The Interagency Task Force on Military and Veterans Mental Health is a collaborative effort across the Departments of Defense (DOD), Veterans Affairs (VA), and Health and Human Services (HHS). It works to ensure that service members, veterans, and their families have access to needed mental health services and support.
Task Force Recommendations
Since its establishment by executive order on August 12, 2012, the Interagency Task Force has worked to implement several recommendations related to cross-agency support for veterans, service members, and their families, including:
- Advancing suicide prevention infrastructure and training across agencies
- Initiating data collection for joint clinical and outcome measures to track behavioral health service use and outcomes
- Building and enhancing community partnerships
- Ensuring effective policy and practice integration around substance use disorders
- Advancing the workforce
The task force is responsible for the following activities:
- Providing an annual review of agency actions
- Defining specific goals and metrics to aid in measuring progress
- Making additional recommendations as appropriate to the President
Access the 2017 Annual Report of the Interagency Task Force and other key resources from VA, SAMHSA, and DoD to learn more about its goals and progress.
SMVF TA Center’s Role
The Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Technical Assistance (SMVF TA) Center plays a central role in communicating the trends and needs of state and territory interagency teams as they work to address the behavioral health needs of service members, veterans, and their families. The SMVF TA Center supports the efforts of the Interagency Task Force by acting as a resource and a link to the work of the states and territories.