Arkansas US Sen. John Boozman holds hearing, support for veteran suicide prevention

WASHINGTON – A U.S. Senator representing Arkansas recently used his position as a subcommittee chair to oversee Veterans Affairs budgeting and veterans’ health.

Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), Chairman of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, led a hearing examining the fiscal years 2026 and 2027 budget request for the Department of Veterans Affairs. During the hearing, he secured Secretary Doug Collins’ support for reauthorizing a Boozman-authored program to enhance mental health outreach and suicide prevention in veteran communities.

The senator’s opening statement outlined his priorities, including support for his mental health program, the PACT Act.

“The PACT Act has certainly been a dramatic change for veterans, and I also think VA has a good story to tell about its implementation, the new veterans enrolling, and the number of PACT Act-related claims received and processed,” Boozman said. “It also created the Toxic Exposure Fund, and this year’s budget request represents more than a $22 billion increase.The budget request includes a large increase for the Electronic Medical Records program.”

Boozman addressed Secretary Collins about veteran suicide.

“I know something that’s very important to you is veteran suicide, which it is to me and so many other members of this committee, on both sides of the aisle,” the senator said. “The VA has numerous suicide prevention initiatives and yet we still see elevated suicide rates among veterans relative to their civilian counterparts.” 

“This is the one that keeps me up at night,” Collins replied. “What has happened since 2008 is a number that’s not really changed: 17 to 22 veterans taking their own lives [daily]. Of those numbers, half of them have not had contact with the VA; they’ve not been in our system.”

Collins added that he hoped for continued support for outreach programs that bring veterans into the VA system who need help. Boozman, who is also a senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has continued to push for renewal and expansion of veteran suicide prevention programs.