Crow’s Bipartisan Amendment to Combat Veteran Suicide Passes House

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan amendment to combat veteran suicide led by Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO) has passed the U.S. House of Representatives. Crow’s effort, based on his bipartisan Veterans’ Sentinel Act, aims to address suicides on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) campuses by improving the collection and analysis of data regarding veteran on-campus suicides and attempted suicides.

“Our veterans deserve nothing but the best when they return home. But right now, high suicide death rates among veterans make it clear we are failing to live up to our promises as a country,” said Congressman Crow. “I’m glad to see Congress act in a bipartisan fashion to help veterans in need.”

Veterans make up approximately six percent of the population, yet in 2022 represented a disproportionate 13.4% of all suicide deaths among adults annually. In 2019, The Washington Post and Military Times reported on the troubling increase in veterans taking their own lives on VA campuses. Many did so to protest against problems with access to VA care; others did so because they knew their families would be taken care of. This amendment establishes a working group focused on accurately collecting and analyzing data, following an investigation that revealed serious mistakes in the VA's reporting of on-campus suicides. 

Crow previously introduced the Veterans’ Sentinel Act along with Congressman Jake Ellzey (R-TX). Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE) joined Crow in offering the amendment. All three are military veterans, with Crow having served in combat as a paratrooper and Army Ranger.

Ensuring America’s veterans and their families get the care and resources they deserve is a top priority for Congressman Crow. Along with the Veterans’ Sentinel Act, Crow is leading a larger slate of bills aimed at improving veterans’ services and strengthening veteran benefits, along with the Preventing and Identifying Lasting Operational TBI (PILOT) Act and Support Modern Approaches in Recovery Technology for Traumatic Brain Injury (SMART for TBI) Act to improve care related to traumatic brain injury (TBI). He also secured a number of wins in last year’s annual defense bill to improve the lives of servicemembers and their families. In the 117th Congress, Crow helped pass the PACT Act, which expands care to millions of servicemembers exposed to toxic chemicals.

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