Momentum Must Now Drive Action on Brain Health and Electronic Health Records for Veterans
MOUNT AIRY, Md., Sept. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved S. 392, designating Nov. 16, 2025, as National Warrior Call Day and recognizing the urgent need to connect servicemembers and veterans to the support networks necessary to transition from the battlefield—especially through peer-to-peer connection.
Warrior Call is rooted in a simple but lifesaving mission: ensuring no veteran is left isolated. As the Department of Veterans Affairs has concluded, social isolation is “arguably the strongest and most reliable predictor” of suicidal behavior. Up to two-thirds of veterans who die by suicide each year have had no contact with the VA or similar support structures. National Warrior Call Day invites all Americans to reach out, connect with a veteran or servicemember and listen—because one call can save a life.
But the Troops First Foundation, leader of the Warrior Call initiative, stresses that connection must be matched with systemic reforms. Building on this momentum, policymakers have a historic opportunity to advance two initiatives that will greatly improve the care and outcomes for veterans:
- The Precision Brain Health Research Act of 2025 would direct the VA, in coordination with the National Academies, to launch a comprehensive 10-year research effort on repetitive low-level blast injuries. These invisible wounds, too often mislabeled as “mild” traumatic brain injuries, are linked to higher rates of suicide, mental health conditions, and long-term neurological decline. The importance of the proposed legislation is underscored by a recent study in JAMA Network of post-9/11 veterans. It found far higher rates of suicide for vets suffering brain injuries compared to the general population and to vets with no brain injuries. The legislation would also ensure the VA and DoD share data to better track and treat veterans long after they leave service.
- The Electronic Health Record (EHR) transition at VA medical centers is critical to ending the bureaucratic dysfunction that leaves too many veterans repeating their medical histories to different providers or falling through the cracks of disconnected systems. A modernized, unified EHR system can ensure continuity of care, strengthen trust between veterans and providers, and reduce the isolation that often drives despair. Veterans deserve the same streamlined and patient-centered records system civilians already experience.
“Warrior Call has always been about defeating isolation,” said Frank Larkin, chief operating officer of Troops First Foundation and chair of Warrior Call. “This year’s resolution is a powerful bipartisan signal—but connection alone isn’t enough. We must seize this moment to modernize health records and prioritize brain health research so that when veterans do reach out, they find a system ready to listen, act, and heal. These reforms are overdue, and they will save lives.”
Warrior Call continues to draw broad support, counting 34 bipartisan cosponsors for the Senate resolution. Supporters also include leading veteran service organizations, Medal of Honor recipients and former VA secretaries.
Advocates and coalition partners will use the weeks leading up to Nov. 16 to spread the message nationwide and press for action on Warrior Call. Larkin and others involved in the effort will simultaneously push for swift action on the Precision Brain Health Research Act and full-scale EHR modernization.
To learn more, visit WarriorCall.org.
Founded in 2008, the Troops First Foundation implements initiatives that foster connectivity, build trust and address reintegration in post-9/11 warrior care. One of the foundation’s programs is Warrior Call.
SOURCE Warrior Call
