Mission Roll Call is highlighting major reporting gaps and other factors that may mean that the number of veterans who commit suicide may be higher than what is being reported.
“The scope of the problem may not be completely understood,” said Mission Roll Call CEO and retired Army Lt. Col. Jim Whaley.
The 2025 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Report found the average number of daily veteran suicides in 2023 was 17.5, compared to 17.6 in 2022. The findings in the report are based on 2023 death certificate data.
According to the report, the suicide rate per 100,000 veterans rose for both male and female veterans in 2023. For women, the rate rose from 13.7 to 13.9. For men, it rose from 37.3 to 37.8.
Whaley pointed out that the number of veterans across the country is dropping not only because fewer people have served but because of the passage of time.
“World War II, there’s not too many of those gentlemen left, and the Korean War and Vietnam veterans are getting older as well,” he noted.
Whaley said even with the decrease in the veteran population, the rate of suicide for veterans is remaining virtually the same.
“That is a significant increase when you take into consideration that the number of veterans in the total population and those that are passing away due to suicide,” he said.
That means the rate of veteran suicide could be 30 to 40 percent higher, said Whaley.
Whaley said he has been in meetings with VA Secretary Doug Collins, who he described as not happy with the numbers.
“There’s been a lot of study, a lot of investment, but the numbers aren’t going down,” he continued. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for a different outcome.”
Whaley said the challenge for the nation is not to lower the number of veterans who commit suicide, but to completely stop it.
“It should be at zero,” he said. “I think the same way about homelessness.”
The 2025 report found that the suicide rate for homeless veterans enrolled in VA care was 38.8 percent higher than in 2001 and 14.3 percent higher than in 2022.
Whaley said homelessness and veteran suicide are interrelated.
“We know the number of veterans who are homeless is way higher than we think,” he said.
The number of homeless are counted nationwide on a single night, Whaley explained, adding that does not reflect an accurate number.
“When you are homeless, you are on the slippery slope to depression,” he said.
Death causes can also be misclassified, and veteran identifiers are not used uniformly on death certificates across the country, he said.
Whaley said the military does not do an adequate job of helping service members transition back to the civilian world, which can add to the stresses the veteran can face.
Mission Roll Call helps veterans by connecting them with organizations in the communities where they live that can provide whatever assistance they need.
“Veterans are very good about taking care of other veterans, but are awful about taking care of themselves,” he said.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
