U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood has introduced legislation aimed at reducing suicide rates among military veterans by widening access to training that VA staff already use to talk with veterans about safely storing firearms and medications. The bill would extend that training beyond hospital walls to family caregivers and community care providers who interact with veterans outside the Veterans Health Administration system.
Underwood, who represents Illinois' 14th Congressional District covering portions of Bureau, DeKalb, Kane, Kendall, La Salle, Putnam and Will counties, introduced the Lethal Means Safety Training Act in Congress, according to Shaw Local. The bill is listed in congressional records as H.R. 10409, with Underwood named as sponsor. She said supporting lethal means safety saves lives, and added that the bill helps VA staff and providers keep veterans safe from self-harm, per the same report.
Lethal means safety training focuses on practices that reduce suicide risk by limiting access to deadly items or other means, the outlet reports. Clinical health care providers are already required to receive this training in Veterans Health Administration facilities, where VA safety training programs give employees tools for discussing firearm and medication storage with veterans. The VA's own research materials describe similar secure-storage measures, including limiting access to firearms and unwanted or expired medications, as steps that may help mitigate suicide risk, according to a VA research brief.
What the Bill Would Change
Under the proposed legislation, community care providers and family caregivers would gain access to lethal means safety training if the bill passes, expanding a resource currently concentrated among VA employees who regularly interact with veterans. The bill would also require the VA to publish its training resources for anyone to access. A press release from Underwood's office states that the measure includes what it describes as strong compliance and reporting requirements alongside the requirement that the VA share its training materials.
The VA's Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center describes lethal means safety broadly as an intentional, voluntary practice to reduce one's suicide risk by limiting access to those lethal means, according to the agency's website.
Bipartisan Backing and a Population-Level Approach
Underwood collaborated with Reps. Julia Brownley and Mike Levin, both Democratic U.S. representatives from California, on the legislation. Levin said the bill would expand training so more employees, caregivers and community care providers can guide veterans in secure storage, Shaw Local reports. The Lethal Means Safety Training Act was brought forth in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, according to the same report.
Per the news release cited by Shaw Local, lethal means safety is described as a population-level intervention that reduces suicide rates. The bill's introduction comes during September, which is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
Timing Amid a Shortened Legislative Calendar
The bill's introduction landed amid a compressed congressional schedule. House Speaker Mike Johnson closed the House early on September 16, saying the early recess was intended to allow lawmakers to campaign for the midterm elections, Shaw Local reports. Underwood posted about her efforts on Facebook that same day.
The Lethal Means Safety Training Act is not Underwood's only recent legislative push. She has also introduced the Educating Future Nurses Act, described as a bipartisan-backed bill intended to grow the nursing workforce, according to the same report. Alexa Lis, who reports for Shaw Local from its Crystal Lake office and is based in Wauconda, Illinois, wrote the original account of the legislation.
