Why is the suicide rate so high in veterans? Let’s start with the facts. There are over 105 suicides a day in our nation, of that 105, over 20 of them are our nations veterans. 6 veterans of the 20 currently use the Veterans Health Affair (VA) for assistance. That leaves 14 of the veterans not under VA assistance. There should be free mental health care for all our veterans. By allowing free mental health care outside of the VA program, this will allow our veterans to seek the help they need. The VA is currently understaffed from custodians to medical personnel.
The VA is understaffed across the nation. There is a need for over 50,000 staff members. They are also in need of more hospitals and clinics. When a veteran seeks help from the VA, they are gambling that there will be a spot open at the beginning of the month. If there is not, they are not receiving the treatment that is needed. Many having to travel, at times, up to 5 hours or more to the nearest VA hospital or clinic to receive help. Some VA’s only have psychologists that work a few times a week or even a month. This is due to whatever funding they receive they must make is stretch the entire year. There is no consistent help for our veterans. It is hit or miss for them.
This issue can, and in most cases do, cause substance abuse in our veterans. Most abuse is prescribed by their own doctors to help with whatever pain they are experiencing. When the medication is not helping, most begin to mix alcohol to numb the pain. Most veterans are hesitant to use the VA for substance abuse due to the wait times. Most feel they would receive better care from the private sector. One of the issues with this is the cost of out of network care. Tricare is the #1 medical provider for our service men, women, and veterans. On their site they break down the cost of seeing in and out of network mental health costs. The issue with this is that some, if not most, of our veterans can not afford a healthcare plan. That is why there is a need for free mental health care.
However, there is the argument of “Where will the funding come from?”. Steven Cohen created CVN, Cohen Veterans Network. This is a network that he funded with his own money in the amount of $285 million so that veterans post 9/11 can receive free mental health care. With this network he opened many clinics across our nation. His funding is a great start, but what about our veterans that are pre-9/11? What about mental health care for them? Where would the money come from then? According to public law #113-146, put into effect August 7, 2014, there is funding under the Veterans Choice and Accountability Act, also known as the Choice Money. The act was funded $16 billion. Of that $16 billion, $10 billion is for any veteran to receive mental health care outside of the VA system. $2.5 billion was sent for staffing for the VA, which as of now, there is no difference with staffing. So where is this funding at? According to reports from npr.org, the funding is tied up in Washington bureaucracy. The funding was given; however, it is not accessible now when it is needed the most.
Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we begin giving free mental health care for our nations veterans. There is funding available that needs to be released to fund all those that need help immediately. We need to build more VA hospitals and add more staffing for our veterans to receive their care. Once we have the availability, there will be less daily suicides and substance abuse in our veterans. We will be able to help them and transfer back into everyday life.
Written by:
Angela Gurzi
