(The Center Square) – The rate of suicide for veterans in Missouri is 33% higher than the national rate and a new law will require an annual report on the state’s approach to the problem at no cost to taxpayers.
House Bill 1495, unanimously approved by both chambers in the General Assembly and signed into law Thursday by Republican Gov. Mike Parson, will require the Missouri Veterans Commission to review federal guidelines regarding suicide. The commission will collaborate with the Department of Mental Health and provide recommendations and efforts for procedures, programs, treatment options, additional aid and any other assistance focused on preventing veteran suicide.
Paul Kirchoff, executive director of the Missouri Veterans Commission, said during House committee hearings the state’s rate of suicide among veterans as 45.2 per 100,000, higher than the national rate of 33.9.
Parson also signed Senate Bill 912, which has an annual report requirement identical to the House bill.
The fiscal note for the House bill shows the state won’t spend any money on the new law. However, the Veterans Commission requested and received $120,000 in the fiscal year 2024 budget for a prevention coordinator and operating costs for a veteran suicide awareness program. The fiscal note for the Senate bill stated the money from the 2024 budget isn’t being spent.
“At the present time, the MVC has not filled this position because of cash flow concerns” from the Veterans Commission Capital Improvement Trust Fund, according to the fiscal note. “The Commission is concerned that distributions from the fund may be more than appropriations.”
More than $7.5 million was allocated for the trust fund in the 2024 budget; $8.1 million was budgeted for fiscal year 2025. Parson also vetoed $500,000 for technology assistance for National Guard suicide prevention from the 2025 budget.
The Senate bill also established a new medallion for the Missouri Veterans Program for every military operation during the Afghanistan War. The Senate bill fiscal note estimated the cost of each award will be $15. Depending on how many veterans apply for the award, the cost to the Veterans Commission Capital Improvement Trust Fund could range from $1,000 to $1.1 million.
“We are proud to be a leading state for veterans, military members, and their families where they can find professional success, affordability, welcoming communities, and, above all, support and respect for their service to our great nation,” Parson, an Army veteran, said in a statement. “The legislation we are signing today continues our commitment to our nation’s heroes that Missouri will remain one of the best places for veterans and service members to live, work, and raise a family.”
The new law requires the Missouri Veterans Commission to review the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 and any related regulations. The federal law contains the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program to be administered by the Veterans Administration for a three-year period. Approximately $52.5 million in grants were available with the maximum grant capped at $750,000, according to the Federal Register.
