By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – Improving tracking and responding to suicides involving veterans and military service members is in legislation advanced by lawmakers in Virginia.
House Bill 529 would create a Suicide Prevention Program within the Department of Veterans Services focused on collecting data, coordinating prevention efforts and reporting trends to commonwealth leaders and lawmakers.
According to the bill language, the department would be responsible for compiling and analyzing information related to suicides of veterans and military service members. That data would be included in an annual report submitted to the secretary of Veterans Affairs, the governor and the General Assembly.
The legislation would also require greater coordination between commonwealth agencies.
When a death certificate lists suicide as the cause and manner of death for a veteran or military service member, the State Registrar of Vital Records would be required to provide that information to the Department of Veterans Services.
In addition, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner would be required to provide copies of autopsy reports related to those deaths to the department upon request. The bill also requires the office to notify a decedent’s next of kin when an autopsy report is released to a physician or personal representative.
The program would also coordinate with federal, state and local partners on suicide prevention efforts, including substance use and behavioral health support for veterans, service members and their families.
A separate research project conducted by psychologists at the Virginia Military Institute, released in February 2025, examined factors linked to veteran suicide based on survey responses from veterans across multiple military branches.
The study, funded by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, found that experiences during military service, access to mental health care, substance use, chronic pain and challenges finding work after leaving the military can all play a role in suicide risk among veterans.
According to the bill text, the legislation would eliminate the existing suicide prevention coordinator position within the Department of Veterans Services and transfer those responsibilities to the newly created program.
Lawmakers considered a similar proposal during the 2025 General Assembly session. That bill, House Bill 1738, passed the House unanimously and died in the Finance and Appropriations Committee of the Senate.
HB529 has advanced through House Health and Human Services subcommittees with amendments and has been referred to the House Appropriations Committee.
