VA Conducts Nation’s Largest Analysis of Veteran Suicide

"The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has undertaken the most comprehensive analysis of Veteran suicide rates in the U.S., examining over 55 million Veteran records from 1979 to 2014 from every state in the nation. The effort extends VA’s knowledge from the previous report issued in 2010, which examined  three million  Veteran records from 20 states were available.  Based on the data from 2010, VA estimated the number of Veteran deaths by suicide averaged 22 per day.  The current analysis indicates that in 2014, an average of 20 Veterans a day died from suicide.

“One Veteran suicide is one too many, and this collaborative effort provides both updated and comprehensive data that allows us to make better informed decisions on how to prevent this national tragedy,” said VA Under Secretary for Health, Dr. David J. Shulkin. “We as a nation must focus on bringing the number of Veteran suicides to zero..."
Veterans suicide

Health Care for Veterans: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

"The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), operates the nation’s largest integrated health care delivery system, provides care to approximately 6.7 million unique veteran patients, and employs more than 311,000 full-time equivalent employees..."
Veteran's health

Review of Alleged Patient Deaths, Patient Wait Times, and Scheduling Practices at the Phoenix VA Health Care System

"On May 28, 2014, we published a preliminary report, Review of Patient Wait Times, Scheduling

Practices, and Alleged Patient Deaths at the Phoenix Health Care System – Interim Report, to ensure all veterans received appropriate care and to provide VA leadership with recommendations for immediate implementation. This report updates the information previously provided in the Interim Report to reflect the final results of our review. We focused this report on the following five questions

and identified serious conditions at the PVAHCS and throughout the Veterans Health Administration (VHA)..."

Veterans, VA

Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors, 2010
"Veterans of the United States armed forces may be eligible for a broad range of programs and services provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). These benefits are legislated in Title 38 of the United States Code. This booklet contains a summary of these benefits effective Jan. 1, 2010. For additional information, visit the VA Web page."

Secretary Shinseki Releases Draft Gulf War Task Force Report
"Today, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced that the Department’s Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses Task Force has completed the final draft of a comprehensive report that will redefine how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) addresses the concerns of Veterans who deployed during the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991.

“Our mission at VA is to be advocates for Veterans,” said Secretary Shinseki. “This report’s action plans provide a roadmap to transform the care and services we deliver to Gulf War Veterans. We must learn from the past and take the opportunity to anticipate the future needs of our Veterans.”

Notification of the draft written report will be published tomorrow in the Federal Register, and the draft written report identifies seven areas where VA will improve services for this group of Veterans.

Among these improvements, VA will reconnect with Veterans from the 1990 – 1991 Gulf War, strengthen the training of clinicians and claims processors, and reenergize its research effort. VA will also proactively strengthen partnerships and medical surveillance to address the potential health impacts on Veterans from the environmental exposures on today's battlefields..."

Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities Operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs
"In 2007, substance abuse treatment facilities operated by the VA were more likely than non-VA facilities to offer specially designed programs for clients with co-occurring psychological and substance abuse problems (60 vs. 39 percent)

VA facilities were more likely than non-VA facilities to offer testing services including HIV testing (92 vs. 29 percent), TB screening (91 vs. 34 percent), hepatitis B or C screening (91 vs. 22 percent), and STD testing (89 vs. 20 percent)

VA facilities were more likely than non-VA facilities to offer mental health services (93 vs. 54 percent) and HIV/AIDS education, counseling, or support (86 vs. 56 percent).."

Healthcare Inspection Evaluation of the Veterans Health Administration’s National Patient Safety Program
"The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG), Office of Healthcare Inspections (OHI) completed an evaluation of the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA’s) National Patient Safety (NPS) Program. The purposes of the evaluation were to determine whether VHA’s NPS Program (1) has been effective in accomplishing its stated goal of preventing inadvertent harm to patients receiving VHA care and (2) has provided efficient and effective coordination, oversight, and continuous improvement.

Results and Recommendations
We concluded that VHA took important, positive steps in 1998 when it expanded existing patient safety activities and created the National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS). VHA’s NPS Program has been the foundation for many national and international patient safety initiatives. We noted several opportunities to strengthen the NPS Program’s effectiveness, oversight, and continuous improvement..."

VA Announces Changes to the Disability Rating Schedule for Traumatic Brain Injuries and Burn Scars
"The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced changes in the way VA will evaluate traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and burn scars for purposes of determining the appropriate level of compensation veterans receive for these injuries.

“These important regulatory changes will allow VA decision makers to better assess the consequences of these injuries and ensure veterans are properly compensated for their residual effects,” stated Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake.

VA has revised the Disability Rating Schedule in light of current scientific and medical knowledge in order to provide VA employees with more detailed and up-to-date criteria for evaluating and compensating veterans with these injuries...

To view the entire regulation published today in the Federal Register, go to: www.federalregister.gov/OFRUpload/OFRData/2008-22083_PI.pdf. For more information about VA disability compensation, go to www.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000."

Veteran's Affairs Suicide Prevention Panel Completes Draft Report
"A blue-ribbon panel has praised the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for its “comprehensive strategy” in suicide prevention that includes a “number of initiatives and innovations that hold great promise for preventing suicide attempts and completions.”

Among the initiatives and innovations the group studied were VA’s Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-TALK. The lifeline is staffed by trained professionals 24 hours a day to deal with any immediate crisis that may be taking place. Nearly 33,000 veterans, family members or friends of veterans have called the lifeline in the year that it has been operating. Of those, there have been more than 1,600 rescues to prevent possible tragedy.

Other initiatives noted included the hiring of suicide prevention coordinators at each of VA’s 153 medical facilities, the establishment of a Mental Health Center of Excellence in Canandaigua, N.Y., focusing on developing and testing clinical and public health intervention standards for suicide prevention, the creation of an additional research center on suicide prevention in Denver, which focuses on research in the clinical and neurobiological conditions that can lead to increased suicide risk and a plus-up in staff making more than 400 mental health professionals entirely dedicated to suicide prevention..."