Reducing Veteran Suicide
Floor Speech
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Ms. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, last month President Biden announced a vision to advance progress on his Unity Agenda in the year ahead. I am encouraged by the agenda's focus on reducing veteran suicide, which has been one of my highest priorities since coming to Congress. I am encouraged by the specific focus on expanding outreach to justice- involved veterans, who may be at even greater risk for suicide.
In recent years, we have seen some signs of progress on this issue. From 2018 to 2020, age- and sex-adjusted veteran suicide rates fell by nearly 10 percent.
However, with nearly 17 veterans still dying by suicide every day--a rate that is more than 50 percent higher than suicides among nonveteran adults--we know that we have much more work to do to save lives.
Part of the administration's agenda is an important focus on increasing lethal means safety, which is an intentional, voluntary practice to reduce suicide risk by limiting access by those in crisis to lethal means, like medication, firearms, and sharp instruments that can be used to inflict self-directed violence.
The data on lethal means safety are clear. People who reduce their access to lethal means during times of heightened risk are reducing their risk of dying by suicide.
Given the robust evidence on the effectiveness of lethal means safety in preventing suicide, the Trump administration implemented a requirement for every clinician at the Veterans Health Administration to complete a lethal means safety training so that they would be prepared to have conversations with the veterans they care for about this lifesaving practice.
Thanks to this requirement, nearly 100 percent of Veterans Health Administration clinicians have completed the Department's lethal means safety training. However, the training remains optional for all other staff, including at the Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits Administration, vet centers, and vocational rehabilitation facilities.
This lack of a mandate has consequences. Without a requirement to do so, a mere fraction of 1 percent of VA's nonclinical employees have completed the Department's lethal means safety training. What this means is that every day we have veterans who could be in crisis interacting with VA employees who might be able to identify risk factors and have lifesaving conversations, but these VA staff are not trained to do so, and we could be losing our veterans because of it.
That is unacceptable, and that is why I introduced the Lethal Means Safety Training Act, which would make the Department's evidence-based training a requirement for all VA staff who regularly interact with veterans in their work, as well as community providers and family caregivers.
I will continue my work to get this passed in Congress, but no legislation is needed to expand VA's existing training requirement to other VA employees. Unfortunately, the administration's announcement last month did not include any plans for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to use his existing authority to expand the Department's lethal means safety training requirement.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs already has the authority to take this lifesaving action today, and I once again call on him to do so immediately. Every day that VA does not take this simple step is another day that we are leaving valuable tools in our toolbox unused. It is another day that we will lose nearly 17 veterans to suicide.
Not every single death can be prevented with an expanded lethal means safety training requirement, but at no cost to the Department and with no need for additional legislation, there is no reason to further delay on implementing this policy.
The Secretary has an opportunity to help save the lives of our veterans with the stroke of his pen, and I urge him to do so immediately, by expanding the Department's lethal means safety training requirement to all staff who regularly interact with veterans in their work. This step would build on the meaningful actions the Secretary has already taken and other steps announced by the President last month.
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