VA releases annual Veteran suicide prevention report, updated with 2023 data

WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs today released the National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, which analyzes Veteran suicide from 2001 to 2023, the most recent year for which data is available.

The report shows there were 6,398 suicides among Veterans in 2023, down from 6,442 in 2022. The average number of Veteran suicides per day fell slightly, to 17.5 in 2023 from 17.6 in 2022.

Other key findings from the report include:

• 61% of Veterans who died by suicide in 2023 were not receiving VA health care in the last year of their life.
• The suicide rate per 100,000 Veterans rose for both male and female Veterans in 2023. For women, the rate rose from 13.7 to 13.9, and for men, it rose from 37.3 to 37.8.
• Suicide rates are elevated for Veterans aged 18 to 34 years, and those with certain risk characteristics, including homelessness, health problems and pain. Among Veterans who died by suicide from 2021 to 2023 and whose deaths were reported by VA suicide prevention teams, the most frequently identified risk factor was pain.

Suicide prevention is VA's top clinical priority, and all VA health care facilities provide Veterans same-day emergency mental health care access if they need it. Under President Trump and Secretary Collins, VA is conducting a review of its suicide prevention programs to better measure their impact, expand on efforts that are delivering results, and refine programs that need improvement.

This approach has already resulted in several improvements in the first year of the Trump Administration, including many aimed at helping Veterans at risk of suicide:

• Since January 2025, VA has conducted a new outreach campaign that has led more than 33,000 unenrolled Veterans to sign up for VA care.
• VA teamed with several large civilian health care providers in February 2025 to launch the Veterans Interoperability Pledge to identify at-risk Veterans and help them get the care they've earned at VA. This effort has helped VA identify and contact 140,000 at-risk Veterans, 40% of whom had not recently been to VA.
• In May 2025, VA and the Department of War signed a memorandum of understanding committing both agencies to improving the transition process for Veterans exiting the military.
• For the first time in history, VA is now tracking how effective its staff and partners are at getting Veterans into VA care, so we can see what's working and where we need to improve.

In the meantime, VA is pursuing a host of other suicide prevention efforts across the country:

• In fiscal year 2025, VA offered 1.3 million calls, chats and texts to Veterans in need through the Veterans Crisis Line, a 39% increase over the prior year, with a Veteran satisfaction rate of 97%.
• VA continues to expand suicide prevention training with health care professionals both at VA and in the community.
• In 2018, the first Trump Administration launched RISK ID, a comprehensive suicide risk evaluation screening that helps VA flag and care for at-risk Veterans. In calendar year 2025, VA completed more than 5.3 million suicide risk screenings, approximately 200,000 more Veterans screened than in calendar year 2024.
• VA administers the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grants Program, which has provided grants to 95 community organizations across the country since 2022.
  • Together, these organizations have made more than 24,400 referrals for suicide prevention supports, including life-saving emergency service connections for 854 Veterans at high risk for suicide.
  • In May 2025, VA announced the availability of another $52 million in grants under this program.
• In November, VA announced it housed the largest number of homeless Veterans in seven years, a critical improvement as homelessness looms as a major factor in Veteran suicide.

"Veteran suicide has been a scourge on our nation for far too long," said VA Secretary Doug Collins. "Most Veterans who die by suicide were not in recent VA care, so making it easier for those who have worn the uniform to access the VA benefits they have earned is key. Under President Trump, we are totally revamping the department's approach to suicide prevention, with new leadership, a fresh focus on reaching those who need our help and - for the first time in VA history - a serious effort to track the efficacy of the hundreds of millions the department spends per year in this area to ensure we have real solutions, not just rhetoric."