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Veterans advocacy organizations Grunt Style Foundation and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) are calling for an investigation into why the multi-million dollar budget geared towards preventing veteran suicide has been mostly ineffective. In a press release, Grunt Style Foundation pressed the newly appointed Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary, Doug Collins, to investigate the disconnect between the budget and the mission. The budget for this project was $571 million, and it is requesting a larger sum for this fiscal year. Yet, veteran suicide is a travesty that continues to plague America.
Veterans have a 72% higher risk of suicide compared to those who have not served, with at least 17 taking their life each day. According to the data, the average number of veteran suicide fatalities in 2022 was 17.6 per day, while in 2001, the average was 16.5 per day. 2018 saw the greatest rate, with 18.4 veterans dying by suicide on average every day.It is the second-leading cause of death for veterans under 45. Tim Jensen, the founder of Grunt Style Foundation, asserts: “We’re looking at 156,000 of our brothers and sisters that have taken their lives over the last 20 years…That is just frankly unacceptable.”
Grunt Style Foundation and VFW are exploring several different ways of lowering veteran suicide rates, including promotion of alternative treatments for PTSD and other mental health problems and seeking to reduce stigma surrounding getting mental help. Regarding the call for an investigation, Robert Couture, a VFW spokesman explains, “It’s about, really: Hey, what is the VA doing with the money and are they doing what’s smart and what’s best for veterans and not just continuing to throw money at a problem.”
Officials from both organizations are slated to attend the House Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing in late February to testify on issues impacting the community. Some topics intended to be addressed are the overmedication of veterans and the lack of data surrounding alternative therapies including hyperbaric oxygen therapy and veteran-centric community events like hiking. Both groups hope to answer the question as to where this multi-million dollar budget is going and find actionable solutions.
