They Served When America Called. The VA Should Answer When Their Families Call for Help.
The Issue
GOAL: Create a Family-Initiated Veteran Crisis Intervention & Outreach Program so families can help initiate professional outreach when a veteran struggling with PTSD, addiction, or suicide risk cannot—or will not—seek help themselves.
My older brother served six years in the United States Navy.
For more than a decade, he has struggled with PTSD and alcohol addiction.
Our family has watched someone we love fight a battle that did not end when his military service did. We have tried tirelessly to get him help. We have searched for resources, made phone calls, pleaded with him, and tried to navigate the systems that are supposed to be there for our veterans.
Most frighteningly, he has made comments to our family about suicide.
We know he needs help.
But there remains an enormous gap between a family recognizing that a veteran is deteriorating and that family being able to initiate sustained, professional outreach when the veteran will not seek or engage in treatment themselves.
My brother is not alone.
In 2023, 6,398 U.S. veterans died by suicide—an average of approximately 17.5 veterans every day.
And one statistic should stop all of us in our tracks: 61% of the veterans who died by suicide that year had not received VA health care during the final year of their lives.
The VA itself recognizes that many veterans who die by suicide are not connected to VA care.
We have crisis lines. We have treatment programs. We have resources.
But resources only work when we can reach the person who needs them.
PTSD can cause avoidance and isolation. Substance-use disorders can make seeking and remaining engaged in treatment incredibly difficult. Depression and hopelessness can convince someone that nothing will help. And for some veterans, stigma, self-reliance, and expectations surrounding strength and endurance can create additional barriers to asking for help.
VA research also shows how interconnected PTSD and substance use can be.
Veterans with lifetime PTSD have been found to be twice as likely to meet criteria for alcohol use disorder and three times as likely to have a drug use disorder compared with veterans without lifetime PTSD.
In one VA study of Iraq- and Afghanistan-era combat veterans receiving VA medical care, 40% reported some-to-extreme difficulty readjusting to civilian life.
31% reported increased alcohol or drug use after returning.
57% reported increased problems controlling anger.
Yet 96% expressed interest in services to help them readjust.
And in a national VA study conducted in 2024, 27.7% of surveyed veterans reported experiencing suicidal thoughts after separating from military service.
These aren't just numbers.
They are someone's son. Someone's daughter. Someone's spouse. Someone's parent. Someone's brother or sister.
So what happens when the veteran's family sees the warning signs first?
What happens when a mother says, “My daughter isn't okay”?
When a wife says, “My husband is drinking himself to death”?
When a sister says, “My brother has PTSD, he's addicted to alcohol, he's talking about suicide, and I cannot get him to ask for help”?
Families should have somewhere meaningful to turn before the overdose, before the suicide attempt, before the arrest, before the homelessness, and before it becomes too late.
The VA Has Already Proven Proactive Outreach Is Possible:
The VA already provides important resources for veterans and their families. Family members can contact the Veterans Crisis Line when they are concerned about a veteran, and programs such as Coaching Into Care help families encourage veterans to seek treatment.
Those services matter.
But what we are asking for goes one step further.
The VA has also demonstrated that proactive outreach to at-risk veterans is possible. The VA reported that one of its suicide-prevention efforts helped identify and contact 140,000 at-risk veterans—and 40% of them had not recently been to the VA.
That raises an important question:
If the VA can proactively identify and contact at-risk veterans who are disconnected from VA care, why shouldn't a credible report from their own family be another legitimate entry point into that outreach?
We are not asking the VA simply to give families another phone number.
We are asking for a defined pathway through which serious concerns reported by family members can be evaluated by trained professionals and, when warranted, lead to proactive outreach to the veteran—even when that veteran has not personally requested treatment.
A family member calling to say, “My veteran has PTSD, their substance use is escalating, they are deteriorating, and they have talked about suicide” should be able to initiate more than a conversation about how the family might persuade them to seek help.
It should be possible for that information to enter an appropriate professional assessment process, determine the level of risk, and—when warranted—trigger outreach designed to engage the veteran.
Sometimes the family is the warning system.
The VA already has mechanisms for proactive outreach.
Let families become another legitimate entry point into that outreach.
What We Are Asking For:
We are asking Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a nationwide Family-Initiated Veteran Crisis Intervention & Outreach Program.
When an immediate family member reports credible concerns involving suicidal statements, severe substance-use problems, serious PTSD symptoms, or significant mental-health deterioration, that family should be able to request an assessment and professional outreach.
Depending on the circumstances, that could include:
-A trained VA crisis professional reviewing the family's concerns and assessing risk.
-Proactive outreach to the veteran rather than requiring the veteran to make the first call.
-Veteran peer-support specialists who understand military culture and can help engage reluctant veterans.
-Licensed mental-health and substance-use professionals trained in evidence-based engagement techniques.
-Mobile or in-person outreach when clinically appropriate and legally permissible.
-A direct “warm handoff” into PTSD treatment, substance-use treatment, detoxification, residential treatment, outpatient care, or other appropriate services when the veteran accepts help.
-Continued guidance and follow-up for families when the veteran initially refuses treatment.
This is not a request to automatically force veterans into treatment or take away their rights. Veterans deserve autonomy, dignity, and due process.
But there is a profound difference between forcing someone into treatment and building a system that does not simply wait for a person in crisis to save themselves.
Family members are often the people witnessing the deterioration firsthand. Their concerns should be able to open a door to professional assessment and outreach.
We are not asking the VA to take away veterans' choices.
We are asking the VA to give families another way to reach them.
If a veteran cannot—or will not—walk through the VA's door, there should be a mechanism for trained professionals to reach toward them.
Families should not have to wait for rock bottom.
They should not have to wait for an overdose.
They should not have to wait for a suicide attempt.
And they should not have to bury someone they love and spend the rest of their lives wondering whether something more could have been done.
Our veterans should not have to hit rock bottom before America reaches down.
They answered when their country called.
When their families call for help, their country should answer too.
Please sign and share this petition asking Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a Family-Initiated Veteran Crisis Intervention & Outreach Program.
Statistics & Sources
1. Veteran suicide deaths and veterans disconnected from VA care
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 6,398 veterans died by suicide in 2023—an average of 17.5 per day. Of those veterans, 61% had not received VA health care during the final year of their lives. The VA's annual report is based on national death-certificate data, with 2023 being the most recent year currently available.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report:
https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide_prevention/data.asp
2. PTSD and substance-use disorders
The VA National Center for PTSD reports that veterans with lifetime PTSD were twice as likely to meet criteria for alcohol use disorder and three times as likely to have a drug use disorder compared with veterans without lifetime PTSD.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD:
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/cooccurring/tx_sud_va.asp
3. Difficulty readjusting to civilian life
VA research involving Iraq- and Afghanistan-era combat veterans who used VA medical services found that approximately 40% reported some-to-extreme difficulty readjusting to civilian life; 31% reported increased alcohol or drug use; 57% reported increased problems controlling anger; and 96% expressed interest in services to help them readjust.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Systems Research:
https://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/research/citations/pubbriefs/articles.cfm?RecordID=255
4. Suicidal thoughts after military service
In the VA's 2024 ASCEND study, 27.7% of surveyed veterans reported experiencing suicidal ideation after separation from military service.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Rocky Mountain MIRECC:
https://mirecc.va.gov/MIRECC/visn19/ascend/ascend-results.asp
5. Proactive outreach to at-risk veterans
The VA reports that one of its suicide-prevention efforts helped identify and contact 140,000 at-risk veterans, 40% of whom had not recently been to the VA. This demonstrates that proactive outreach to veterans outside recent VA care is already possible.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs:
https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-releases-annual-veteran-suicide-prevention-report-updated-with-2023-data/
32
The Issue
GOAL: Create a Family-Initiated Veteran Crisis Intervention & Outreach Program so families can help initiate professional outreach when a veteran struggling with PTSD, addiction, or suicide risk cannot—or will not—seek help themselves.
My older brother served six years in the United States Navy.
For more than a decade, he has struggled with PTSD and alcohol addiction.
Our family has watched someone we love fight a battle that did not end when his military service did. We have tried tirelessly to get him help. We have searched for resources, made phone calls, pleaded with him, and tried to navigate the systems that are supposed to be there for our veterans.
Most frighteningly, he has made comments to our family about suicide.
We know he needs help.
But there remains an enormous gap between a family recognizing that a veteran is deteriorating and that family being able to initiate sustained, professional outreach when the veteran will not seek or engage in treatment themselves.
My brother is not alone.
In 2023, 6,398 U.S. veterans died by suicide—an average of approximately 17.5 veterans every day.
And one statistic should stop all of us in our tracks: 61% of the veterans who died by suicide that year had not received VA health care during the final year of their lives.
The VA itself recognizes that many veterans who die by suicide are not connected to VA care.
We have crisis lines. We have treatment programs. We have resources.
But resources only work when we can reach the person who needs them.
PTSD can cause avoidance and isolation. Substance-use disorders can make seeking and remaining engaged in treatment incredibly difficult. Depression and hopelessness can convince someone that nothing will help. And for some veterans, stigma, self-reliance, and expectations surrounding strength and endurance can create additional barriers to asking for help.
VA research also shows how interconnected PTSD and substance use can be.
Veterans with lifetime PTSD have been found to be twice as likely to meet criteria for alcohol use disorder and three times as likely to have a drug use disorder compared with veterans without lifetime PTSD.
In one VA study of Iraq- and Afghanistan-era combat veterans receiving VA medical care, 40% reported some-to-extreme difficulty readjusting to civilian life.
31% reported increased alcohol or drug use after returning.
57% reported increased problems controlling anger.
Yet 96% expressed interest in services to help them readjust.
And in a national VA study conducted in 2024, 27.7% of surveyed veterans reported experiencing suicidal thoughts after separating from military service.
These aren't just numbers.
They are someone's son. Someone's daughter. Someone's spouse. Someone's parent. Someone's brother or sister.
So what happens when the veteran's family sees the warning signs first?
What happens when a mother says, “My daughter isn't okay”?
When a wife says, “My husband is drinking himself to death”?
When a sister says, “My brother has PTSD, he's addicted to alcohol, he's talking about suicide, and I cannot get him to ask for help”?
Families should have somewhere meaningful to turn before the overdose, before the suicide attempt, before the arrest, before the homelessness, and before it becomes too late.
The VA Has Already Proven Proactive Outreach Is Possible:
The VA already provides important resources for veterans and their families. Family members can contact the Veterans Crisis Line when they are concerned about a veteran, and programs such as Coaching Into Care help families encourage veterans to seek treatment.
Those services matter.
But what we are asking for goes one step further.
The VA has also demonstrated that proactive outreach to at-risk veterans is possible. The VA reported that one of its suicide-prevention efforts helped identify and contact 140,000 at-risk veterans—and 40% of them had not recently been to the VA.
That raises an important question:
If the VA can proactively identify and contact at-risk veterans who are disconnected from VA care, why shouldn't a credible report from their own family be another legitimate entry point into that outreach?
We are not asking the VA simply to give families another phone number.
We are asking for a defined pathway through which serious concerns reported by family members can be evaluated by trained professionals and, when warranted, lead to proactive outreach to the veteran—even when that veteran has not personally requested treatment.
A family member calling to say, “My veteran has PTSD, their substance use is escalating, they are deteriorating, and they have talked about suicide” should be able to initiate more than a conversation about how the family might persuade them to seek help.
It should be possible for that information to enter an appropriate professional assessment process, determine the level of risk, and—when warranted—trigger outreach designed to engage the veteran.
Sometimes the family is the warning system.
The VA already has mechanisms for proactive outreach.
Let families become another legitimate entry point into that outreach.
What We Are Asking For:
We are asking Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a nationwide Family-Initiated Veteran Crisis Intervention & Outreach Program.
When an immediate family member reports credible concerns involving suicidal statements, severe substance-use problems, serious PTSD symptoms, or significant mental-health deterioration, that family should be able to request an assessment and professional outreach.
Depending on the circumstances, that could include:
-A trained VA crisis professional reviewing the family's concerns and assessing risk.
-Proactive outreach to the veteran rather than requiring the veteran to make the first call.
-Veteran peer-support specialists who understand military culture and can help engage reluctant veterans.
-Licensed mental-health and substance-use professionals trained in evidence-based engagement techniques.
-Mobile or in-person outreach when clinically appropriate and legally permissible.
-A direct “warm handoff” into PTSD treatment, substance-use treatment, detoxification, residential treatment, outpatient care, or other appropriate services when the veteran accepts help.
-Continued guidance and follow-up for families when the veteran initially refuses treatment.
This is not a request to automatically force veterans into treatment or take away their rights. Veterans deserve autonomy, dignity, and due process.
But there is a profound difference between forcing someone into treatment and building a system that does not simply wait for a person in crisis to save themselves.
Family members are often the people witnessing the deterioration firsthand. Their concerns should be able to open a door to professional assessment and outreach.
We are not asking the VA to take away veterans' choices.
We are asking the VA to give families another way to reach them.
If a veteran cannot—or will not—walk through the VA's door, there should be a mechanism for trained professionals to reach toward them.
Families should not have to wait for rock bottom.
They should not have to wait for an overdose.
They should not have to wait for a suicide attempt.
And they should not have to bury someone they love and spend the rest of their lives wondering whether something more could have been done.
Our veterans should not have to hit rock bottom before America reaches down.
They answered when their country called.
When their families call for help, their country should answer too.
Please sign and share this petition asking Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a Family-Initiated Veteran Crisis Intervention & Outreach Program.
Statistics & Sources
1. Veteran suicide deaths and veterans disconnected from VA care
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 6,398 veterans died by suicide in 2023—an average of 17.5 per day. Of those veterans, 61% had not received VA health care during the final year of their lives. The VA's annual report is based on national death-certificate data, with 2023 being the most recent year currently available.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report:
https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide_prevention/data.asp
2. PTSD and substance-use disorders
The VA National Center for PTSD reports that veterans with lifetime PTSD were twice as likely to meet criteria for alcohol use disorder and three times as likely to have a drug use disorder compared with veterans without lifetime PTSD.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD:
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/cooccurring/tx_sud_va.asp
3. Difficulty readjusting to civilian life
VA research involving Iraq- and Afghanistan-era combat veterans who used VA medical services found that approximately 40% reported some-to-extreme difficulty readjusting to civilian life; 31% reported increased alcohol or drug use; 57% reported increased problems controlling anger; and 96% expressed interest in services to help them readjust.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Systems Research:
https://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/research/citations/pubbriefs/articles.cfm?RecordID=255
4. Suicidal thoughts after military service
In the VA's 2024 ASCEND study, 27.7% of surveyed veterans reported experiencing suicidal ideation after separation from military service.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Rocky Mountain MIRECC:
https://mirecc.va.gov/MIRECC/visn19/ascend/ascend-results.asp
5. Proactive outreach to at-risk veterans
The VA reports that one of its suicide-prevention efforts helped identify and contact 140,000 at-risk veterans, 40% of whom had not recently been to the VA. This demonstrates that proactive outreach to veterans outside recent VA care is already possible.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs:
https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-releases-annual-veteran-suicide-prevention-report-updated-with-2023-data/
Petition Updates
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Petition created on September 13, 2026