Press Releases

Yesterday, Congressman Mike Lawler (R-NY-17) joined Congressman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-02), Congressman Derek Kilmer (D-WA-06), and several colleagues from both parties in reintroducing the Veteran Suicide Prevention Act, legislation designed to increase the available data on the root causes and risk factors for instances of veteran suicides. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to compile a publicly available review of suicides by veterans in the last five years. 

Suicide rates among veterans are, on average, 1.5 times higher than those who have not served in the military. According to the VA’s 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention, at least 65,000 veterans died by suicide between 2011 and 2020. 

In September 2022, America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP), a VSO dedicated to bringing light to the epidemic of veteran suicide, published a report indicating that veterans are taking their lives at a rate approximately 2.4 times greater than previously reported by the VA. AWP contributes its findings largely to the classification of Self-Injury Mortality (SIM) veteran deaths as accidents or undetermined. Over 80% of SIIMs are coded as overdose deaths, which presents the concern that the VA may not be sufficiently representing the level of deaths by suicide due to opioid overdose. These numbers are particularly concerning after VA announced that reported Veteran suicides decreased in 2020, going in the opposite direction of national trends during the pandemic.

"One life lost to suicide is too many. As someone who has lost close friends and relatives to suicide, I know the heartbreak far too well. And so do the families of at least 65,000 veterans lost to suicide between 2011 and 2020. With the veteran suicide rate on average 1.5 times higher than the rate among those who have not served, we must tackle this crisis with the highest urgency. Our men and women in uniform have had our backs on the front lines of freedom and it is incumbent on us to have theirs on the home front. Saving our veterans from suicide is paramount. That’s why I’m proud to join my fellow New Yorker Andrew Garbarino on the Veteran Suicide Prevention Act. This much-needed legislation will help save the lives of our returning heroes - and that’s something we should all support," said Representative Lawler.

"It's unthinkable that so many American heroes are losing their lives to suicide after surviving the horrors of war," said Representative Garbarino. "We must take action to safeguard our veterans' mental health and that starts by shining a light on the circumstances surrounding instances of veteran suicide so that we can make a meaningful impact in reducing veteran deaths. The Veteran Suicide Prevention Act aims to give us the data and tools necessary to support our veterans and ensure they receive the best possible care when they return home."

"As we mark Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, we must face the alarming reality that our veterans are disproportionately affected by this tragedy,” said Representative Kilmer. “The numbers are more than statistics – they represent brave men and women who courageously served our country. The Veteran Suicide Prevention Act is an essential step towards understanding and addressing the issue of veteran suicide, ensuring our nation’s heroes get the care and support they earned and deserve."

Additional original cosponsors of the Veteran Suicide Prevention Act include Representatives Jim Himes (D-CT-04), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07), Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY-04), and Joe Morelle (D-NY-25). 

"The men and women who serve this country deserve our ongoing support after they leave military service. This legislation is an important step towards understanding and addressing the tragically high suicide rates among veterans by figuring out how best to help them readjust to life after service. I am proud to join Congressmen Garbarino and Kilmer in ensuring that all servicemembers receive the physical and emotional support they need long after they return home," said Representative Himes.

"Those who have borne the battle deserve our strongest possible support. Amid an ongoing epidemic of Veteran suicide — both in Virginia and across the country, we need to make sure that the VA has a full grasp of the problem at hand," said Representative Spanberger. "By requiring the VA to review suicides by Veterans in the last five years, the bipartisan Veteran Suicide Prevention Act would give the American people more information about the mental health crisis facing America’s heroes."

"The rate at which veterans commit suicide in this country is at crisis levels, and it is absolutely vital that the federal government uses every tool at its disposal to stop this alarming trend and save lives," said Representative D’Esposito. "I am proud to co-sponsor Congressman Garbarino’s Veteran Suicide Prevention Act, and I will continue working collaboratively with colleagues in a bipartisanship fashion to save the lives of American heroes who have already sacrificed so much for this great nation."

"The epidemic of veteran suicide is at an all-time high. This crisis demands an immediate response that ensures those men and women who have bravely served our country have the resources they deserve," said Representative Morelle. "I’m proud to support this meaningful legislation and give those who serve a fighting chance at resilience and recovery, and I’m grateful to my colleagues for joining me in this bipartisan effort. If you know someone struggling, do those Buddy Checks, and contact the Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988."

Under the Veteran Suicide Prevention Act, the VA review would include:

· The total number of veterans who died by suicide during the five-year period;

· a summary that includes age, gender, and race;

· a list of the medications prescribed to, and found in the systems of, such veterans at the time of their deaths, and a summary of medical diagnoses by VA physicians that led to the prescribing of such medications;

· the number of instances in which the veteran was concurrently on multiple medications prescribed by VA physicians;

· the percentage of veterans who were not taking any medication prescribed by a VA physician;

· the percentage of veterans with combat experience or trauma;

· Veterans Health Administration facilities with markedly high prescription and patient suicide rates;

· a description of VA policies governing the prescribing of medications; and

· recommendations to improve the safety and well-being of veterans.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

New York's 17th Congressional District is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties.