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HR 6454

VA Zero Suicide Demonstration Project Act of 2025

119th Congress Introduced by Don Davis and 8 co-sponsors

The bill creates a five-year VA pilot to implement a standardized Zero Suicide framework across five medical centers with staff training, data collection, and annual evaluations.

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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Bill Summary · HR 6454

Summary of H.R. 6454 (119th Congress) – VA Zero Suicide Demonstration Project Act of 2025

Purpose

  • Establish a five-year pilot program within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) called the “Zero Suicide Initiative.”
  • The program aims to implement and evaluate a standardized suicide prevention framework to improve safety and reduce suicide rates among veterans.

Key Provisions and Changes

Section 2: Zero Suicide Initiative Pilot Program

  • Establishment Timeline: VA must establish the pilot program no later than 180 days after enactment.
  • Curriculum: The program will implement the curriculum of the Zero Suicide Institute (Education Development Center) to enhance suicide care and safety for veterans.
  • Development Phase (Year 1):
    • Focus on program development, planning, and site selection.
    • VA must consult with a broad set of stakeholders, including:
    • Secretary of Health and Human Services
    • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
    • Public/private higher education institutions
    • Educators and experts in suicide assessment, treatment, and management
    • Veterans service organizations
    • Relevant professional associations
  • Staff Leadership and Program Elements:
    • At least 10 weeks of staff education, starting with selecting 5–10 staff leaders per site.
    • Leaders will:
    • Complete an organizational self-study as a team.
    • Attend a two-day Zero Suicide Academy.
    • Develop a plan to collect data for evaluation/quality improvement using the Institute’s data elements worksheet.
    • Communicate a specific suicide care approach to site staff.
    • Administer the Institute’s workforce survey to all site staff to assess comfort and competence in caring for at-risk patients.
    • Review, develop, and implement training on processes/policies for patients at risk of suicide, covering:
      • Screening
      • Assessment
      • Use of electronic health records
      • Risk formulation
      • Treatment
      • Care transitions
  • Sites (Five VA Medical Centers):
    • The program will be carried out at five VA medical centers, including one center that primarily serves veterans in rural/remote areas.
    • Site Selection Timeline:
    • 15 candidate sites to be identified within 180 days after enactment.
    • Final five sites selected within 270 days after enactment.
    • Consultation for Site Selection: The Secretary must consult with experts from:
    • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
    • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
    • VA offices: Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Health Services Research, Office of Health Care Transformation
    • Zero Suicide Institute
    • Site Selection Considerations:
    • Staff capacity and interest
    • Geographic variation and regional suicide rates among veterans
    • Center size and demographic/health characteristics of served populations

Annual and Final Reporting

  • Annual Progress Reports (Beginning 2 years after program start):

    • VA must submit to Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs Committees.
    • Reports will cover:
    • Progress of staff leaders on assigned tasks
    • Percentage of staff trained
    • Alignment of site policies with Zero Suicide Institute standards across key areas:
      • Suicide screening
      • Lethal means counseling
      • Referrals for comprehensive suicidality assessment
      • Safety planning
      • Risk management during care transitions
      • Outreach to high-risk patients
    • Comparative suicide-related outcomes between program sites and other VA medical centers, including:
      • Suicide risk screening rates
      • Lethal means safety counseling rates
      • Referrals for comprehensive assessment
      • Safety planning completion rates
      • Emergency department usage
      • Inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations
      • Suicide attempts (overall and among those referred for assessment)
      • Suicide deaths (overall and among those referred for assessment)

  • Final Report (Not later than 1 year after program termination):

    • Comprehensive analysis of annual reports and program data.
    • Evaluation of program effectiveness and outcomes.
    • Determination of feasibility to continue the program.
    • Recommendations on expanding, extending, or making the program permanent.

Termination and Extension

  • Term: The program terminates five years after establishment, subject to extension.
  • Extension Authority: The VA Secretary may extend the program for up to two additional years with a written notification to Congress at least 180 days before the termination date.

Targets and Affected Parties

  • Primary Beneficiaries: Veterans receiving care at VA medical centers participating in the pilot.
  • Impact Areas:
    • VA healthcare staff and leadership at participating sites (training, data collection, care processes)
    • VA patients at risk of suicide (through standardized screening, assessment, safety planning, and care transitions)
    • VA system-wide policies and data practices related to suicide prevention

Procedural and Timeline Highlights

  • Enactment triggers a 180-day deadline to establish the pilot.
  • Site selection process spans roughly 9 months (from 180 to 270 days post-enactment).
  • The program requires annual reporting for the duration and a final evaluation within one year after termination.
  • Potential extension up to two years requires congressional notification 180 days prior to termination.

Notes

  • The bill codifies collaboration with multiple federal agencies and the broader suicide-prevention community to implement evidence-based practices from the Zero Suicide Institute.
  • Specific performance metrics are outlined to enable comparative effectiveness analysis against non-participating VA centers.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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