Billions Spent on VA Psychiatric Programs Endangering Veterans' Lives

Strategic Insights -

Veterans Accountability Act Created in response to the alarming trend of VA psychiatric programs failing to address mental health issues, resulting in tragic consequences such as suicides, overdoses, and violence. Despite spending billions of taxpayer dollars, the VA's psychiatric programs are driving tragedy instead of delivering help, as evidenced by the recent mass shootings and soaring suicide rates among veterans. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) points out that the core issue is not a lack of funding, but rather the reliance on psychiatric drugs and brain interventions that experts have long warned are harmful.

Key Takeaways:

  • The VA's mental health budget has grown from $3 billion in 2003 to $17 billion in 2025, but outcomes remain grim, with an average of seven suicides per day among veterans who received VHA care in 2021 or 2022.
  • In 2023, 2.3 million veterans were prescribed psychotropic drugs, many of which carry warnings of suicide, violence, and sudden death.
  • Toxicology testing in all mass violence cases is urgently needed to assess how psychiatric interventions may have played a role, according to the CCHR.
  • Former military psychologist Dr. Bart Billings condemns reliance on drugs and electroshock, stating that mental health cannot be achieved when one is given mind-altering drugs that interfere with cognitive functioning.
  • The VA spent $170 million between 2018 and 2023 on electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and other brain interventions for veterans, which carry risks of memory loss and brain damage.
  • Shirley White lost her son Andrew, a 23-year-old Marine who was prescribed an antipsychotic and antidepressant, and was found dead less than a year later with a toxic mix of psychotropics in his system.
  • High-profile shootings reveal a recurring pattern: psychiatric drug or treatment often preceded violence, such as in the case of Airman Anthony Mena, who died suddenly after being prescribed 35 drugs in 18 months.
  • Retired Air Force Colonel John A. Henke notes that instead of helping veterans recover from war, their pain has been masked with potent drugs, which are feeding addictions and contributing to overdose deaths nearly double the national average among VA patients.

Statistics:

  • An average of 7 suicides per day were among veterans who received VHA care in 2021 or 2022 (Source: CCHR).
  • 2.3 million veterans were prescribed psychotropic drugs in 2023 (Source: CCHR).
  • 13.5% of all deaths by suicide among U.S. adults in 2017 were veterans, despite constituting only 7.9% of the adult population (Source: VA).
  • The VA's mental health budget grew from $3 billion in 2003 to $17 billion in 2025 (Source: CCHR).
  • 61,490 mental health staff were hired by the VA in 2023 (Source: CCHR).

Sources:

  • [1] "VETERAN SUICIDE VA Needs Accurate Data and Comprehensive Analyses to Better Understand On Campus Suicides," Government Accountability Office, Sept. 2020
  • [2] "Baton Rouge shooting: 3 officers dead; shooter was Missouri man, sources say," CNN, 18 Jul 2016
  • [3] "Gavin Long said he suffered from PTSD, source tells CNN," CNN, 20 Jul 2016
  • [4] "The Role of Psychiatric Drugs in Military Suicides and Sudden Deaths," Health Impact News, 18 May 2014