Fayetteville Army veteran: Veteran suicide crisis made worse by VA wait times, other hurdles

I recently got the call that veterans dread getting but know could come at any moment  — one of my good friends of 17 years had taken his life.

He was a 23-year veteran of the United States Army. After retiring, he joined the police force. He spent his entire adult life serving his country and community. He was strong and good to those around him, always available for friends in their darkest moments.

More: Veterans Affairs expands access for people experiencing suicidal crisis

The struggles he faced and the decision to take his life weigh heavily on me.

Suicide is a tragic reality in the veteran community.  Decades of continuous war, multiple deployments, difficulty transitioning out of service, and lack of easy access to resources all add up to a crisis.

More: Suicides: How to help NC’s military personnel, veterans cope with ‘invisible wounds’

On average, nearly 17 veterans take their lives each day. Four times more post-9/11 war veterans have died by suicide than were killed in war operations.

Each of those veterans had a family, friends, and battle buddies who mourn their loss. The call I received that I had lost my friend was not the first I’ve gotten, but I’m determined it will be my last.

Long wait times

Access to mental health care and addiction recovery resources saves veterans’ lives, but both need to be readily available. For those stuck in the Department of Veterans Affairs health system, getting the care they need is often a battle.

Take the VA Medical Center in Fayetteville. The hospital is a 20-minute drive from Fort Liberty (formerly known as Fort Bragg), and the area has become a long-term or forever home for service members entering civilian life.

As of PTSD Awareness Day on June 27, the wait time for a new patient to receive mental health care at the Fayetteville VA was 106 days. The wait for substance use disorder care was 44 days. For PTSD-specific care, veterans would need to visit the Cumberland County VA where there are currently no new appointments.

More hurdles

But it’s worse than just the long wait times.

The VA MISSION Act established the Veterans Community Care Program to ensure long wait times at the VA didn’t stand in the way of needed care. A veteran facing wait times over 20 days for mental health care is eligible for community care, plain and simple. But the VA doesn’t see it that way.

Investigative reports and documents received through FOIA are untangling the VA’s web of refusing to refer veterans to community care, poor community care coordination, wait time manipulation and administrative hurdles that keep veterans out of community care and in the VA’s system.

Members of Congress are doing their part to question the VA’s management of community care as well as introduced legislation to strengthen and enhance the VA MISSION Act.

A few bills have been introduced that put more choice in the hands of veterans, including the Veterans Health Care Freedom Act , Veteran Care Improvement Act and the bipartisan Veterans’ HEALTH Act . Our own Sen. Thom Tillis quickly signed on to cosponsor the Veterans’ HEALTH Act, proving North Carolina is dedicated to caring for our large, growing veteran community.

I hope to see more North Carolina lawmakers from both parties follow Sen. Tillis’ lead.

We can do better

Veteran suicide will continue to plague our communities unless we start addressing the lack of access to resources. Veterans and caring Americans alike can be support systems to those struggling, while also calling for lawmakers to eliminate the barriers to care at the VA.

We owe it to the memories of those we’ve already lost to ensure the veteran suicide crisis becomes a thing of the past.

Jose Ramos is a strategic director with Concerned Veterans for America in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He retired from the United States Army after 20 years, during which time he served multiple combat deployments and was awarded the Purple Heart.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville Army veteran: Veteran suicide crisis made worse by VA wait times, other hurdles