HR 136 · 119th CongressIn Committee

Veteran Overmedication and Suicide Prevention Act of 2025

Latest updateFeb 3, 2025

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Armed Forces and National Security

Sponsor

Vern Buchanan

Introduced

January 3, 2025

Latest action

February 3, 2025

Legislative Progress

How far this bill has traveled through Congress

Introduced

Bill filed in chamber

Committee

Reviewed & reported

Passed Chamber

House or Senate vote

Passed Both

House & Senate agree

President

Sent to White House

Enacted

Signed into law

Introduced

Bill filed in chamber

Committee

Reviewed & reported

Passed Chamber

House or Senate vote

Passed Both

House & Senate agree

President

Sent to White House

Enacted

Signed into law

Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Plain-Language Summary

AI Generated

The Department of Veterans Affairs currently prescribes medications to veterans with conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and depression, but there is limited comprehensive data on whether these prescribing practices correlate with veteran suicide rates. While the VA tracks some mortality data, there is no systematic independent review examining the medications prescribed to veterans who died by suicide, the frequency of multiple concurrent prescriptions, or how VA prescribing guidelines compare to non-medication treatments. This gap in analysis makes it difficult to identify potential patterns, safety concerns, or opportunities to improve mental health care delivery across the VA system.

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine within 90 days to conduct an independent review of all veteran suicides over the preceding five years. The review will examine prescribed medications—particularly those with black box warnings or prescribed off-label—alongside demographic data, diagnoses, and treatment approaches. The National Academies will analyze whether veterans received medication-only treatment or non-medication first-line treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy, identify VA medical facilities with markedly high prescription and suicide rates, assess VA coordination with state prescription drug monitoring programs, and evaluate VA staffing levels for mental health professionals including counselors and therapists.

The National Academies must complete the review and submit findings within 180 days of the agreement. The Secretary then has 30 days to submit the report to Congress and release it publicly. The review will not directly change current VA operations but will provide data to inform updates to VA clinical practice guidelines and identify systemic issues in mental health staffing, medication oversight, and coordination with state health agencies. The findings may prompt the VA to adjust prescribing protocols, increase mental health workforce hiring, or strengthen coordination mechanisms to prevent overprescribing across VA and non-VA providers.

Key Provisions

1Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine within 90 days to conduct an independent review of all veteran suicides during the five-year period before the bill's enactment.
2Requires the review to compile comprehensive data on medications prescribed to deceased veterans, including black box warnings, off-label use, psychotropic drugs, and concurrent multiple prescriptions, alongside demographic and diagnostic information.
3Mandates analysis of whether veterans received non-medication first-line treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy compared to medication-only approaches for post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and depressive disorders.
4Requires identification of VA medical facilities with markedly high prescription rates and suicide rates, assessment of VA mental health workforce staffing levels and hiring barriers, and evaluation of VA coordination with state prescription drug monitoring programs.
5Directs the Secretary to submit the National Academies' completed report to Congress and make it publicly available within 30 days of completion, with findings to inform updates to VA clinical practice guidelines.

★ Why this matters

The review will provide the first comprehensive independent analysis of medications prescribed to veterans who died by suicide, potentially revealing patterns in prescribing practices, medication combinations, or facility-level trends that current VA data does not capture. This information could lead to changes in how the VA prescribes medications, trains mental health staff, and coordinates with state agencies to prevent overprescribing. The findings may also inform whether the VA should shift treatment approaches toward non-medication interventions or adjust clinical guidelines for high-risk populations.

● Who this affects

Veterans receiving mental health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs, particularly those treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, or depression. VA mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health counselors, and marriage and family therapists who prescribe or recommend medications. State Medicaid agencies and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which may need to strengthen coordination with the VA on prescription monitoring. Congress and the public, who will receive the independent findings to assess VA mental health care safety and effectiveness.

Bill Text

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<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 136

 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct an independent 
  review of the deaths of certain veterans by suicide, and for other 
                               purposes.

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 3, 2025

 Mr. Buchanan (for himself and Mr. Connolly) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

                                 A BILL

 
 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct an independent 
  review of the deaths of certain veterans by suicide, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veteran Overmedication and Suicide 
Prevention Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF CERTAIN 
              DEATHS OF VETERANS BY SUICIDE.

    (a) Review Required.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
        shall seek to enter into an agreement with the National 
        Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine under which 
        the National Academies shall conduct a review of the deaths of 
        all covered veterans who died by suicide during the five-year 
        period ending on the date of the enactment of this Act, 
        regardless of whether information relating to such deaths has 
        been reported by the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention.
            (2) Elements.--The review required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    (A) The total number of covered veterans who died 
                by suicide during the five-year period ending on the 
                date of the enactment of this Act.
                    (B) The total number of covered veterans who died 
                by a violent death during such five-year period.
                    (C) The total number of covered veterans who died 
                by an accidental death during such five-year period.
                    (D) A description of each covered veteran described 
                in subparagraphs (A) through (C), including age, 
                gender, race, and ethnicity.
                    (E) A comprehensive list of prescribed medications 
                and legal or illegal substances as annotated on 
                toxicology reports of covered veterans described in 
                subparagraphs (A) through (C), specifically listing any 
                medications that carried a black box warning, were 
                prescribed for off-label use, were psychotropic, or 
                carried warnings that included suicidal ideation.
               …

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Where House representatives currently stand

Built from official statements, public releases, and voting records where they exist. Members without enough evidence are marked as no position.

448 tracked

Support

445

No Position

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Support

Members whose public record points toward backing the bill.

Brendan Boyle

D-Pennsylvania · District 2

Likely support

While there is no explicit statement about the Veteran Overmedication and Suicide Prevention Act of 2025 in the public record, several factors suggest possible support: (1) Boyle demonstrates a consistent focus on health care issues and cost-saving health care initiatives; (2) He has shown commitment to veterans' issues, as evidenced by his work on veterans-related matters in his district; (3) As a Democrat, he typically aligns with harm-reduction approaches to veteran suicide prevention; (4) His advocacy for federal funding to address public health crises (lung cancer, human trafficking, violence prevention) suggests he would support legislation addressing veteran overmedication and suicide. However, confidence is moderate rather than high because there is no direct evidence of his position on this specific bill, and the website content does not explicitly mention veterans' mental health, medication oversight, or suicide prevention.

Veteran Overmedication and Suicide Prevention Act of 2025

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● Who this affects

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Veteran Overmedication and Suicide Prevention Act of 2025

Legislative Progress

Plain-Language Summary

Key Provisions

★ Why this matters

● Who this affects

Bill Text

Where House representatives currently stand

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No Position

Party Positions

Democratic Party

Republican Party

Take Action

Active Organizations