Blumenthal, others back bill that aims to stem suicides of women veterans

By Lisa Chedekel

A study showing that women veterans commit suicide at six times the rate of civilian women has prompted U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and colleagues to propose legislation requiring the VA to develop gender-specific suicide prevention programs.

The “Female Veterans Suicide Prevention Act” would expand the Department of Veterans Affairs’ annual evaluation of mental health and suicide-prevention programs to include data specific to female veterans. The act also would require the VA to determine which programs are the most effective for female veterans.

“With suicide among women veterans happening at an alarming rate, (the proposed bill) will help save lives by ensuring VA is providing the care, counseling and outreach these veterans need,” said Blumenthal, D-Conn. Co-sponsors include Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-California; Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.

In the recent study, VA researchers tracked more than 173,000 veteran and non-veteran suicides in 23 states from 2000 to 2010, to compare suicide rates among different subgroups. They found the overall rate of veteran suicides increased by about 25 percent over that 10-year period, while the non-veteran rate increased by 12 percent. Of note, while the suicide rate for female non-veterans rose 13 percent, it climbed 40 percent for female veterans.

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