Garbarino Urges VA Data Transparency To Help Address Crisis Of Veteran Suicide
WASHINGTON, D.C. - This week, Congressman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY-02) sent a bipartisan letter to United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough urging the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to address discrepancies between state, local, and federal veteran suicide data and enagage in data transparency with research-based organizations like the America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP) in order to better shed light on the crisis of veteran suicide in America. Joining Rep. Garbarino in signing the letter were Representatives Aumua Amata Radewagen(R-American Samoa-At large), Josh Gottheimer (D-NY-05), Max Miller (R-OH-07), Mark Amodei (R-NV-02), and Tom Kean, Jr. (R-NJ-07).
The Members wrote in part,"We agree that a community-wide effort is necessary to fully understand the various factors that may contribute to veteran suicide, especially as discrepancies between state and federal data paint a different picture of the scope of veteran suicide. This past September, America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP) published its interim report on Operative Deep Dive, a project meant to combine local, state, and federal data to gain a comprehensive view of the crisis of veteran suicide. Strikingly, the report from Operation Deep Dive found that former service members take their life at a 2.4 times greater rate than previously reported by the VA. These reports make clear that there are discrepancies between state, local, and federal veteran suicide data that must be addressed."
"While data security and privacy of our veterans is paramount, organizations like AWP regularly work with other federal and state agencies and worked through these same concerns to form meaningful partnerships," the Members continued. "We strongly encourage the VA to end the unnecessary wait and commit to working with those organizations like AWP that are committed to the same goal: ending veteran suicide."
"Congress has been very clear: there is an undeniable benefit to our nation’s veterans when the VA shares data and collaborates. It is the law, and clearly defined in statute, regulation, and the VA’s own directives," said Jim Lorraine, President & CEO, America’s Warrior Partnership. "The VA needs to be more open and transparent – including sharing important data. Together, we can do better. This is especially true when the data is related to veteran suicide, which is what America’s Warrior Partnership’s study, Operation Deep Dive TM, is researching. We are grateful for Congressman Garbarino and others on this letter for highlighting the importance of this issue. We all need to work together to tackle the ongoing epidemic of veteran’s taking their own lives, and we look forward to working closely with the VA."
The full letter the the VA can be found here and below.
Dear Secretary McDonough:
As we begin this Congress, it remains critically important to focus our attention on those who bravely served our country. Suicide rates among veterans are, on average, 1.5 times higher than those who have not served in the military. We commend the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for its efforts to address the crisis of veteran suicide, including the recent announcement that the VA will now provide emergency mental health care to eligible veterans free of charge.
The VA’s 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report represents a step in the right direction with the addition of information regarding suicide among veteran subpopulations as defined by engagement with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). While commenting on the 2022 report, you stated:
“This year’s report shows real progress, but there is still so much work to be done. One Veteran suicide is one too many, and VA will continue to work with our federal, state, local and private partners to tackle this problem and save Veterans’ lives”
We agree that a community-wide effort is necessary to fully understand the various factors that may contribute to veteran suicide, especially as discrepancies between state and federal data paint a different picture of the scope of veteran suicide. This past September, America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP) published its interim report on Operative Deep Dive, a project meant to combine local, state, and federal data to gain a comprehensive view of the crisis of veteran suicide. Strikingly, the report from Operation Deep Dive found that former service members take their life at a 2.4 times greater rate than previously reported by the VA.
These reports make clear that there are discrepancies between state, local, and federal veteran suicide data that must be addressed. Although there have been numerous attempts by organizations like AWP to obtain such data, the VA has yet to provide such data under their Title 38 obligation as well as their VHA directive to share such information with our community partners for these purposes. Access to these crucial datasets will help understand the veteran’s journey from separation to the healthcare services they have earned. While data security and privacy of our veterans is paramount, organizations like AWP regularly work with other federal and state agencies and worked through these same concerns to form meaningful partnerships. We strongly encourage the VA to end the unnecessary wait and commit to working with those organizations like AWP that are committed to the same goal: ending veteran suicide.
We are confident VHA will affirm its commitment to data transparency and honor its obligation to work with research-based organizations to continue to shed light on the crisis of veteran suicide in America. Thank you for taking the time to look into this issue, and we look forward to working your team to combat the veteran suicide crisis throughout the 118th Congress.
Sincerely,