WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, led a group of 24 Senators, including U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), in a letter to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), urging the agency to develop and implement comprehensive mental health care plans to ensure veterans’ well-being during and after the pandemic.

“The stress, uncertainty, and isolation associated with the pandemic – all risk factors for suicide in a population where an estimated 17 veterans tragically die by suicide a day— will further increase demand for mental health care among our veteran population, necessitating a comprehensive plan to meet that need,” the Senators wrote in a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie.

The Senators urged the VA to utilize and expand the availability of telehealth services, including working with broadband providers to ensure veterans have internet access, assessing the efficacy of telehealth mental health services for this vulnerable population, and conducting public outreach to reach veterans in need of these services.

The Senators also stressed the need for the agency to anticipate increased use of existing services, urging the VA to hire and adequately train additional mental health providers. Emphasizing the importance of monitoring for a possible increase in veteran suicides, the Senators called on the VA to ensure it has the capacity to track the data and plans in place to address such spikes.

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