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FEDERALhearing transcript

High Impact

Hearing on Veteran Suicide Prevention Strategies

Original title: VETERAN SUICIDE PREVENTION: MAXIMIZING EFFECTIVENESS AND INCREASING AWARENESS

January 1, 2019

veteran affairs suicide prevention mental health veterans health administration public health

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The Frame

What this does

The hearing addresses the ongoing challenge of veteran suicide, specifically examining why current VA outreach and mental health resources are not reaching the 70% of veterans who die by suicide without having recently visited a VA facility.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Veterans

Veterans are the primary population for whom suicide prevention policies and mental health services are designed.

Veterans Health Administration

The agency is responsible for implementing suicide prevention programs and managing mental health resources.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2019.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a hearing to examine the effectiveness of current suicide prevention efforts for veterans. The committee focused on the statistic that 20 veterans die by suicide daily, noting that 14 of those individuals had not sought care at a VA facility.

Key Facts

Approximately 20 veterans die by suicide every day.
14 out of every 20 veterans who die by suicide have not sought medical care at a VA facility.
Only 30% of veterans who die by suicide have visited a VA campus for an appointment.
The hearing was held on September 27, 2018, by the 115th Congress.
The hearing included testimony from academic experts, non-profit organizations, and VA officials.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many veterans die by suicide each day?

According to the hearing, the statistic is 20 veterans per day.

Do most veterans who die by suicide receive care at the VA?

No, the committee noted that 14 out of 20 (70%) of those who die by suicide have not sought medical care at a VA facility.

Why It Matters

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Outreach Gap

The hearing highlights a significant disconnect between VA services and the majority of veterans who die by suicide, suggesting a need for outreach beyond traditional VA clinical settings.

Veterans Health Administration

Connected Entities

organizationWounded Warrior Project“Non-profit organization providing testimony”Map →

personKeita Franklin“National Director, Suicide Prevention, Veterans Health Administration”Map →

personDavid P. Roe“Chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs”Map →

personTim Walz“Ranking Member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs”Map →

organizationVeterans Health Administration“The primary agency responsible for veteran mental health services”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance85
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy40
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz20
Current news / social attention level

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