VCC Summer-Fall 2021

V irginia C apitol C onnections , S ummer /F all 2021 12 Sadly, there is no more critical issue facing our veterans here in the Commonwealth and across the Nation than the continued epidemic of veteran suicide. On average, approximately 17 American military veterans take their own lives each day. In fact, the suicide rate among veterans is 1.5 times higher than the rate for the general or non-veteran population. As members of the Board of Veterans Services (BVS), our goal is to ensure that our Virginia Department of Veterans Services (VDVS) works in collaboration with state, federal, local, and community partners to address this challenge on multiple fronts. In 2018, the most recent year for which data is available, there were 177 veteran suicides in Virginia. The majority of these suicides were male veterans. As with any suicide, each was a tragedy affecting spouses, children, parents, other family members, and friends of those who died. Each suicide left these survivors to ask themselves if there were signs they should have seen and what could they have done to prevent this? It is estimated, that for every suicide, up to 135 people may be impacted by the tragic death. As a State Senator and a retired Air Force officer, we have both been touched by veteran suicides on a professional and on a personal level. Three of Senator Locke’s brothers served in Vietnam and suffered greatly from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) when they returned. It was only with the understanding and help of their family members, who recognized their symptoms and helped them cope, that these three did not succumb to alcohol or drug abuse or suicide themselves. While Director of Human Capital (J1) for the Virginia National Guard, Colonel Bess was concerned about the mental effects of multiple tours of combat on these men and women and how as Guard members, they returned home directly to their families and their communities. This is different from their active duty counterparts who returned home to military bases and the companionship of compatriots who had faced similar situations and could understand the effects on one’s mental health. A statistic that concerns us is that so few Veterans—less than 30%—who may be suffering from behavioral health concerns contact the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for care. Community-based agencies and helpers have a huge role to play in suicide prevention for our Veterans. Here in Virginia, VDVS’s Virginia Veteran and Family Support (VVFS) program has been at the forefront in working to prevent veteran suicides. Virginia was one of the first seven states to sign up to participate in the Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicides Among Military Service Members, Veterans and Their Families—a partnership with the VA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. From February thru August 2021, 19 agencies participated Virginia’s Identify, Screen, and Refer (VISR) Pilot Program. In addition to VDVS, VISR Pilot partners included hospitals, state and local social service boards, the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic and others. More than 2,300 service members, veterans and their family members from throughout the Commonwealth were screened. In just six months, 700 Service Members, Veterans, and Family members—30% those screened—were identified as being at risk for suicide. The VISR Pilot program revealed that to enhance services the staff members at these various community agencies should be trained in military culture. Too often, community staff members do not inquire if a client is military-connected and the impact of their military service on their service/support needs. This is whyVVFS has and is continuing to provide free military culture training. The VVFS program concentrates on helping veterans connect to behavioral health and supportive services (from federal, state, and local/community resources) to prevent suicide risk every day. For instance, VVFS Veteran Peer Specialists (VPS) are veterans who can understand and relate to the issues veterans confront when returning to civilian life. AllVVFS staff including Resource Specialists,Veteran Justice Specialists, and VPS are trained to screen for suicide risk. Because many of these veterans may not seek assistance on their own, it is critical that agencies and programs reach out to military- connected family members as well. Nothing is more important than enlisting the aid of family members and friends to be aware of behavioral health concerns so they can support the Service Member or Veteran’s efforts to stay safe. In addition to VVFS staff, other VDVS staff members who interact with veterans on a regular basis such as Veteran Service Representatives in Benefits offices and staff members who assist transitioning service members and veterans to find civilian employment are also being taught to be aware of veterans who need help and to conduct suicide risk screening. Virginia has one of the largest percentages of veterans per population of any state—over 700,000. It is up to all of us to work to prevent this epidemic of veteran suicide. We are making progress but there is much more to be done. To learn more about a comprehensive public health approach to suicide prevention among Military Service Members, Veterans, and their Families (SMVF), please visit https:// www.mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide_prevention/. Senator Mamie E. Locke and Colonel Carl F. Bess, Jr. (USAF, Ret.) serve on the Virginia Board of Veterans Services. Senator Locke of Hampton represents District 2 in the Senate of Virginia. She is a former Mayor of Hampton and is a professor of political science at Hampton University. Col. Bess of Norfolk served more than 30 years as an active duty Airman, Guardsman and civilian including command assignments stateside and overseas. He is currently a program manager for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. How Virginia Is Working To Prevent Suicides Among Military Veterans By MAMIE E. LOCKE AND COLONEL CARL BESS chipdicks @ gentrylocke.com 804.225.5507 gentrylocke.com/chip CHIP DICKS Legislative Counsel BESS LOCKE V