Dear Mr. Johnson:
Thank you for contacting me to express your concern about the suicide rate among Veterans and active duty military personnel. I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.
First, I want to express my appreciation for the members of the Armed Forces who have answered the call to duty and selflessly sacrificed for our country. Like you, I am deeply concerned by the high rate of suicide among active duty and veteran military personnel. In a May 2007 report, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of the Inspector General estimated that approximately 1,000 Veterans receiving care through the VA, and 5,000 Veterans total, commit suicide annually. Additionally, the U.S. Army recently reported that more soldiers committed suicide in 2008 than any other year since the 1980s.
The high incidence of mental health issues, including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries, makes service members and Veterans particularly vulnerable to suicide. It is vitally important that active duty service members and Veterans are provided adequate mental health care and assessments to address some of these issues. Additionally, for fiscal year 2009, Congress appropriated $3.8 billion for specialty mental health services for Veterans, an increase of nearly $1 billion over funding for fiscal year 2008.
Please know that my heart goes out to all active duty service members and Veterans who must cope with mental health challenges every day, and I am a strong advocate of additional mental health research and funding. Please be assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind as the Senate considers legislation to improve mental health services, including efforts to prevent suicide, for those men and women currently serving and for our Veterans.
Once again, thank you for writing. If you have any additional questions or comments, please contact my office in Washington, D.C. at (202) 224-3841. Best regards.
Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
