Boston Veterans Committee Hears Calls for More Outreach, Housing, and Mental Health Support

BOSTON — July 25, 2024 — Boston's City Council veterans committee heard urgent calls Thursday to expand outreach and housing for women veterans as suicide rates among that population climb. At a joint hearing on Dockets 0349 and 0388, chaired by District 2 Councilor Edward M. Flynn, officials reported that the rate of women veteran suicides jumped 24.1 percent in 2021 — nearly four times higher than the 6.3 percent increase among male veterans — citing data from a November 2023 VA report. Commissioner Rob Santiago of the Mayor's Office of Veterans Services said his office distributed just over $100,000 through 13 approved mini-grants in the program's first cycle and is working to fill three vacant positions, including a transition and integration advocate and a deputy commissioner, bringing staff toward a goal of roughly 20. VA Boston director Vincent Ng reported the share of women veterans treated at VA Boston has risen 33 percent over 10 years to nearly 4,700, while trust scores among women veterans lag the overall rate by roughly five percentage points. Disabled American Veterans national officer Coleman Nee submitted a DAV report with more than 50 policy recommendations and urged the city to better coordinate veterans services with public health and women's agencies. State Senator Lydia Edwards pressed for extending the state military code's two-year statute of limitations on sexual assault prosecutions and highlighted the Veterans Equity Review Board as a resource for veterans discharged under "don't ask, don't tell."