The Army is under fire for delaying implementation of a policy meant to facilitate access to mental health care for soldiers at risk of suicide after another cluster at Fort Cavazos triggered an investigation and knee-jerk response.
Congress in 2021 required each service branche to develop a policy allowing servicemembers to request mental health services at any time and place, named the Brandon Act after Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Caserta, who took his own life after enduring bullying from shipmates for seeking assistance. The Navy and the Air Force announced their policies on July 11 and Aug. 7, respectively, both missing the June 19 deadline, but the Army was still working on their policy as of Wednesday, a spokesperson told Military.com.
“The Army is working deliberately to finalize a new policy that will comply with the Brandon Act and will empower soldiers with additional avenues to seek help confidentially — for any reason, at any time and in any environment — with the goal of reducing the stigma associated with seeking mental health care,” Army spokesman Bryce Dubee told Military.com on Tuesday. (RELATED: ‘Shocking’: Suicide Rates Among Post-9/11 Veterans Soared Tenfold In 15 Years, Study Finds)
But, in a memorandum dated Aug. 29, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth instructed Army commands to implement “Self-Initiated Referral Process for Mental Health Evaluation of Soldiers,” Military.com reported late Friday.
Fort Cavazos, formerly Fort Hood, held a “call to action” on Aug. 16, blocking out time for soldiers and leaders to have conversations on mental health and suicide prevention and response, Lt. Col. Tania Donovan, the public affairs director for III Armored Corps, told Stars and Stripes. Three soldiers died in recent weeks apparently by suicide, but an investigation is ongoing to determine the official cause, Donovan said.
Caserta’s parents has questioned why the Army was taking so long to implement the Brandon Act, Military.com reported.
“[The Army has] a campaign, ‘people first,’ but clearly, that’s not working,” said Teri Caserta, the mother of the soldier whose suicide prompted efforts to construct the Brandon Act, told Military.com. “Not having the Brandon Act implemented is completely irresponsible.”
.@DoD_USD_PR recently signed a policy to implement the Brandon Act to improve the process for service members to seek mental health support. The parents of Brandon Caserta discuss the importance of learning more about available resources & supporting service members. pic.twitter.com/oD35RPMYgb
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) June 10, 2023
On Aug. 8, the Army quietly released a consolidated guide for leaders on suicide prevention and response nearly nearly three years after it initially promised to develop an official doctrine. Meant to provide clear guidance to commanders on how respond to subordinates displaying a risk of suicide, soldiers said the policy falls short of expectations and could leave leaders uncertain when and how to intervene if a subordinate displays signs he or she is thinking about suicide.
In addition, it did not implement the Brandon Act or reference the policy.
“Everyone knows this is not a perfect fix. It’s just a step in the right direction to reintroduce the programs the DoD has to help these people,” retired senior chief petty officer and co-president of the Brandon Caserta Foundation Patrick Caserta told Military.com.
The Casertas said they had yet to meet with Wormuth but had spoken with the other service chiefs on Wednesday, according to Military.com.
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