Press Releases

Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.), released the following statement after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released its 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, revealing a slight increase in veteran suicide from 2020 to 2021 during the COVID pandemic.

“Too many of our veterans are still suffering in silence and VA’s 2023 annual suicide prevention report, covering information from 2001 to 2021, reveals that our fight to end veteran suicide continues. While Congress has made an incredible investment in VA’s suicide prevention efforts over the past decade – from no-cost mental health care access, to forging partnerships between VA and community-based organizations where veterans and their families live – this increase is still troubling,” said Chairman Bost. “As a veteran myself, along with my fellow veterans on our Committee, I know that it is a top priority of ours to continue breaking down the stigma that surrounds mental health, and expand access to assistance that works for every single veteran. We need our veteran community to know that help is out there, and under my leadership we will continue to explore new methods and initiatives to end this crisis and make a difference in the sad statistics we continue to see year after year. Whether you’re dealing with financial hardship, substance abuse, PTSD, or anything else, the resources are there to get back on track and there is absolutely no shame in asking for a helping hand to get there.”