Most VA police officers have not completed veteran suicide prevention training

Less than a third of Veterans Affairs police officers completed their annual suicide prevention training last year, leaving thousands of law enforcement officers underprepared to handle mental health crisis situations on campus, according to a report released Wednesday by department whistleblowers.

VA leaders said they were reviewing reports about the training deficiencies brought to light by Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, the ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

In a statement, department press secretary Terrence Hayes said officials are focused on “ensuring our employees at all levels, including law enforcement officers, have the robust training necessary to intervene in a crisis and protect veterans.” “

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But Moran called the delays in training unacceptable given the importance of first responders’ role in supporting unstable veterans.

“This is completely unacceptable and I fear that it is our veterans and VA workforce who are paying the price,” he said in a letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough released Wednesday.

“VA police do not have the legally required training in de-escalation skills and suicide prevention. There is no excuse for VA not to take every step the Department can – let alone the steps Congress requires – to prevent the needless loss of life.”

In 2020, Congress mandated that VA provide police officers with annual training on suicide prevention through crisis intervention and de-escalation skills. The move came amid a small but growing number of veteran suicides on the department’s medical center campuses, close to potentially life-saving help.

But Moran’s office said whistleblowers reported that from January 2023 to March 2024, only 1,297 of 4,505 armed VA police officers — about 29% — completed required training. In his letter, Moran asked about the reasons for this low competition rate and called for “a plan to ensure the department’s future compliance.”

VA officials have neither confirmed nor refuted these numbers.

Suicide prevention has been the department’s top public health priority in recent years, but efforts on the issue have had mixed results.

About 6,400 veterans died by suicide in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available. That equates to about 17.5 veteran deaths per day. Veteran suicides increased 1.8% from 2020 to 2021, after totals fell in each of the previous two years.

Veterans in need of emergency counseling can reach the Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988 and selecting option 1 after connecting to reach a VA employee. In addition, veterans, troops or their family members can also text 838255 to request assistance or pay a visit VeteransCrisisLine.net to help.