New VA Grants Aim to Reach Washington Veterans Outside the VA System
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded $111.9 million in grants to 191 community organizations that provide suicide prevention services to veterans nationwide. According to a VA press release published in September of 2026, the funding is meant to reach veterans who are not currently connected to VA care. If you are struggling to access the benefits you earned through your service, an experienced VA disability benefits lawyer in Washington may be able to help.
What Is the Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program?
The grants are awarded through the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. This program sends federal funding to nonprofits, state and local governments, federally recognized tribes, and other community-based organizations that have shown they can serve veterans. The newly announced funds will become available at the start of fiscal year 2027.
The program has grown quickly. According to the VA, about 17,000 veterans, service members, and family members received services through Fox grantees in 2025. That represents a 31 percent increase from 2024. Grantees also connected 344 at-risk veterans to emergency mental health care in 2025, and they helped 2,647 veterans who had never used VA health services get connected to VA care.
Why Is the VA Focusing on Community Organizations?
The VA has identified a major gap in its reach. According to the agency, 61 percent of veterans who died by suicide in 2023 were not receiving VA health care in the final year of their lives. In other words, many veterans who need support never walk through the doors of a VA facility.
VA Secretary Doug Collins credited community organizations with reaching veterans who might never seek out VA care on their own, calling the Fox program a key link between federal support and veterans who need it most. The agency is also pushing to enroll more veterans in VA care, and it reports enrolling more than 280,000 veterans so far in 2026. Other efforts include expanded suicide risk screenings and emergency suicide prevention care available at both VA and non-VA facilities.
How Do VA Disability Benefits Fit Into the Bigger Picture?
Mental health care is only one part of the support veterans have earned. Financial stress, untreated service-connected conditions, and years of fighting the VA over a denied claim can take a serious toll on a veteran and their family. Disability compensation can provide steady monthly income, and a service-connected rating can also open the door to VA health care and related benefits.
Unfortunately, many legitimate claims are denied or underrated. Mental health conditions like PTSD, depression, and anxiety are especially prone to rushed Compensation and Pension examinations and incomplete reviews of the evidence. Veterans have the right to appeal these decisions, but the deadlines are strict and choosing the right appeal lane matters.
If you are in crisis or concerned about a veteran you love, help is available around the clock through the Veterans Crisis Line. Dial 988 and press 1, send a text to 838255, or start a chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat. Enrollment in VA benefits or health care is not required.
Can a VA Disability Lawyer in Washington Help Me?
If your claim for service-connected disability benefits has been denied or underrated, a Washington VA disability lawyer may be able to help you fight for the compensation you deserve. Gustad Law Group, PLLC proudly serves veterans in Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma.
Sources:
VA News, “VA awards $112M in suicide prevention grants,” September 29, 2026