As a veteran and mental health advocate, I have witnessed service members struggle with mental health challenges in the field, in transition, and after discharge. Continuous work must be done to avoid adverse outcomes, including suicides. Programs in local communities and understanding the culture of various communities are critical components to working together as we seek to decrease suicide rates.

We need to continue sending messages to veterans and families that we are all in this together. One veteran loss is one too many. That one veteran loss can have a significant impact on families and communities. Washington is the central place for securing funding, yet proper oversight of that funding is lacking. Additionally, a gap remains between Washington and local communities (especially rural ones) that need guidance with conquering mental health challenges among their veterans.

After the distribution of funding from Capitol Hill, difficulties arise with following the funding. Does it get to the right places and people? Is it ultimately used for the purposes it was allocated? We should be capturing accurate data and announcing this more broadly and making more readily available to access. Across the board at regular intervals. In addition to keeping taxpayers informed, the organizations using the funding could learn from one another and modify their programs for greater success.

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Sugarcoating data needs to be a thing of the past. Data cannot be manipulated to show us that positive outcomes are always occurring when the suicide rate among veterans remains high. The suicide rate has remained steady at 17 per day for several years despite strong discussion among federal and state leaders, veteran service organizations (VSOs), new programs and services, and increased funding. The only way changes can be made for our government and our leaders to produce transparent, accurate data.

The recent VA 2021 budget release showed a $682 million increase in mental health at VA. This would appropriate funding to maintaining the crisis line, hiring mental health providers, running the President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicides (PREVENTS), and leveraging partnerships.

Fifty million would go toward implementing the VA task force findings, and another $3 million toward its administrative functions. We hope veterans themselves are involved when it comes to appropriation of funds and decision-making, specifically those who have experienced suicide somewhere in their military careers.

There is nothing more valuable than having board members or decision-makers with intimate experience in critical positions to implement programs and services that carry meaning. Otherwise, funding will not make a significant difference. Instead, it will be another band-aid on a wound that has yet to heal after a long period.

VSO are large, and often represented at functions as one voice with a membership base of millions. VSOs serve essential functions, but there are huge numbers of veterans who are not members of VSOs but who also deserve representation. In this case, all of us need to step up and create mental health initiatives that serve all veterans in communities across the nation. Service members, veterans, their families, and their caregivers know best what will and will not be effective in their local community cultures.

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VA Community Care and the related budget has increased every year since its inception. Are community hospitals and clinics prepared to serve veterans when they have a shortage of providers, especially in rural communities? Rural communities can also have difficulties recruiting and retaining effective providers. Continuity of care is essential, and high turnover rates are another primary concern.

Telehealth and telemedicine have become the modern method of providing care to patients in areas struggling with these issues. How much of the VA budget will be devoted to expanding telehealth programs and ensuring that mental health care is a component of said programs?

We also cannot forget about the shortage of nationwide providers. Attending medical school is expensive, and the amount of time to become a physician is lengthy. Burnout is something we should never neglect in the medical profession. Indeed understanding communities requires time, collaboration, and listening as opposed to just money and generic directives.

And although we have more communities across the nation than people they can report to regarding veteran programs and services, we need to find a mechanism to create a more effective reporting structure. That may entail creating a centralized portal through VA and DoD, with vetted communities and points of contact who can provide useful information as we seek to decrease the suicide rate.

Or it may be beneficial to have the VA Patient Experience Office take on the reporting role about experiences and outcomes. The VA Patient Experience Office should not just be dedicated to in-house user experiences; they should also help communities address our mental health crisis. They need to rise to the challenge of being one of the bigger houses of best practices.

The overarching question is whether increasing funding, combined with accurate data analysis, can make a dent in the suicide rate for the first time in a decade. Another important question is whether the government can take on the role of being transparent to the public. Transparency could be a strong driver for maintaining trust. Funding alone will not solve our veteran mental health crisis.

Leaders can and should let veterans become more involved in their decision- making processes, and an open-door policy should exist no matter what. A veteran in a rural town, Montana, might have the golden ticket to reducing the suicide rate there. This won’t be fully known unless we encourage collaboration and communication with everyone involved. For those who feel left out and feel like the government will not listen to them, grab a paper and pencil or type a letter to your local member of Congress, the White House, or VA in Washington, D.C. Please make your voice heard because we are all in this together.

Andrew Vernon is a former career employee at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and is a Veteran of the U.S. Army. Vernon is currently the founder and president of Andrew Vernon & Associates, an organization dedicated to supporting veterans and their families. He holds a Master of Health Administration from the Columbia University Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health and a Master of Education from the University of Maine.