Our nation’s commitment to the men and women who serve in uniform does not end when they take it off. We have a responsibility to ensure they can access the care and benefits they have earned through their service, including accounting for the diverse challenges these heroes face. 

Veteran suicide remains one of the most pressing and persistent struggles to confront.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released the 2026 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report on September 30. The report found 6,488 veteran suicide deaths in 2024, including 92 in Arkansas, for an average of almost 18 per day. Behind these statistics are countless families, friends and communities impacted by that tragic reality.

The report also highlights the fact that most veterans who died by suicide had not received VA healthcare in the year of their death or the preceding year. This further underscores the importance of programs dedicated to reaching out to veterans in their communities and connecting them with resources before a crisis arises. 

One key initiative bridging that gap is the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program that I crafted with bipartisan support in 2020.

The Fox Grant Program provides funding to community-based organizations that address mental and social health outside clinical settings. Grantees play a vital role in facilitating engagement between veterans and the VA while offering services such as peer-to-peer engagement, faith-based initiatives and other innovative approaches. Since its creation, the program has awarded more than $300 million to 218 organizations, including two in Arkansas.

These groups recognize something crucial in the fight against veteran suicide: sometimes the most effective way to reach someone in need is through a trusted neighbor, a fellow veteran or a local organization. The Fox Grant Program further empowers them, serving as a force multiplier to help turn the tide.

Another critical resource is the Veterans Crisis Line, which provides free, confidential assistance around the clock by connecting veterans with a live individual who can support them in a moment of need. By dialing 988 and pressing 1, veterans and their families can speak directly with trained responders ready to offer guidance and direct them to helpful resources.

These conversations can be lifesaving, and we must also recognize the dedicated individuals who answer those calls, day and night.

That is why I recently joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) in introducing bipartisan legislation to strengthen the Veterans Crisis Line and better support its workforce. 

Our legislation would improve mental health counseling and peer support programs, as well as strengthen workplace protections, to ensure the Veterans Crisis Line operates as efficiently as possible while providing appropriate care and services. Many of these employees are veterans themselves, so their firsthand experience and understanding are critical to the Crisis Line's operations. I am proud to work with my colleagues to ensure these men and women can be as effective as possible.

Preventing veteran suicide requires a sustained commitment from the VA, Congress and communities across the country. No single program, service or piece of legislation can address every challenge our veterans face daily, but each effort brings us closer to reaching someone who may be struggling. 

Here in Arkansas, we are fortunate to have many hardworking folks supporting our veterans every day. Their efforts are a reminder that suicide prevention isn’t just a federal responsibility. It begins in our communities, with neighbors looking out for one another and noticing when someone needs help. Our veterans answered the call to serve our country. We should make sure someone is there to answer their call.