All veterans, regardless of enrollment, now eligible for suicidal crisis care at any VA or private emergency facility

Maj. Gen. Ernest Litynski, left, has spoke openly about mental health
issues that face troops. (Photo by Kim Raff, The New York Times)

American military veterans and their families no longer have to worry about the financial costs involved in seeking emergency medical help during a suicidal crisis, reports Courtney Kube of NBC News. "Unlike for most other medical benefits, veterans do not have to be enrolled in the [Department of] Veterans Affairs system to be eligible. The new policy will include up to 30 days of inpatient or crisis residential care and up to 90 days of follow-on outpatient care."

The new policy is an effort to address the extreme number of veteran suicides: "Veterans Affairs reported that 6,146 veterans died by suicide in 2020, or an average of 16.8 per day. While that number was 343 fewer than in 2019, suicide and veterans in crisis remain the VA’s top clinical priority," Kube writes. "The VA already provides emergency suicide care, but with the new benefit, veterans will not have to pay any copays or fees for their care. If the veterans receive care at a private facility rather than at a VA facility, the government will cover the costs. The VA will also reimburse veterans for ambulance rides to hospitals."

VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement, "Veterans in suicidal crisis can now receive the free, world-class emergency health care they deserve — no matter where they need it, when they need it, or whether they’re enrolled in VA care. This expansion of care will save veterans’ lives, and there’s nothing more important than that.”

Kube reports: "Roughly 5,000 veterans are hospitalized in acute psychiatric units every month, generally at imminent risk for harm, said Cliff Smith, the director of analytics, innovation and collaboration within VA’s Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention."

There have been a lot of situations where we know a veteran is in crisis somewhere but they’re not at the hospital,” Smith told Kube. “There were many situations where we knew there was a need, but because of financial concerns we weren’t able to connect that need to a facility. We are addressing the anxiety associated with a bill or cost. That’s off the table."

The new policy is part of the 2020 law called the Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment Act of 2020.