By WIBW TV
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Senator Roger Marshall has urged the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide veteran outreach to prevent suicides as the Afghanistan withdrawal comes to a conclusion.
Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) says he joined a group of over 30 senators to send a bipartisan letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs to urge leaders to quickly provide outreach to veterans of the War on Terrorism regarding available mental health services and resources. The call for action comes as reports find calls to veterans’ suicide hotlines spike as the Taliban claims Kabul. The Senators’ letter highlights the brave men and women that have served in Afghanistan.
“We write in light of the recent events in Afghanistan to encourage the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to quickly develop a comprehensive outreach plan to connect Afghanistan and Global War on Terrorism veterans to VA benefits and services,” wrote the Senators. “More than two million veterans served during the Global War on Terrorism, including more than 800,000 in Afghanistan, and these service members deserve and earned the support that they need. We appreciate the VA’s commitment to providing mental health services to all veterans and ask, in light of the current situation, that the Department accelerate its efforts to provide resources – to veterans of these recent conflicts.”
In the letter, Sen. Marshall noted that veterans between 18 and 34 have the highest suicide rate among former service members and that many do not use the Veterans Health Administration services, which provides many resources geared to prevent suicide among service members.