Every survivor’s voice matters: Helping shape the future of suicide loss support
VA News ·
Help shape the future of suicide loss support. Share your experience through the TAPS National Suicide Survivor Survey by Oct. 31.
Behind every suicide loss is a family, a circle of friends and a community forever changed. For those grieving the death of a service member or Veteran, the experience can bring unique challenges, unanswered questions and a need for meaningful support that extends far beyond the immediate aftermath of the death.
At the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors , or TAPS, we believe those who have experienced suicide loss hold invaluable knowledge about what families need, where support systems fall short and how communities can better care for survivors.
That belief is at the heart of the National Suicide Survivor Survey , a research initiative designed to elevate the voices of suicide loss survivors and help inform the future of suicide prevention, bereavement support and postvention—support provided after a suicide death.
For more than 30 years, TAPS has provided compassionate care and comprehensive resources to families grieving the death of a service member or Veteran, regardless of the cause of death.
Through this work, we have learned that suicide loss often carries complexities that deserve greater understanding. Survivors may navigate difficult questions surrounding their loved one’s death, changes in relationships, barriers to accessing support and the lasting impact of grief on their lives.
Yet too often, the perspectives of those closest to the loss are missing from the research and conversations that shape services, programs and policies.
The National Suicide Survivor Survey seeks to help close that gap.
Developed through a research collaboration involving TAPS, the Navy SEAL Foundation and the University of Memphis, the survey invites survivors to share what they observed before their loved one’s death, the support they received afterward, the challenges they encountered and the resources that have helped them navigate life following their loss.
By listening directly to survivors, researchers hope to better understand both the circumstances surrounding suicide loss and the experiences of those left behind.
The knowledge gained through this research could inform how military, Veteran, healthcare and community organizations respond to suicide loss.
Survey findings will help develop survivor-informed recommendations focused on strengthening outreach to bereaved families, improving access to appropriate care, identifying gaps in existing support systems and advancing effective suicide postvention practices.
For the Veteran community, these insights are especially important. Understanding the experiences of surviving spouses, parents, children, siblings, fellow service members and other loved ones can help strengthen the systems of care available to families when they need them most.
This research also recognizes that suicide prevention and suicide postvention are deeply connected. Learning from survivors may offer important perspectives on warning signs, opportunities for intervention and ways to better support individuals and families affected by suicide.
TAPS invites adults 18 and older who have experienced the death of a loved one by suicide to participate in the National Suicide Survivor Survey.
The survey takes approximately 12 to 25 minutes to complete, and every question is optional. Participants are encouraged to share only what they feel comfortable sharing.
We recognize that every suicide loss is different. No single experience represents all survivors, and grief does not follow a particular timeline.
Whether a loss occurred two years ago or decades ago, each perspective can contribute to a more complete understanding of what survivors experience and what meaningful support can look like.
At TAPS, we have witnessed the extraordinary ways survivors honor their loved ones, care for one another and help create positive change while continuing to carry their grief.
The National Suicide Survivor Survey offers another opportunity for those experiences to inform something larger: a future in which families facing suicide loss receive more compassionate, informed and responsive care.
Every story offers a perspective worth understanding. Every experience can deepen our knowledge. Every survivor who chooses to participate can help shape how we care for those who come after them.
Your experience matters. Your voice can help make a difference.
To learn more or participate in the National Suicide Survivor Survey , visit taps.org/nslss_2026.
The survey closes Oct. 31, 2026.