Petty Officer Brandon Caserta was 21 years old when he died by suicide on June 25, 2018. Brandon’s mental health crisis was exacerbated by the fact that several of his fellow sailors had hazed and bullied him for a prolonged period. When he tried to seek help for his situation, he encountered institutional barriers to seeking mental health services. Moreover, the stigma surrounding self-reporting made it difficult to receive the help he needed. Brandon’s story is not an isolated incident. Mental health crises are common, and everyone deserves to receive the care and services they need.

In 2023, suicide rates among military service members hit a record high. According to the Annual Report on Suicide in the Military (CY 2024), suicide rates for active-duty service members have been steadily increasing since 2011, and 523 service members died by suicide in 2023 alone. Building an improved system that enables service members to receive adequate help must be a top priority.

The Brandon Act, originally enacted in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), presented a strategy to address some aspects of military mental health. This legislation allowed service members to seek confidential referrals for mental health evaluations and, if necessary, to seek referrals outside their chain of command. This legislation is a positive step toward de-stigmatizing the need for help and resources for service members who are experiencing a mental health crisis. At the time the Brandon Act language was signed into law, current For Country Caucus member Rep. Gil Cisneros was serving as the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and signed the order to initiate implementation of the Act across the Department of Defense in May 2023. But more needs to be done to educate leaders at all levels on how best to address and support mental health crises, and to standardize the information disseminated to service members about the options available to them. 

Getting the word out is one of the key next steps, which is why With Honor Action has assisted with garnering support and enthusiastically endorses the passage of the Brandon Act Training and Protocol Act, known as H.R. 6383. This bipartisan legislation was introduced by Rep.Cisneros and fellow For Country Caucus member Rep. Jen Kiggans. This legislation would:

• Develop uniform protocols for the Brandon Act’s self-referral process among the service branches, to be distributed through workplace advertisements on bases and posts.
• Administer standardized mental health training for all members of the Armed Forces, especially commanders, leaders, and medical professionals.

With Honor Action identified the Brandon Act Training and Protocol Act as a priority for inclusion in the FY27 NDAA in our letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees earlier this year. We applaud the leadership of Reps. Cisneros and Kiggans in ensuring its inclusion in the House-passed version of the NDAA. This legislation is a positive step toward improving mental health outcomes and decreasing suicide rates across military branches.

Tell Congress to Pass the Brandon Act Training and Protocol Act (H.R. 6383)

With Honor Action’s VP of Government Affairs, Kaylan Swartz, joined the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS), along with the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS), Reserve Organization of America (ROA), and The American Legion to address the introduction of Duty Status Reform Act (H.R. 6976) (S.4801).

With Honor Action endorsed the Duty Status Reform Act earlier this year, sending letters to both the House and Senate detailing our priorities for the FY2027 NDAA.

“When our Reservists step up, whether overseas or in their own communities, they are doing dangerous and essential work. The Duty Status Reform Act is about fairness, consistency, and making sure every reservist is treated equally when they answer the call,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor. “With Honor Action is proud to endorse the Duty Status Reform Act, which ensures that Reservists don’t lose pay, healthcare access, or benefits simply because of the technical duty status they’re placed in while responding to disasters or serving their country. We thank For Country Caucus members Reps. Cisneros and Bergman for leading this bill and advocating for our Reserve Component.”