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Veteran suicide: VA efforts to identify veterans at risk through analysis of health record information : report to congressional committees
Veteran suicide: VA efforts to identify veterans at risk through analysis of health record information : report to congressional committees
Why GAO did this study. Veterans suffer a disproportionately higher rate of suicide compared to nonveterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs established veteran suicide prevention as its highest clinical priority. It also established a goal of ensuring that at-risk and underserved veterans receive the care and resources they need to end veteran suicide. The Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 included a provision for GAO to review efforts to manage veterans at high risk for suicide. This report describes 1) the REACH VET program and 2) findings from VHA’s analysis of the potential benefits of the REACH VET program. GAO reviewed VHA program guidance on REACH VET and interviewed officials at seven VHA medical facilities selected based on geography and complexity of services. GAO also compared and counted how frequently veterans were identified by REACH VET and whether those veterans already had a high risk for suicide flag from February 2017 through June 2021. GAO also reviewed VHA’s published studies on the REACH VET program, and discussed future studies with VHA officials. GAO provided a draft of this report to VA for review and comment. VA provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
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