Service members who desire mental health care will now have greater access to help and an evaluation through their chain of command, according to a Pentagon policy announced Friday, May 5, 2023. (Defense Department)
WASHINGTON — Service members who desire mental health care will now have greater access to help and an evaluation through their chain of command, according to a Pentagon policy announced Friday.
“Our greatest strength is our people,” said Gilbert Cisneros, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. “This policy is an important step in ensuring that our service members are able to seek mental health treatment when and how they need it.”
The policy implements the Brandon Act, which improves the process for service members to seek mental health support as part of an effort to strengthen suicide prevention throughout the military.
The Defense Department in recent years has aimed to improve mental health care access for its troops, amid increases in suicide rates and outcry from members of Congress and others. The department has spent millions of dollars at the same time on multiple efforts to attempt to understand what causes service members to harm or kill themselves. Defense officials have taken some steps to increase troops’ access to mental health professionals and combat the longstanding stigma that seeking help was a sign of weakness.
The Brandon Act is named after Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Caserta who died by suicide in 2018 at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. A command investigation into Caserta’s death revealed belligerent and brash leaders contributed to the sailor killing himself. He felt alone, stuck and afraid of retaliation, his parents said.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Caserta was 21 years old when he died by suicide at Norfolk Naval Station, Va., in 2018. (Caserta family)
The Pentagon policy directs the military services to establish their own policies, assign responsibilities and provide procedures for service members to request a referral for a mental health evaluation through a commanding officer or supervisor. The process allows service members to seek help confidentially for any reason, at any time and in any environment, thereby reducing the stigma associated with seeking mental health care, Cisneros said.
Service members will continue to have the option to contact their local health care provider directly for a mental health evaluation.
Implementation of the policy will occur in two phases. First, the military services will establish procedures within 45 days to implement the policy for service members on active duty. Secondly, the services will establish procedures to implement the policy for other troops.
Lester Martinez-Lopez, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said the Defense Health Agency is also developing annual training to educate service members and supervisors on the process to initiate a request for a mental health evaluation.
The Brandon Act was signed by President Joe Biden in December 2021 as part of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, an annual bill that lays out Pentagon priorities.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he worked with the Caserta family for more than a year pushing the Pentagon to implement the Brandon Act. He acknowledged the family lost their son to horrific circumstances but were able to turn their grief into an effort to help other service members.
Caserta was one of 325 active-duty service members who died by suicide in 2018, and one of 68 sailors, according to military data. Suicides have increased since then. The Defense Department’s Fourth Annual “Suicide in the Military Report” showed 519 members died by suicide in 2021.
“I’m glad DoD is finally implementing this important bill to honor Brandon and prevent future tragedies,” Kaine said in a statement.
