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Give Veterans And Families The Tools To Survive Life After Service

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Sponsor: The Veterans Site

Too many veterans face their most dangerous battle after service ends, and families need real training and support before crisis takes hold.

Give Veterans And Families The Tools To Survive Life After Service

For many veterans, the move from military life to civilian life brings loss of structure, stress at home, financial strain, and serious mental health risks. Research shows suicide risk can rise after separation, especially in the first year. Veterans who struggle with that transition can face far greater odds of suicidal thoughts.1,2,3

Families Should Not Be Left Out

Spouses, parents, and loved ones often notice the first signs that something is wrong. Yet many families receive little formal preparation for the shift out of military service. Better training could help families recognize warning signs, respond early, and connect veterans with care before a crisis turns fatal.2,4

The System Must Reach Veterans Earlier

RAND reports that veterans who recently separated face elevated risk, and the VA says suicide prevention must extend beyond clinics into families and communities. Stop Soldier Suicide reports that more than half of veterans who died by suicide in one year had no contact with the Veterans Health Administration in the previous five years. Waiting for veterans to seek help on their own is not enough.1,4,5

Mandatory Transition Training Can Save Lives

The Department of Defense, working with the Department of Veterans Affairs, should require transition training for all separating service members and their families. That training should cover mental health risks, how civilian life can affect identity and relationships, practical benefits navigation, employment and financial readiness, and clear steps for finding support fast. It should continue through the first year after discharge, when risk remains acute.1,2,3

Sign the petition to urge the Department of Defense to make transition support mandatory and help save veterans’ lives.

More on this issue:

  1. Rajeev Ramchand and Tahina Montoya, RAND (22 May 2025), "Suicide Among Veterans."
  2. Frank Ruiz et al., Public Health Reports (2023), "A Practical Review of Suicide Among Veterans: Preventive and Proactive Measures for Health Care Institutions and Providers."
  3. Rajeev Ramchand, RAND Health Quarterly (30 June 2022), "Suicide Among Veterans: Veterans' Issues in Focus."
  4. Stop Soldier Suicide, Stop Soldier Suicide (2026), "Veteran Suicide Statistics."
  5. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Mental Health (16 February 2026), "Suicide Prevention."

The Petition

To the Secretary of Defense,

I am writing to urge the Department of Defense to take stronger action to help prevent suicide among veterans by requiring mandatory transition training for all service members and their families before separation and throughout the first year of civilian life.

Too many veterans survive military service only to face profound risk after they return home. Research has shown that the transition out of uniform can bring loss of identity, isolation, financial stress, relationship strain, and untreated mental health challenges. This period can be especially dangerous in the months immediately following separation, when veterans and their loved ones often face major change with too little preparation.

Families are often the first to notice when a veteran is in distress. They should not have to guess what warning signs mean, how to respond, or where to find help. Mandatory transition support should give both veterans and families practical tools before crisis begins. It should include mental health education, suicide warning signs, benefits navigation, employment and financial readiness, family adjustment support, and direct connections to VA and community resources.

This is not only a matter of policy. It is a matter of humanity and compassion. The country asks service members and their families to carry enormous burdens. When military service ends, that responsibility should not end with a discharge packet and a list of phone numbers. Veterans deserve a real system of support that prepares them for civilian life, helps them stay connected, and makes it easier to identify those at risk before lives are lost.

The Department of Defense should work closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs to make this training universal, consistent, and sustained beyond the day of separation. It should also ensure that families are included, because support at home can make the difference between recovery and tragedy.

Please act now to strengthen transition support and make suicide prevention a mandatory part of the path from military service to civilian life. These actions will help protect those who served, support the families who stand beside them, and ensure a better future for all.

Sincerely,

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