DOD, VA urged to improve mental health support for troops leaving military

Service members facing the stress of separating from the military need more help from the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs to access mental health care, a federal watchdog agency says in a new report.

Armed forces personnel are particularly vulnerable while transitioning to civilian life, the Government Accountability Office said Monday, noting that the rate of suicide is about 2.5 times higher among veterans in their first year of separation than among active duty troops.

The report raises specific concerns over a Defense Department program designed to help service members during transitions, saying it could be doing a better job.

DOD automatically enrolls service members who received mental health care or traumatic brain injury care in the year prior to leaving the military into the inTransition program, which offers specialized coaching and connects participants to mental health services.