Bringing technology and community together to keep Veterans safe

A text from someone just to check in. A call from a loved one who noticed you moved your firearm. A conversation with new friends who understand your experience. These small moments of connection are at the heart of suicide prevention and can add up to make a big impact.

This year, VA is launching seven new programs that create more of these moments for Veterans-especially those not yet connected with VA care.

Meeting Veterans where they are

These new programs come from VA's Mission Daybreak, which finds and supports innovative ways to prevent Veteran suicide. The effort recognizes a critical gap: Nearly 50% of Veterans who died by suicide in 2022 had not received VA services that year or the year before.

But suicide rates have fallen among Veterans in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) care with mental health diagnoses. These new programs extend that protection by meeting Veterans in community spaces and through technology, giving Veterans more choices for connecting with support in their homes, on their phones and among their peers.

Seven new ways to connect

Each initiative takes a different approach to reducing suicide risk.

• Anonymous peer groups. Veterans can join safe, professionally moderated online groups without sharing personal information. One Veteran user said: "The moderator was wonderful. I feel better now than before I joined the group!" Cabana's platform makes it easier to access mental health care without facing common barriers like stigma, privacy concerns or location.
• Enhanced check-ins. NeuroFlow makes mental health care easier for Veterans. It helps VA clinicians stay up to date on how Veterans are doing and support those who need it most. The software provides more patient insights, creates smoother workflows and reduces administrative burden.
• Smartphone wellness insights. Behavidence's platform helps Veterans identify behavioral changes linked to suicide risk and PTSD. With a user's permission, this app provides continuous insights based on smartphone usage patterns to supplement and enhance existing mental health screenings and appointments with clinicians.
• Talking circles. By using Televeda's platform, American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans can join digital talking circles that incorporate traditional healing practices with storytelling, peer support and evidence-based mental health care. "Veterans helping Veterans has been the most effective form of support," shared one Veteran who participated in digital talking circles. "These circles give us space to discuss our military experiences in ways that family and friends may not fully understand."
• Firearm safety alerts. With Regal Products, Veterans and trusted contacts receive automated alerts about any firearm movement, powered by a motion detector inside a cable gun lock. These real-time alerts, sent through a mobile app, help friends and loved ones check in with a Veteran during a potential moment of suicidal crisis, addressing one of the most common methods of Veteran suicide.
• Low-pressure wellness checks. Circles of Support sends automated wellness text messages to build trust with non-VHA-connected Veterans and link them to VA services. The messages ask Veterans simple questions about their well-being and mood, then direct them to resources relevant to their replies.
• Augmented suicide prevention training. Customer Value Partners (CVP) provides VA staff with a training system that uses virtual reality (VR) to simulate real Veteran interactions and scenarios. By combining VR with AI-based coaching and feedback, the tool empowers VA staff-including non-mental health care specialists-to recognize signs of suicide risk in a safe and realistic environment.

Your voice matters

More than 500 Veterans, spouses and experts have helped shape these programs through collaborative design and development. Veterans will continue to provide feedback on these programs as they evolve over the coming year. If you are interested in supporting these efforts or learning more, visit MissionDaybreak.

If you're a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive 24/7 confidential support. You don't have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect. To reach responders, Dial 988 then Press 1, chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or text 838255.