The "What Works for Preventing Veteran Suicide Act" mandates the VA to establish standard practices for evaluating and communicating the effectiveness of veteran suicide prevention and mental health programs.
Greg Landsman
Representative
OH-1
The "What Works for Preventing Veteran Suicide Act" requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish standard practices for suicide prevention and mental health grant or pilot programs within the Veterans Health Administration. These practices include setting measurable objectives, creating data analysis plans for program evaluation, communicating program details with relevant entities, conducting program evaluations, and sharing results and best practices. The goal is to ensure that these programs are effective, data-driven, and transparent, ultimately improving veteran suicide prevention efforts. The regulations for these practices must be issued within 180 days of the bill's enactment and will apply retroactively to pre-existing programs.
New Act Requires VA to Set Standard Rules for Proving 'What Works' in Veteran Suicide Prevention Programs
This bill, the 'What Works for Preventing Veteran Suicide Act,' directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a standard playbook for any grant or pilot program it runs related to veteran suicide prevention or mental health. Essentially, it's telling the VA: before you spend money on these critical programs, you need a clear, consistent way to figure out if they're actually working. The VA has 180 days after the bill becomes law to issue these new rules.
Setting the Standard: How the VA Will Track Program Success
The core change here is amending Section 527 of title 38, U.S. Code, which already deals with VA program evaluation. This act adds specific requirements for suicide prevention and mental health initiatives. Any new or existing grant or pilot program under the Veterans Health Administration in these areas must now follow standard practices. These aren't suggestions; they're requirements.
These practices include:
- Clear Goals: Programs need measurable objectives from the start. No more fuzzy aspirations; they need defined targets.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Each program must have a plan to collect and analyze data specifically to evaluate its effectiveness. This data has to be good enough to inform decisions about whether to continue or expand the program.
- Open Communication: Program goals, how success will be measured, and evaluation plans need to be shared with relevant groups before the program starts and throughout its duration.
- End-Game Evaluation: When a program finishes, it needs a formal evaluation to capture lessons learned and assess if the approach could work on a larger scale.
- Sharing the Wins: Results and best practices identified must be shared, presumably so successful strategies can be replicated.
Making Sure What Works, Works Everywhere
Think about it like this: the VA might fund a local pilot program testing a new approach to veteran mental health outreach. Right now, how that program's success is measured might vary wildly. This act demands a consistent process. Did the outreach actually connect vets to care? Did it improve outcomes based on data? Was the model something other VA centers could realistically adopt?
By requiring clear objectives, data collection, and thorough evaluation before deciding to scale up, this legislation aims to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent on programs proven to make a difference. It applies these standards retroactively, meaning existing programs will also need to meet these benchmarks. The goal is to move beyond good intentions and focus resources on mental health and suicide prevention strategies that demonstrably save lives.