Last March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to combat veterans suicide – National Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS) – which directed Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie and White House Domestic Policy Council Director Joe Grogan to co-chair and create an interagency task force to develop a plan implementing a roadmap for the prevention of veteran suicide at the national and community level.
The task force now is releasing a Request for Information (RFI) to gather feedback on how to improve research and the use of research to radically reduce veteran suicide. Through this RFI, and to ensure the broadest stakeholder input in the development of the national research strategy, VA is seeking to:
• Gain input on ways to increase knowledge about factors influencing suicidal behaviors and ways to prevent suicide;
• Inform the development of a robust and forward-looking research agenda;
• Coordinate relevant research efforts across the nation; and
• Measure progress on these efforts.
The public input provided in response to this RFI will inform the veteran wellness, empowerment and suicide prevention task force, who will develop and implement the national research strategy.
All public comments regarding the RFI are welcome and should be submitted by Aug. 5, 2019, to ensure they are considered in the national research strategy. Responses may be submitted online here.
