VA Says Nearly 50K Veterans Used Emergency Suicide Prevention Program in its First Year

Nearly 50,000 veterans made use of an emergency suicide prevention program that was launched by the Department of Veterans Affairs last year.

The VA announced Wednesday that 49,714 veterans and former service members took advantage of a new benefit that allowed them to go to any VA or non-VA health facility to get free emergency care if they were experiencing an acute suicidal crisis.

The department said the benefit not only offered potentially life-saving health care, it saved more than $64 million in health care costs.

The department said the new policy allowed those experiencing a suicidal crisis to get necessary care, including emergency room visits, up to 30 days of inpatient or crisis residential care, up to 90 days of outpatient care and transportation costs.