Bill would force VA to overhaul a suicide prevention algorithm that favors white men – the markup

The Department of Veterans Affairs would be forced to overhaul an artificial intelligence program that helps guide suicide prevention under a account introduced late last month by Senator Jon Tester.

Tester, a Montana Democrat who chairs the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, introduced the bill after research by The Fuller Project and The Markup found the department’s algorithm priority given to white, male veterans. It also gave preference to veterans who are “divorced and male” and “widowed and male,” but not to any group of female veterans.

Military sexual trauma and intimate partner violence, both linked to an increased suicide risk among female veterans, were not taken into account. Tester’s legislation requires these factors to be included within 60 days of the bill becoming law.

The most recent government facts show a 24 percent increase in the suicide rate among female veterans between 2020 and 2021 – about four times the increase among male veterans during that one-year period. It was also nearly ten times greater than the 2.6% increase among women who never served in the military.

“It is critical that VA consider additional risk factors facing female veterans,” Tester, the chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said in a statement. Tester, a Montana Democrat locked in a tight reelection fight that could determine control of the Senate, has touted his commitment to veterans over the course of his campaign.

The VA says it is working to update the algorithm to include risk factors that disproportionately impact women, regardless of the proposed legislation. Agency press secretary Terrence Hayes said in an email earlier this month that the agency is reviewing pregnancy, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, intimate partner violence and military sexual trauma, among other topics.

“VA is continually working to improve our programs,” Hayes said. “As we update the model, it will be evaluated for performance and bias before deployment.”

In an email, VA spokesman Adam Farina said the agency hoped to update the algorithm in early 2025.

VA officials have previously defended prioritizing white, male veterans for outreach. The suicide rate among female veterans may be rising faster, they say, but the suicide rate among male veterans remains significantly higher. In an interview in May, Matthew Miller, executive director of the suicide prevention agency, said a history of military sexual assault or intimate partner violence was not among the 61 variables used in the algorithm because they were not among “the most powerful for us.” predict suicide risk.”

Veterans groups, which have been pushing for the VA to update the algorithm, welcomed Tester’s legislation and said the agency must act more quickly. “We’ve seen promise,” said Naomi Mathis, assistant legislative director of Disabled American Veterans, which has made improved care for women veterans a priority.

Mathis, a former Air Force sergeant who deployed to Iraq, noticed that in surveysone-third of female veterans tell the VA that they engaged in sexual activity against their will while in uniform. “You can’t see them,” she said.

The issue of algorithmic bias has gained popularity in recent years, with researchers finding that many AI systems systematically favor white men in their roles. Both chairman Joe Biden and its predecessor Donald Trump has issued executive orders to promote transparency and accountability for AI products, a process that may be difficult given researchers’ increasing reliance on systems that ostensibly teach themselves and create their own processes that may not be explainable. The VA identified it more than 100 programs covered by these presidential decrees.