Press Releases

Today, Ranking Member Phil Roe, M.D. (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released the 2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Report containing an analysis of veteran suicide data from 2005 to 2017.

"The release of this report today confirms that the rates of suicide among those who have served remains tragically high. Suicide is undoubtedly a public health crisis that every American - including every service member and veteran - should be aware of and concerned with. This crisis is multifaceted but, all too often, a lack of social connection - loneliness - contributes to an individual’s decision to take their own life. If isolation is a factor in dying by suicide, then community is the solution to preventing suicide. The IMPROVE Act is a bipartisan bill in the House that would support local organizations who are assisting veterans at risk of suicide and connecting them with the support they need where they are. Chairman Takano has made suicide prevention our Committee’s highest priority and I call on him, again, to consider the IMPROVE Act without further delay. If you are a veteran who is struggling, please know that you are not alone, and that hope is not lost. If you or a veteran you know needs help, contact the Veteran Crisis Line 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255 and select option 1. Veterans, service members, or their families can also text 838255 or visit veteranscrisisline.net.”

The IMPROVE Well-being for Veterans Act would expand the reach of services aimed at preventing suicide among veterans by providing grants to community entities that provide and coordinate suicide prevention services for them and their families. Click here for more information about the IMPROVE Act. To read the letter that Ranking Member Roe sent to Chairman Takano requesting that the IMPROVE Act be added to the Committee’s legislative agenda, click here.

To read the full 2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report from the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention at VA, click here.