needs to direct the VA to include relevant VBA data in the annual report on all VA programs and their impact on veteran suicide. Much more needs to be done to reduce the number of veteran suicides to zero. 

Tammy Barlet, MPH, is Deputy Director of the National Legislative Service for the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. It is her responsibility to analyze and consult with Congress on issues related to women veterans and health care. She served eight years in the United States Coast Guard as an Operation Specialist Third Class Petty Officer between 1995-2003.