Make Mental Health Rehabilitation and Ongoing Mental Health Evaluations Mandatory for All Service Members Before and After Military Discharge

Petition Statement 

I’ve always wanted to help people — but I never imagined my inspiration would come from watching my own dad struggle so deeply.

My father is a proud U.S. veteran. He’s spent his life fighting battles most of us will never see — not just while out to sea on a submarine, but here at home, within himself.

 Over the years, I’ve watched him try to hold everything together while silently carrying the emotional weight of his service.

In the last two months, those battles have grown harder. He’s been hospitalized three times, and this Veterans Day, instead of being celebrated, he’s spending it in a hospital.

 My heart breaks knowing that the system meant to protect him has failed him for so long.

This Wednesday, he finally begins a mental health rehabilitation program through the VA, something that should have been offered to him years ago. Had he received this kind of support before being discharged, he might have been spared years of suffering, countless hospital stays, and the pain of broken relationships.

Seeing what he’s endured — and how many others share his story — has made me determined to fight for change.

Every man and woman who serves this country carries invisible scars. They face trauma, loss, and unimaginable stress, yet too often, they’re discharged from the military without any real mental health rehabilitation.

We say “thank you for your service,” but what about after? Who helps them rebuild when they take off the uniform?

Veterans are 1.5 times more likely to die by suicide than civilians. Too many turn to substance abuse, homelessness, or isolation — not because they’re broken, but because no one helped them heal.

We are calling on the

 President of the United States

 Congress

 The Department of Defense,

the Department of Veterans Affairs, 

The Joint Chiefs of Staff, 

The Surgeon General of the U.S. Armed Forces

To  start taking actions to change the current care to a new standard of care that requires:

1.  Mandatory mental health rehabilitation before any service member is discharged — regardless of rank, reason, or years of service. 
2. Monthly mental health evaluations throughout each service member’s career, ensuring early intervention, ongoing support, and long-term mental stability.

These measures would mean:

•  Every service member is evaluated, supported, and treated before leaving the military system.
•  No one transitions to civilian life without tools, coping skills, and continued care.
•  We break the cycle of silence, stigma, and suffering that leads to so many preventable tragedies.

Our heroes give everything for our freedom — their health, their peace, their sense of safety. The least we can do is make sure they don’t leave the military with invisible wounds untreated.

My dad’s story isn’t rare — it’s just one of many. He’s finally getting the help he deserves, but too many others won’t unless we change the system.

This Veterans Day, while my father spends his third hospital stay in two months, I’m choosing to turn heartbreak into purpose.

Please join me in demanding change. Because no hero should ever have to fight their toughest battles alone.

Started by: Jessica McKinney — Daughter of a U.S. Veteran currently beginning a VA mental health rehabilitation program.- 

November 11, 2025.

 #VeteransDay #SupportOurTroops #EndVeteranSuicide #MandatoryRehabBeforeDischarge #MentalHealthMatters #ProtectOurHeroes #standupforchange