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Amendment Gives VA $20M For Veteran Suicide Prevention Programs

Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Rep. Jon Runyan (R-NJ) recently offered an amendment to the U.S. House of Representatives to help combat suicides among veterans. The House approved the amendment, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will be given $20 million to use in their suicide prevention efforts.

On average, 18 veterans take their own lives every day. Most of these tragedies can likely be prevented through counseling and other forms of help. In order for that to happen, however, the counseling has to be in place and the veterans have to know that counseling is available.

The VA will use the $20 million as part of their outreach program in which they alert veterans of the available services and let them know they are not alone. The VA's $4.5 million outreach program was implemented this year. The program uses various mediums to reach as many veterans as possible to alert them of the VA's variety of suicide prevention efforts.

Both Holt and Runyan believe the VA's suicide prevention efforts have fallen short over the last couple of years. Somewhere around 1,000 veterans attempt to take their own lives every month, and these are only the ones enrolled in the VA health care system. That number is likely much higher.

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today - 1-888-234-5758.