Moran requests DOD review of rising National Guard suicide rate

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) recently joined a bipartisan contingent of senators in requesting a report from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) on the rising rate of suicides among service members of the U.S. National Guard.

“We cannot continue to treat the National Guard as just another branch of the Active Army and Air Force while not paying special attention to their unique needs,” wrote Sen. Moran and his colleagues in an Oct. 16 letter sent to James Stewart, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. “We must ensure the National Guard has care and community that is comparable to the Active components.”

Suicide reports conducted by DOD, the most recent released last month, found that the suicide mortality rate per capita for the National Guard is consistently higher than that of Active Duty and Reserve service members, according to their letter, which was signed by eight other senators, including U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO).

The senators cited potential reasons for the discrepancy in National Guard suicide rates, such as the members’ problems finding full-time employment and a lack of access to quality mental health care, among others.

The senators requested that the DOD provide an analysis by December of the gaps in existing suicide prevention programs and the factors contributing to the discrepancy in National Guard suicide rates.

Sen. Moran in May also introduced the bipartisan Care and Readiness Enhancement (CARE) for Reservists Act of 2019, S. 711, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) to improve Guardsmen and Reservists’ access to mental health services, regardless of their deployment status.

The identical H.R. 2629 also was introduced in May by U.S. Reps. John Katko (R-NY) and Anthony Brindisi (D-NY). Both bills are under review in their respective chambers’ Veterans’ Affairs Committees.