VETERANS AFFAIRS REPORT ON SUICIDE DATA

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT
VA Issues New Report on Suicide Data
From a Department of Veterans Affairs News Release

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2013 - The Veterans Affairs Department today released a comprehensive report on veterans who die by suicide.

In the past, data on veterans who died by suicide was only available for those who had sought VA health care services. Today's report also includes state data for veterans who had not received health care services from VA. Department officials say the additional information will help VA strengthen its aggressive suicide prevention activities.

The report indicates that the percentage of veterans who die by suicide has fallen slightly since 1999, while the estimated total number of veterans who have died by suicide has increased.

"The mental health and well-being of our courageous men and women who have served the nation is the highest priority for VA, and even one suicide is one too many," Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki said. "We have more work to do and we will use this data to continue to strengthen our suicide prevention efforts and ensure all veterans receive the care they have earned and deserve."

According to VA officials, the department has hired and trained additional staff to increase the capacity of the Veterans Crisis Line by 50 percent, in accordance with President Barack Obama's Aug. 31, 2012, executive order. The Veteran Crisis Line has made approximately 26,000 rescues of actively suicidal veterans to date, according to officials.

VA also has initiated a yearlong public awareness campaign, "Stand By Them," to educate families and friends on how to seek help for veterans and service members in crisis. Additionally, VA has launched a national public service announcement, "Side by Side."

VA officials said the department has an aggressive hiring campaign to expand access to mental health services with 1,600 new clinical staff and 300 new administrative staff. VA also is hiring and training 800 peer-to-peer specialists who will work as members of mental health teams, officials said.

The report issued today is the most comprehensive study of veteran suicide rates ever undertaken by the department, officials noted. On June 16, 2010, Shinseki engaged the governors of all 50 states, asking their support in collecting suicide statistics.

Now, with assistance from state partners providing real-time data, VA can better identify where veterans at risk may be located, and can improve the department's ability to target outreach activities to reach veterans early and proactively, officials said.

The data will also help VA monitor the effectiveness of suicide prevention programs in specific geographic locations or care settings, officials said, so the department can replicate them in other areas if they have been effective.

VA officials said the department has implemented comprehensive suicide prevention initiatives, including a toll-free Veterans Crisis Line, placement of suicide prevention coordinators at all VA medical centers and large outpatient facilities, and improvements in case management and reporting.

Immediate help is available atwww.VeteransCrisisLine.net or by calling the Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 (push 1) or texting 838255.

The full report can be found on VA's website along with a summary response from VA undersecretary for health, Dr. Robert A. Petzel.

POST 9-11 GI BILL ANNIVERSARY

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Post-9/11 GI Bill Celebrates Start of Fourth Year

From a Department of Veterans Affairs News Release
WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2012 - August marks the third anniversary of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and since it was implemented, the Department of Veterans Affairs has provided educational benefits to 773,000 veterans and their family members, according to a Department of Veterans Affairs news release.


"This is one of the most important programs helping our Iraq and Afghanistan veterans reach their educational goals," Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said. "We're proud this important benefit is making such a big difference in the lives of so many veterans."


The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays tuition and fees on behalf of veterans or eligible dependents to the school in which they are enrolled. Eligible participants also receive a monthly housing allowance and up to $1,000 annually for books and supplies. The program also allows eligible service members to transfer their benefits to their spouses and children.


The program provides a wide range of educational options, including undergraduate and graduate degrees, vocational/technical training, on-the-job training, flight training, correspondence training, licensing and national testing programs, entrepreneurship training, and tutorial assistance.
"For over 68 years, GI Bill programs have shaped and changed the lives of service members, veterans, their families and survivors by helping them reach their educational goals," said Allison A. Hickey, Veterans Affairs Undersecretary for Benefits. "Benefits provided under the Post-9/11 GI Bill will continue to shape and change the lives of veterans by helping them build a stronger foundation for their careers."


The Post-9/11 GI Bill is the most extensive educational assistance program since the original GI Bill was signed into law in 1944. VA has since paid more than $20 billion in benefits to veterans and their family members.


For the 2012-2013 academic year, 1,770 colleges and universities are supplementing Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits by participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Under the Yellow Ribbon Program, degree-granting institutions make additional funds available for a veteran's educational program without an additional charge to their GI Bill entitlement. To make up the difference for those students whose tuition and fees exceed what the Post-9/11 GI Bill covers, institutions can voluntarily enter into a Yellow Ribbon Agreement with VA to designate an additional amount of funding, and VA will match that amount.


VA is seeking legal authority to trademark the term GI Bill. President Barack Obama signed an executive order on April 26, 2012, directing VA and the Department of Defense to undertake a number of measures to "stop deceptive and misleading" promotional efforts that target the GI Bill educational benefits of service members, veterans, and eligible family members and survivors.
In June, the attorneys general of several states gave VA the rights to the GIBill.com website after the original owners agreed to give up the internet site to settle a lawsuit by the states.

VA WORKS TO CURB HOMELESSNESS AMONG VETERANS

The following excerpt is from the Department of Veterans Affairs website:
Using Technology to Help Homeless Veterans
March 19, 2012 by W. Scott Gould
More than 67,000 Veterans spent one night homeless, living in emergency shelters, transitional housing units or on the streets in 2011, according to last year’s “point in time” count conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in coordination with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
It’s not always easy for volunteers and outreach workers to know where to send them to get help. That’s why the VA is excited to launch a competition to provide easy access to resources that the homeless need, when they need them, and where they can get them.

Project REACH (Real-Time Electronic Access for Caregivers and the Homeless) challenges applicants to make a free, easy-to-use, and broadly accessible web- and Smartphone app to provide current and up-to-date information about housing and shelter, health clinics, food banks, and other services available to the homeless. It is designed to tap the enormous talent and deep compassion of the nation’s developer community to help us deliver vital information to the people who care for the homeless.

People caring for homeless Veterans will be able to use this app to look up the location and availability of shelters, free clinics, and other social services – and instantaneously be able to share this critical information with those in need.

This contest is sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Joining Forces in support of the Administration’s goal of ending veteran homelessness by 2015.