This week is National Suicide Prevention Week.
In 2020, suicide was the second leading cause of death for veterans under the age of 45, and in Iowa, the veteran suicide rate is four times higher than the national average. Suicide continues to be a crisis facing our veterans.
The problem: As someone who has served nearly two decades in the United States Air Force, it’s devastating to see so many of my brothers and sisters in uniform fall through the cracks. We have a lot of programs that are supposed to help veterans, but our system continues to fail too many of them. We need a deeper look to understand why to ensure no veteran is just another statistic!
The solution: I’m working with both sides of the aisle to pass the Not Just A Number Act, which would require VA to improve VA benefits to help prevent suicide. Under this bill, the VA would analyze which VA benefits have the greatest impact on preventing suicide and develop a plan to maximize these benefits.
This is just one part of the solution. I’ve also introduced legislation aimed at helping departing servicemembers identify any issues early on. This bill creates a program to counsel servicemembers about mental health and the challenges that they might face during transition to civilian life. Learn more about the Daniel J. Harvey and Adam Lambert Improving Servicemember Transition to Reduce Veteran Suicide Act.
Bottom line: we have to do more to ensure our veterans don’t become just another statistic. Want to hear more about my efforts to support veterans? Sign up for our breaking news alerts here.