YouWill urges two‑year teletherapy pilot to expand mental‑health access for Michigan veterans

Adam Ring, representing YouWill, told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military and Veterans Affairs that the company recommends a two‑year statewide teletherapy pilot to expand mental‑health access for Michigan veterans.

Ring said Michigan is home to roughly 500,000 veterans and that veterans in the state experience elevated suicide rates and persistent barriers to care, including long wait times and limited local providers. “Teletherapy is not a silver bullet, but it is a proven and practical solution to bridge these gaps in care and give veterans the care and support they need,” Ring said.

Ring outlined core features YouWill would offer: 24/7 access and crisis support, veteran‑directed clinician matching, licensed clinicians available nationally and in Michigan, and multiple care modalities including video, phone, chat and messaging. He described two program components: “UMatch,” a scheduled telecounseling service, and “UHelp,” a crisis connection tool he said can connect a veteran to a licensed counselor in less than 30 seconds.

Ring proposed implementation steps for Michigan: pilot a two‑year teletherapy initiative providing free access to veterans statewide; coordinate outreach with the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency and community‑based veteran organizations; adopt simple, user‑driven registration and scheduling; and track outcomes through anonymized usage and feedback data. He estimated a “modest annual investment of roughly $10 per covered veteran.”

Committee members pressed Ring on practical details. Representative Rogers asked how veterans in immediate crisis would access help; Ring described UHelp as an immediate crisis connection to a licensed clinician. Representative Cabot raised broadband gaps in rural districts; Ring said YouWill offers multiple modalities (video, chat, messaging, phone) so veterans without high‑speed internet could still access care by phone or asynchronous messaging.

Ring described prior state‑level work by YouWill, including partnerships with higher‑education systems in New Jersey, Georgia and Alabama, and said the company supports more than 3 million users worldwide and works with hundreds of institutions in the U.S. He estimated about 20,000 Michigan veterans currently use YouWill’s services. Ring said the platform produces anonymized outcome data to evaluate engagement and cost effectiveness.

Ring and members of the subcommittee agreed outreach and partnerships with established veteran organizations would be critical to encourage utilization and reduce stigma. Ring closed by urging the state to consider a competitive grant process to identify teletherapy solutions that meet Michigan’s needs.