Suicide among Veterans

Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other mental impairments may struggle with suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Identified by the VA as suicidal ideation, planning to take one’s own life can be one of the most frightening symptoms of PTSD for a veteran and their family.

Are you struggling with suicidal thoughts or behaviors?

Is a veteran you love displaying signs of self-harm or a desire to die?

The VA has benefits that can help you!

How to Get Help for Suicidal Ideation

If you or a veteran you love is in crisis, call 911, visit your nearest emergency room, go to your nearest VA Medical Center (VA Medical Center locations), or contact the Veterans Crisis Line.

Here’s how you can connect with a Veterans Crisis Line responder, anytime day or night:

• Call 988 and select 1.
• Text 838255.
• Start a confidential chat.
• If you have hearing loss, call TTY: 800-799-4889.

For more long-term support, veterans can work with specially trained suicide prevention coordinators, who are located at each VA Medical Center across the country (VA Medical Center locations); connect with a local Vet Center (Vet Center locations) for assistance adjusting to life at home after service in a combat zone; or seek VA disability benefits.

If you go to a non-VA emergency department, let the staff know you are a veteran and ask them to contact the nearest VA office for you.

If a non-VA health care provider determines that a veteran is at risk of immediate self-harm, the VA can provide or cover the cost of the veteran’s care if the veteran meets at least 1 of these requirements:

• The veteran was the victim of sexual assault, battery, or harassment while serving in the military; or
• The veteran served on active duty for more than 24 months and didn’t get a dishonorable discharge; or
• The veteran served more than 100 days under a combat exclusion or in support of a contingency operation (including as a member of the Reserve) and didn’t get a dishonorable discharge. This includes serving directly on location or operating an unmanned aerial vehicle from another location.

Community Support for Veterans

For many friends and family members, a veteran’s newfound, or aggravated, mental impairment can be puzzling and scary. Veterans who have been exposed to trauma during their military service are at a higher risk of developing PTSD or other mental impairments, which can unfortunately lead to suicidal ideations. This is why it is so important for veterans and their friends and family to stay connected and seek help, including VA benefits, when needed.

If you are worried that a veteran you love may suffer from suicidal ideations, watch for these possible warning signs:

• Seeming sad, depressed, anxious, or agitated most of the time
• Sleeping either all the time or not much at all
• Not caring about what they look like or what happens to them
• Pulling away from friends, family, and society
• Losing interest in hobbies, work, school, or other things they used to care about
• Expressing feelings of excessive guilt or shame, failure, lack of purpose in life, or being trapped
• Poor performance, or a change in performance, at work or school
• Acting violently or taking risks (like driving fast or running red lights)
• Doing things to prepare for a suicide (like giving away special personal items, making a will, or seeking access to guns or pills)

Veterans need a strong support system to overcome these feelings. If someone close to you is suffering, or if you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, speak to someone you trust, or call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 to connect with a caring VA responder today. 

Caregivers, family members, and friends can also call the Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274 for assistance in supporting the veteran.

How to Claim VA Disability Benefits for Suicidal Ideations

If a veteran is suffering from suicidal ideation as a symptom of a mental impairment that arose from, or was aggravated during, military service, the veteran can apply for VA disability benefits. Under the VA’s rating schedule for mental impairments, suicidal ideation is a symptom warranting a 70% rating. Therefore, if a veteran is suffering from suicidal ideation as a result of VA military service, it is important to file a VA claim detailing this symptom.

You can file a claim for VA disability benefits for a service-related mental condition online, by mail, in person, by fax, or with the assistance of a professional.

1. File online: File for disability compensation online
2. File by mail

Complete the VA application for disability benefits and mail it to this address:

Department of Veterans Affairs
Claims Intake Center
PO Box 4444
Janesville, WI 53547-4444

1. File in person at your local VA Regional Office
2. File by fax:

If you’re in the U.S., fax your application to 844-531-7818.

If you’re outside the U.S., fax your application to 248-524-4260.

1. File with the help of a trained professional, such as an accredited attorney, claims agent, or Veterans Service Organization (VSO) representative.

Contact Us for Help Today

We believe that the veterans who’ve defended our country need to be protected in times of crisis. Vets National Advocates is ready to fight for you and get you the benefits you deserve.

Contact Vets National Advocates today for help appealing your disability benefits. If your claim has been denied, we can appeal the decision and fight for the benefits that you deserve.

Suicidal tendencies may be a symptom of psychiatric disability. Don’t suffer without the benefits you’ve earned.
Call 1 (877) 777-4021 today or contact us now for a 100% free, no-obligation consultation.