HR 376 — A Resolution urging the President and Congress of the United States to address the critical issue of veteran suicides by ensuring that the Department of Veterans Affairs provides comprehensive and accurate data to inform effective prevention strategies, thereby honoring the sacrifices of all who have served.

PRINTER'S NO.   2665

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



           HOUSE RESOLUTION
              No. 376
                                                Session of
                                                  2025

     INTRODUCED BY COOPER, VENKAT, GALLAGHER, DELLOSO, O'MARA AND
        HADDOCK, DECEMBER 1, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
        PREPAREDNESS, DECEMBER 3, 2025


                                 A RESOLUTION
 1   Urging the President and Congress of the United States to
 2      address the critical issue of veteran suicides by ensuring
 3      that the Department of Veterans Affairs provides
 4      comprehensive and accurate data to inform effective
 5      prevention strategies, thereby honoring the sacrifices of all
 6      who have served.
 7      WHEREAS, The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National
 8   Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report showed 17 veteran
 9   suicides per day in 2019; and
10      WHEREAS, An estimated 22 veteran suicides per day had
11   previously been reported; and
12      WHEREAS, The VA attributed this decrease to its prevention
13   programs; and
14      WHEREAS, The 2019 report excluded suicides among National
15   Guard and Reserve veterans who did not meet specific service
16   criteria, such as 90 consecutive days of active duty, 30 days in
17   a combat zone or 20 years of total service; and
18      WHEREAS, National Guard and Reserve members, who constitute
19   45% of the forces deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, are veterans
 1   who swear an oath, undergo rigorous training and serve alongside
 2   active-duty personnel; and
 3         WHEREAS, These citizen soldiers bring valuable civilian
 4   experience in keeping with the motto "Twice the Citizen"; and
 5         WHEREAS, Excluding National Guard and Reserve suicides from
 6   VA reports artificially lowers the suicide toll; and
 7         WHEREAS, By omitting critical data on a group facing unique
 8   risks, the reporting suggests stable National Guard suicide
 9   rates while active-duty rates declined by 15% in recent years;
10   and
11         WHEREAS, The VA's exclusion of these veterans, along with
12   others with dishonorable discharges and deaths classified as
13   "self-injury mortality" without documented suicidal intent,
14   limits research opportunities to understand suicide risk
15   factors; and
16         WHEREAS, Mental health conditions like posttraumatic stress
17   disorder are among the risk factors which increase the
18   likelihood of conduct leading to dishonorable discharge; and
19         WHEREAS, By including nonactivated National Guard and Reserve
20   veterans in its data analysis, the VA establishes an ideal
21   control group to further understand the impact of deployment on
22   suicide risk; and
23         WHEREAS, An estimated 20 veteran suicides per day may go
24   uncounted when certain deaths, such as drug overdoses or single-
25   vehicle accidents, are misclassified as "accidental" rather than
26   suicide, further obscuring the true scope of the crisis; and
27         WHEREAS, Accurate data inclusion fosters a sense of belonging
28   and hope, critical for reducing suicide risk; and
29         WHEREAS, Exclusion leads National Guard and Reserve veterans
30   to feel unrecognized by the VA in life and in death; and

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 1        WHEREAS, With more than 700,000 veterans, including National
 2   Guard and Reserve members, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has
 3   a vested interest in ensuring that all veterans' sacrifices are
 4   acknowledged and their mental health needs are addressed through
 5   comprehensive data collection; and
 6        WHEREAS, Restoring data on National Guard and Reserve
 7   suicides in the VA National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual
 8   Report is essential for transparent research, effective
 9   prevention strategies and honoring all who serve; therefore be
10   it
11        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
12   Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the President and Congress of
13   the United States to address the critical issue of veteran
14   suicides by ensuring that the Department of Veterans Affairs
15   provides comprehensive and accurate data to inform effective
16   prevention strategies, thereby honoring the sacrifices of all
17   who have served; and be it further
18        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
19   Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the President and Congress of
20   the United States to direct the VA to include suicides among
21   National Guard and Reserve veterans in its National Veteran
22   Suicide Prevention Annual Report; and be it further
23        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
24   Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge Congress to pass legislation
25   based on previous veteran suicide prevention initiatives which
26   included these critical statistics, thereby enhancing efforts to
27   combat veteran suicide; and be it further
28        RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
29   the President of the United States, the Secretary of Veterans
30   Affairs, the presiding officers of each house of Congress and

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1   each member of Congress from Pennsylvania.




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