National legislators, including U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) are looking to reauthorize a grant program aimed at reducing veteran deaths by suicide.
Warner and John Boozman (R-AR) introduced legislation to renew and expand the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention grant program, a Department of Veterans Affairs-administered program that provides funding for mental health outreach in veteran communities.
The program has distributed millions in grants to community and veteran service organizations and mental health providers across the country.
Deep cuts in mental health contracts have been proposed by the Department of Veteran Affairs as part of the Trump administration’s cost-cutting measures. After public outcry, the cuts to the VA have been temporarily paused. The Associated Press has a database of contracts identified for termination with 22 related to mental health consulting and communication strategies as well as efforts to reduce military and veteran suicide. Many of the contracts on the list are marked as critical or essential.
The grant program is scheduled to end later this year without a Congressional-approved extension.
The program honors veteran Parker Gordon Fox, a veteran and former sniper instructor at the U.S. Army Infantry School at Ft. Benning, Ga. Fox died by suicide on July 21, 2020, at the age of 25. Suicide is the twelfth-leading cause of death for veterans, and the second leading cause for veterans under the age of 45. More than 131,000 veterans have died by suicide since 2001, with veterans being 72% more likely than the civilian population to die by suicide.
“Veterans put an enormous amount on the line to serve our nation, and we owe them the best benefits available when they come home – including robust mental health resources,” said Warner.
“For the past several years, the Staff Sergeant Fox grant program has played an invaluable role getting organizations already doing life-saving mental health outreach more support, including many incredible organizations in Virginia,” Warner said. “We cannot back down on our commitment to preventing suicide in veteran communities – it’s time for us to extend and expand this essential grant program.”
Fox grant program reauthorization details
- Reauthorize the Fox grant program until Sept. 30, 2028
- Increase the total authorized funding for the grant program from $174 million to $285 million
- Expand the maximum potential award from $750,000 to $1.25 million
- Direct the VA to collect additional measures and metrics on performance to better serve veterans
- Require annual briefings for VA medical personnel to improve awareness of the program, and coordination with providers
Fox grant program recipients in Virginia
In 2024, Virginia organizations received $4.5 million from the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention grant program.
- Volunteers of America Chesapeake: $750,000
- Western Tidewater Community Services Board: $613,910 i
- Boulder Crest Foundation: $725,000
- Modern Military Association of America, Inc.: $669,800
- EveryMind: $541,138
- United States Veterans Initiative: $400,000
- Community Building Art Works: $100,000
- Blue Star Families Inc.: $750,000
Comment from the VA press secretary
Update: Saturday, 6:07 p.m. We apparently got the VA’s attention on this story, although it was mostly about congressional legislation.
Despite the deep cuts coming to the VA, they claim they will always take care of veterans, and “there will be no negative impact to VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries.”
Uh-huh.
VA press secretary Pete Kasperowicz provided the following comments regarding contracts on Saturday.
Up to you if you want to believe him. He is the former politics editor at Fox News Digital.
We’ll share his statement in full, because it’s important to have these kind of guarantees on the record.
“We’re reviewing VA’s various contracts, and we will be canceling many focusing on non-mission critical things like PowerPoint slides, executive support and coaching. Our contract review is ongoing, and no final decisions have been made. We will not be eliminating any benefits or services to veterans or VA beneficiaries, and there will be no negative impact to VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries. We are always going to take care of veterans at VA. Period.”
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Crystal Graham
