FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 1, 2020
CONTACT: press@IAVA.org

New York, NY – Today Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America published a response to the President’s plan to end veteran suicides, the PREVENTS Task Force Roadmap. IAVA applauds the plan as necessary and ambitious, but calls for adjustments and active oversight to reach its ultimate goal of saving lives. 

“In my five years at IAVA I have seen time and time again well-intentioned legislators fall short in fully addressing the military and veteran suicide crisis, said Jeremy Butler, CEO of IAVA. “I believe the PREVENTS Roadmap is different. It is an ambitious plan that creates funding for many programs and important research for evidence-based solutions. Like any ambitious plan, there are areas that need to be addressed. The administration should work closely with Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) to strengthen the recommendations and create solid metrics to publicly track progress for continued funding.”

Veteran suicide continues to rise and has been the top concern of IAVA membership for ten years straight. To address the challenge, the Roadmap allocates funding for much-needed research to better understand veteran suicide and proposes ways to destigmatize mental health needs in the veteran community. 

“This program is a step in the right direction,” added Tom Porter, EVP of Government Affairs at IAVA. “Additional suicide prevention programs for people that regularly interact with veterans and programs for educating veterans and their families are critical to success. Congress can continue this momentum by passing the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act by Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-MT) to ensure more veterans have access to mental health treatment.”

In addition to recommending coordination with VSOs and much-needed complementary legislation, IAVA identified flaws with the current plan, such as lack of clear milestones and targeted efforts to support particularly vulnerable groups. “Ending the veteran suicide crisis has always been one of IAVA’s top priorities and, overall, ths plan goes a long way in supporting our service men and women,” added Hannah Sinoway, EVP of Organization Strategy & Engagement at IAVA. “We applaud the creation of a federal funding program for local-level grants because veterans across our country have different needs, but we also recommend focusing efforts on groups that are at elevated risk of suicide, including women and LGBTQ+ veterans. IAVA is singularly positioned to help the administration do just that.”

Founded by an Iraq veteran in 2004, IAVA is the non-partisan leader in advocacy,public awareness and 1-on-1 care management and peer support. We organize locally, drive historic impacts nationally and fight for over 400,000 veterans and their allies nationwide. If a veteran or their family is in need of assistance now, please reach out to IAVA’s Quick Reaction Force at quickreactionforce.org or 1-855-91RAPID (855-917-2743) to be connected promptly with a veteran care manager who will assist you.

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