“We will not rest until all of America’s great veterans receive the care they’ve earned through their incredible service and sacrifice to our country,” President Trump remarked as he signed the order.
President Trump signed an Executive Order on January 9 to broaden the access to mental healthcare to veterans recently ending their military service.
The Executive Order on Supporting Our Veterans During Their Transition From Uniformed Service to Civilian Life was signed by the President as the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, as well as the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Defense looked on. The Acting National Director of Suicide Prevention and veterans working with the VA were also in attendance.
The order focuses specifically on the one-year period after a veteran leaves the military. It is during the initial transition period that veterans are most at-risk for mental illness and emergency situations.
“We must ensure that our veterans are given the care and support they so richly deserve. That is our unwavering commitment to those who served under the flag of the United States,” President Trump said.
Taking action
The Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security will be working together to bring additional resources to the veteran community. The order requires these organizations to develop “a Joint Action Plan that describes concrete actions to provide, to the extent consistent with law, seamless access to mental health treatment and suicide prevention resources for transitioning uniformed service members in the year following discharge, separation, or retirement.” The plan will be submitted to the President within 60 days of the order.
Additional updates will be provided to the President on the implementation of the plan approximately 120 days later, or 180 days after the order was signed. This will be an opportunity to review how effective the new measures have been.
“We will not rest until all of America’s great veterans receive the care they’ve earned through their incredible service and sacrifice to our country,” President Trump remarked as he signed the order.
Veterans at risk
Veterans are twice as likely to take their own life in the first year after their transition from the military to civilian life than at any other time.
Suicide remains one of the most significant, and preventable, threats to both the military force and veterans. The time when veterans are at highest risk is the first year after separation from military service.
Veterans are twice as likely to take their own life in the first year after their transition from the military to civilian life than at any other time.
Assistant Professor Andrew Anglemyer at the Naval Postgraduate School believes that suicide in the military is an epidemic. He researched violent suicide in active duty enlisted service members, building on other research conducted at NPS.
Many factors contribute to this epidemic. Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other conditions related to their experiences in the military make veterans particularly vulnerable to mental health emergencies.
Many veterans seeking new employment are often without access to consistent healthcare as they transition from military to civilian life. This important period is what the President’s Executive Order aims to improve.
President signs executive order to improve mental health resources for Veterans transitioning from active duty to civilian life https://t.co/5NmxJJlNMB via #VAntagePoint
— Veterans Affairs (@DeptVetAffairs) January 9, 2018
Other significant life events, such as the death of a family member or friend, can also trigger unresolved feelings and issues related to military service, even after separation from the military. Financial hardship, unemployment, physical injury, and an unfamiliar workplace culture can all contribute to feelings of helplessness and despair.
The White House reports that “only 50 percent of returning service members who need mental health treatment seek it, and only about half of those who receive treatment receive adequate care.”
“Twenty veterans a day are taking their life through suicide—something that’s just totally unacceptable,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Sulkin commented after the order was signed. “We’re taking an unprecedented action today in that we will be covering all separating military members who are transitioning into civilian life—100 percent of them—with the mental health benefit for 12 months.”
The Defense Suicide Prevention Office, created in 2011 as a result of the Secretary of Defense’s Defense Health Board Task Force recommendations, brings suicide prevention resources to all branches of the military, their families, and veterans.
Improvements at Veterans Affairs
“Twenty veterans a day are taking their life through suicide—something that’s just totally unacceptable,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Sulkin commented after the order was signed. “We’re taking an unprecedented action today in that we will be covering all separating military members who are transitioning into civilian life—100 percent of them—with the mental health benefit for 12 months.”
Other new programs adopted by the VA with the President’s support include using more technology to make accessing care easier. The “Anywhere to Anywhere” initiative will be expanded, allowing veterans to receive treatment from any location. Mobile phones and online tools will also be used to connect veterans with healthcare providers and provide updates to those seeking care.
$2.1 billion in additional funding was also given to the Veterans Choice Program in August 2017 as part of the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017. The aim of the program is to ensure available care to those who are unable to use a designated VA facility. They are able to choose their private care if “they live more than 40 miles from the closest VA facility, experience wait times over 30 days from the clinically indicated date, or face an excessive burden in accessing VA care.”
Additionally, the VA will now use the same Electronic Health Record system that the Department of Defense currently utilizes. This will ensure continuity of care as a veteran leaves military service. This improvement will help healthcare providers access patient information without the time lag as files are transferred.
Urgent mental healthcare will now be available to those separating from military service with other-than-honorable discharges. This expansion will bring critical care in emergency situations to those in need.
With this Executive Order, new attention has been brought to the issue of veteran suicide and mental health. The additional resources and call to action will bring new improvements to existing programs and, ultimately, result in better care for America’s veterans.
