US army veterans can now avail free 'suicide help'

Military veterans in the United States can now avail of free treatment when stuck in an “acute suicidal crisis”. Free treatment, including inpatient care of up to 30 days, and outpatient care of up to 90 days will now be available to them.

The mental health care plan was announced by the Department of Veterans. Announcing the move on Friday, Secretary for Veterans Affairs (VA) Denis McDonough in a statement that is available on the VA website said, “Veterans in suicidal crisis can now receive the free, world-class emergency health care they deserve–no matter where they need it, when they need it, or whether they’re enrolled in VA care.”

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“This expansion of care will save Veterans’ lives, and there’s nothing more important than that,” he added.

As per the release, the care can be availed in both VA and non-VA healthcare facilities, and even those veterans that are not enrolled in the VA system can avail of the benefit.

Veterans who were discharged from the military after a minimum of two years of service are eligible for this care facility. However, those who were dishonourably discharged are not eligible.

Additionally, “former members of the armed forces, including reserve service members, who served more than 100 days under a combat exclusion or in support of a contingency operation either directly or by operating an unmanned aerial vehicle from another location who was discharged under conditions other than dishonourable,”can also avail the suicide care.

The policy will also apply to veterans who suffered “a physical assault of a sexual nature, a battery of a sexual nature, or sexual harassment while serving in the armed forces”.

According to the release statement, the policy will pay directly or reimburse treatment costs of eligible veterans.

The move is reportedly a key part of the Joe Biden- Kamala Harris administration plan for reducing military and veteran suicides.

Every year, hundreds of veterans haunted by their time in the army, suffering from mental health issues like PTSD, take their own lives. Suicide, as per a VA report, is the 13th leading cause of death among former army personnel. As per the report, in 2020, 6,146 US veterans died by suicide. Another report, this one by the US Defence Department, shows that in 2021, 519 US service members, including active duty, Reserve, and National Guard troops, died by suicide.

(With inputs from agencies)

If you or someone you know wants help for mental well-being, don't hesitate to talk to a professional. Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, 98204 66726, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata), Parivarthan (Bangalore) +91 76766 02602

WION is not associated with any of these organisations and does not make any recommendations.

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