Column: Veterans lack mental health services

After this past Veterans Day, I feel profoundly disquieted.

I keep thinking about a story I recently heard from a Marine I’m dating. A buddy in his unit tried to commit suicide.

He’s not alone.

Last year saw the highest suicide rate for active duty U.S. military members since the military began tracking in 2001. The Marine Corps tops these statistics: 58 active-duty young Marines took their lives last year, according to the U.S. Department of Defense 2018 Annual Suicide Report. That rate — 31.4 suicides per 100,000 — is higher than any other military branch, and higher than civilian rates.

How do we lower these tragic statistics?

To date, the military’s solution has been simple: Kick them out before they become a suicide statistic. Discharge them for being unable to perform their work duties.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger is pushing for a change of culture. “We must create a community where seeking help and assistance are simply normal,” he said. Meanwhile, troubled service members continue to suffer and struggle to survive.

Cody, a co-worker of the Marine I’m dating, kindly shared with me his own personal experience. In January 2016, Cody started to notice a decline in his mental health after a helicopter crash claimed the lives of 12 of his fellow Marines. After months of worsening symptoms and his first suicide attempt, he finally sought help. The Marine Corps offers training in suicide prevention, but Cody says nobody seemed to take it very seriously. The Navy told him he would have to wait six months before seeing a psychiatrist, due to staffing limitations.

As he waited and fought to keep it together, his superiors tormented him. He was actively belittled; told he wasn’t good enough; pulled off operations and reassigned to menial, “make work.” Suicide jokes in his shop increased. He attempted another suicide. Fortunately, a fellow Marine stayed on the phone with him and talked him down. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2014 greatly expanded mental health coverage, including for military personnel. Under ACA rules, seeking treatment should not affect your military career; but Marines like Cody know it’s not enforced.

Instead, he was administratively separated, forced out of the Corps. He could access the VA (Veterans Affairs), but a social worker there questioned his claim to treatment since he had never seen combat. He was told he only qualified for one counseling session a month. To add insult to injury, he also lost his GI bill benefits. He’s spent a year so far fighting to get them back.

Cody’s damaged, but he’s surviving. Boston Community College is helping him get his associate’s degree in automotive technology. He’s landed a mechanic’s job. And luckily his job provides insurance that covers most of his mental health needs now.

But too many discharged veterans don’t make it. Two months ago, the VA released its annual National Veteran Suicide Prevention Report — every day in America, 17 veterans commit suicide. That’s over 6,200 a year.

We all said “Happy Veterans Day” this past week.

Want to really honor veterans this year?

Here’s my suggestion: Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and Republican Sen. Jerry Moran have introduced the bipartisan Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act. It expands the VA’s ability to provide mental health services. It’s not the whole solution, but it’s a start. Express your support for the bill with Tester’s office (202) 224-2644 or Moran’s at (202) 224-6521.

Veterans fought for us. Let’s fight for them.

Nicole Kahielani Peltzer, an East-West Center graduate degree fellow, is pursuing her master’s in public health policy and management.