Postvention Veteran Suicide To-Do Checklist

Postvention Veteran Suicide To-Do Checklist

How To Manage the Minutes and Hours After a Veteran Suicide

Postvention is what called after veteran suicide prevention fails. This failure is usually discovered by a family member. Natural reactions such as shock and the fight or flight response kick in. Once the initial shock simmers, other less natural reactions take over. The urge to call the police, the EMTs and then a funeral home. But what is really happening in those calls will set the course for the rest of the burial process. And they may not be in your best interest. This checklist for what to do after a veteran suicide is one of our most effective tools in limiting the scars of a veteran suicide. See why we’ve chosen this as our mission.

Coroner or Medical Examiner  – make sure you tell them that your loved one was a Veteran. The VA Report on Military Suicides needs better information next time they update it. This will help.

Did they have a PTSD or depression diagnosis? Request that they put that on the death certificate.

Don’t Rush to a Funeral Home – Coroners or Medical Examiners will hold the body for up to 2 months. Once you pick a funeral home and whether to cremate or not, you’re locked into their service or pay a large transfer fee. We have experience in negotiation on your behalf.

Funeral Homes – Not a good fit for families we talk to. Professional but expensive. They’re also cash and carry – some won’t let you see your loved one until their bill is paid-in-full.

Life Insurance Payouts – Most funeral homes will offer to act as a holding/transfer agent for you with the insurance company. They will subtract their fees for your service out of yourmoney. Ask if they charge for that. Don’t like their answer? Contact your agent directly. Their response times can vary significantly.

Biohazard Clean Up – Homeowners insurance may be able to pay or repay the biohazard clean up costs. Landlords or management companies may also have this insurance.

Funeral Homes – Can be helpful, but they are in business to make as much money as possible no matter the circumstances. They should be able to connect with a crematorium if they don’t have one on-site or locally. Many don’t offer that service on-site

Direct Cremations – “A direct cremation all included” is exactly what you should ask for. It is the most affordable service with ashes delivered in one or more urns. Urns start at $75.

Other Financial Resources

County Social Services – Every county in America has a social services office. Call them. They often can help with reasonable funerals, psychadelic.

Local Military Nonprofits – Start with the branch related to your Veteran served. 

Local Faith-Based Outreach Groups

TD Foundation
www.TDFoundation.org

They grant modest financial aid like us, and they focus on children’s needs, so reaching out to them if you have kids may turn out good. Check out their website and you want to talk to Tom Deierlein – Co-Founder.

Military Aid Society offers grants and loans interest free to retired Veterans. There are two main MASs.

Army Emergency Relief (AER)
7117 Baltzell Ave. Bldg. 7
Ft. Benning, GA
(706) 545-4043 

Contact: Lionel Grant – Military Aid Society

Navy and Marines
There is an equivalent and that information is coming soon.

Go Fund Me – Consider starting a Go Fund Me page. Other families have had success here. Hit or miss but definitely worth the time invested.

Emotional Healing

Your emotional healing may never be complete, but on our site we offer free and drug-free ways to clear your mind and find some peace. Here are some links below to get you started and feel free to roam our blog and the rest of our site for anything that may help.

Click here for PTSD and depression options.

David Lynch Foundation Resilient Warrior Program for learning Transcendental Meditation. 4 in-person lesson. They are currently revising this program during the pandemic.

TAPS.ORG – they are the largest in the nation and it may take a while to hear back from them.

The WATCH Program at 22 Kill – this is a newer program that is similar to Taps’ networking opportunities.

Please feel free to stay in touch in any way that makes you feel better. 

May you find the peace you deserve.

More Suicides During The Holidays Is a Myth

More Suicides During The Holidays Is a Myth

In Fact, Suicide Rates Go Down in December

Twenty-two active duty or Veterans take their lives every day. Civilians kill themselves 36,000 times a year. Because of lazy writing and sensationalizing the mentally ill, the myth is out there. Don’t believe it. If you have thought of killing yourself this holiday season because it is the holiday season, DON’T.

It seems logical that for a depressed person, the holidays might be especially tough—extra stress, loneliness and sad reminders of lost loved ones—so perhaps the popular belief that suicides spike around Christmastime is no surprise. Yet the data tell a different story. 

Stop Suicide Ideation During the Holidays 

The idea that suicides occur more frequently during the holiday season is a long perpetuated myth. The Annenberg Public Policy Center has been tracking media reports on suicide since 2000. A recent analysis found that 50% of articles written during the 2009–2010 holiday season perpetuated the myth.

CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reports that the suicide rate is, in fact, the lowest in December. The rate peaks in the spring and the fall. This pattern has not changed in recent years. The holiday suicide myth supports misinformation about suicide that might ultimately hamper prevention efforts.

Suicide remains a major public health problem, one that occurs throughout the year. It is the 10th leading cause of death for all Americans. Each year, more than 36,000 people take their own lives. In addition, more than 374,000 are treated in emergency departments for self-inflicted injuries.

New Year’s Day Is a Different Story

So why the spike on New Year’s? Researchers suggest “the broken promise effect” may explain it—along with the increases after Easter and weekends. “Many of us are familiar with the feeling after holidays: ‘Was that it? I expected more fun, more relaxation, and tomorrow I have to go back to everyday life!’” according to clinical psychologist Martin Plöderl. “For depressed people, the broken promise of Christmas and the blank year lying ahead may increase hopelessness and thus suicide risk.” The greater alcohol consumption that takes place on New Year’s Eve and Day may also play a role in lowering inhibitions, and “some people may postpone their planned suicide so that their families and friends can enjoy Christmas,” he explains.

I WANT TO HELP
I NEED HELP

ABOUT ONCE A SOLDIER

Our Veterans are killing themselves in record numbers mostly due to PTSD. An overmatched VA can’t take care of them or their families. We will.

Soldier suicide leaves Veteran families with thousands of dollars of bills unpaid, mostly bank loans.

We are the only nonprofit standing with the families after a veteran suicide. Stand with us.

Our Mission: Become the preferred channel for donors, advocates and volunteers who care about veteran families left behind after a soldier suicide.

Financial Aid for Veteran Suicide from PTSD

Financial Aid for Veteran Suicide from PTSD

Postvention Monetary Assistance For Veteran Families

Once a Soldier Serves Those in Crisis

Once A Soldier is here for families who have suffered a Veteran suicide with PTSD as it’s root cause. With 17 soldier suicides a day (according to the updated VA research –  22 soldier suicides a day was originally miscalculated but latched onto by nonprofit organizations and others and branded), approximately 14 are Veterans. Active duty accounts for the remainder and that include all available services and reserves. Here are three calls to make after you get the news.

Mainly, we find that PTSD has a leading role in this sad story. We therefore typically gift, or offer financial assistance after the fact, to those Veteran families who lost their soldier in a battle with PTSD. If you’re exhibiting symptoms of PTSD and are looking for free and drug-free options, this article can help you now. Once a Soldier will gift all Veteran suicide families, therefore please keep us in mind or share this news with someone who needs our suicide postvention help.

Funerals are Expensive. Unexpected Ones are Devastating.

The mission is to help heal the emotional and financial scars left behind after a Veteran Suicide. We also offer time of need counseling for families who have just discovered that a tragic death has entered their house. Funeral homes and airlines do their best to offer aid and comfort to Veteran families, but sometimes their help can hurt in the long run. Families faced with a slew of decisions in a time of sadness and confusion will still make good decisions, but sometimes they aren’t presented with all the facts or options that are available. Our time of need counseling can make sure that the family doesn’t make the financial scar deeper than it needs to be. 

Average Costs of Veteran Suicide

Reported by the families that we serve, in general the costs range from $6,000 to $12,000. Funeral home costs make up to 80% of any total expense. More and more funeral homes can offer or are affiliated with another funeral home that can provide cremation services. 

Direct cremation is the most cost-effective option and you have every right to inquire about that service from whomever is holding your loved ones remains. If interested, here’s more on that.  

Secondarily, depending on where the Veteran took their life, transportation costs can add to that monetary burden immediately. Airlines require special handling of the body in addition to the airfare. Most will bend over backwards to help Veterans, but market price and demand can still keep a body tied up in a far away funeral home for what is an agonizing amount of time. 

Finally, for financial help for PTSD-related Veteran suicide victims or survivors, reach out to those local, military-centric nonprofits for additional help. Not just financial or emotional, but you never know what they can offer if you don’t ask. The national Veteran service organizations will have ways for you to connect but not local resources that you may need right after a Veteran suicide. 

Any questions or comments, please feel free to add to the conversation.

If you are a caregiver in need, check out this helpful resource.

I WANT TO HELP
I NEED HELP

ABOUT ONCE A SOLDIER

Our Veterans are killing themselves in record numbers mostly due to PTSD. An overmatched VA can’t take care of them or their families. We will.

Soldier suicide leaves Veteran families with thousands of dollars of bills unpaid, mostly bank loans.

We are the only nonprofit standing with the families after a veteran suicide. Stand with us.

Our Mission: Become the preferred channel for donors, advocates and volunteers who care about veteran families left behind after a soldier suicide.