While we Veterans proudly serve our country, the impact of that service can be long-lasting and possibly debilitating. Sadly, military service can also result in the ultimate sacrifice of a life lost.

Not all those deaths occur due to hostile action. We know that Veterans may struggle with mental health issues such as depression, moral injury, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This may contribute to Veterans who lose their mental health battle through suicide.

We have lost at least 100 Veterans per year to suicide since 2014. While there was a slight decrease in 2020, last year also saw an increase in deaths due to drugs and alcohol. In fact, deaths by drug and alcohol exceeded death by suicide for the State of Minnesota. We believe suicide is preventable and are committed to monitoring this trend and working on “upstream” approaches to support Veterans with potentially contributing factors such as addiction, mental health issues, homelessness, or job loss. We also are working on two critical elements:

• Providing Veterans with a sense of purpose
• Connecting Veterans to others including Veterans

We are grateful for the support of Governor Walz and the Minnesota Legislature. In the 2021 session, MDVA received increased funding for our Veteran suicide prevention efforts. This funding will support two staff to focus on this important initiative and expand our outreach, education and awareness efforts.

Our work continues to be guided by our membership in the Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide among Service Members, Veterans and their Families. Our priorities include:

• Identifying Service Members, Veterans and their Families (SMVF) and screen them for suicide risk. This work involves partnerships with healthcare providers. A pilot program is teaching providers the ATQ (Ask the Question) approach: “Have you or a family member ever served in the military?” A positive answer to this question will result in connecting them to SMVF-specific resources and support. MDVA has been offering Mental Health First Aid classes to employees and key stakeholders at LinkVet, DEED, local police officials, social workers and case managers in the community who serve Veterans.
• Promoting connectedness by providing grants to organizations serving Veterans such Every Third Saturday, Honor Flight Twin Cities, Fishing for Life and Eagle Group of Minnesota.
• Implementing lethal means safety and safety planning. Firearms are the most common means of suicide among Veterans. MDVA has distributed more than 15,000 gunlocks (supplied by the VA Healthcare System) over the summer both directly to Veterans and families and via every Minnesota CVSO office, every American Legion location, each Minnesota Military Reserve Base, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, police departments, Minnesota Farm Fest, and the Minnesota State Fair.

Please visit our website at MinnesotaVeteran.org/EndVetSuicide for more information.

We will be amplifying this important information on Saturday, October 2 when MDVA hosts the third annual Minnesota Veteran Suicide Prevention and Awareness Day in St. Cloud’s Wilson Park. Watch our website Events page for details. The event will feature St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis who lost a brother who was a Veteran to suicide. Please plan to attend if you live in the area or watch via livestream.

As always, if you need information or support on any Veteran issue, please visit our website, contact your County Veterans Service Officer, or contact LinkVet at 1-888-LinkVet.

Thank YOU for your service!