{"id":64746,"date":"2020-08-25T13:04:20","date_gmt":"2020-08-25T13:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/08\/25\/huge-slate-of-veteran-suicide-prevention-measures-set-for-debate-next-month\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:24:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:24:54","slug":"huge-slate-of-veteran-suicide-prevention-measures-set-for-debate-next-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/veterans\/2020\/08\/25\/huge-slate-of-veteran-suicide-prevention-measures-set-for-debate-next-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Huge slate of veteran suicide prevention measures set for debate next month"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Democratic leaders of the House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee this week announced plans to mark up a hefty slate of suicide prevention bills<\/a> early next month as Senate lawmakers and administration officials lament that already existing solutions to the problem aren\u2019t moving fast enough through Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conflict leaves congressional efforts on suicide prevention<\/a> muddled at a time when outside advocates<\/a> had hoped for more deliberate action on the issue, following the White House\u2019s latest push on the topic earlier this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this month, the Senate unanimously passed the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act<\/a>, which includes a new grant program to encourage collaboration with community organizations on suicide prevention, new hiring rules to quickly fill mental health staffing gaps at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and a host of new data requirements to better track potential causes of suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to VA statistics, about 20 veterans and active-duty service members die by suicide each day, a number that has remained largely unchanged in recent years<\/a> despite considerable efforts aimed at increasing outreach to at-risk veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\t