NORFOLK, Va. — The Army is being accused of "willful disregard " for the law.
The parents of a local sailor who died by suicide are demanding the Army follow the lead of the other branches of the military and immediately implement the Brandon Act.
The measure is designed to eliminate stigma and improve the referral process for service members seeking a mental health evaluation and allowing them to seek help confidentially.
The law is named after Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Caserta who died by suicide in Norfolk in 2018.
The legislation was signed into law by President Biden in December 2021, as part of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.
It took more than 18 months, but in July of this year, the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force announced they were implementing the Act.
So far, the Army has not.
"It's gut wrenching to see that they haven't implemented it, and they don't seem to care about it." said Teri Caserta, Brandon Caserta's mother.
She and Brandon's father Patrick Caserta, who founded the non-profit Brandon Caserta Foundation, want action now.
"We want to work with them, we want to meet with the Secretary of the Army. We want to work with them to promote the Brandon Act and get this going. That's all we want," he said.
13News Now reached out to the U.S. Army's Chief of Public Affairs Media Relations Division at the Pentagon for comment, who responded with the following statement:
“The Army's greatest strength is our people, and we are committed to their well-being. As we address the complex causes of suicide and other harmful behaviors, we will continue to encourage Soldiers to seek mental health treatment as a sign of strength and resilience. The Army is working deliberately to finalize a new policy that will comply with the Brandon Act and will empower Soldiers with additional avenues to seek help confidentially – for any reason, at any time and in any environment – with the goal of reducing the stigma associated with seeking mental health care.”
According to the Defense Department's Annual Report on Suicides in the Military released last October, for calendar year 2021, the Army had the highest number of suicides among the U.S. military branches at 176, compared to the Navy which had 58, the Air Force which had 51 and the Marine Corps which had 43.