VA Secretary Collins Is Wrong About Veteran Suicide Prevention Funding

VHPI Senior Policy Analyst Russell Lemle recently published a piece in the American Prospect about VA Secretary Doug Collins’ misguided assertion that the department spends too much money on its suicide prevention operations and gets too little in return. Lemle writes: 

“On its face, this seems like a compelling account. For instance, the recent National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report shows that the overall veteran suicide rate is entrenched at roughly double that of the general population, and is edging upward, not down. But Collins is dangerously wrong. 

A close examination of where that $588 million is allocated, along with the report’s data, reveals the opposite story: the VA’s programs need more funding, not less. These initiatives are keeping the veterans’ suicide rate much lower than it otherwise would be.”

Read his important analysis here.