A Coalition Is Targeting the Link to Veteran Suicide That Most Miss

Published Jun 30, 2026, 11:15 PM EDT

Heads Up Vet is designed to identify veterans at risk from undiagnosed head injuries and connect them to care before a crisis occurs.

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Published Jun 30, 2026, 11:15 PM EDT

The conversation around veteran suicide prevention has grown considerably in recent years: more funding, more programs, more technology, more public awareness. What has not grown at the same pace is the understanding of one of the most significant risk factors driving that suicide rate: traumatic brain injury. Veterans diagnosed with TBI face a 56 percent higher risk of dying by suicide compared to veterans without a head injury diagnosis. That statistic is not new. What is new is that a national coalition launched in March 2026 is specifically building its entire model around it. Heads Up Vet, announced in March and led by Veterans Collaborative, is a public-private-community partnership that connects frontline nonprofit organizations, VA-aligned resources, Amazon Web Services, and Bonterra's social impact technology platform in a coordinated system designed to identify veterans at risk from undiagnosed head injuries and connect them to care before a crisis occurs.