Veterans and Military Affairs staff outline family readiness, suicide-prevention and installation resiliency efforts

Deputy Director Brian Garrett of the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs told the Veterans and Military Affairs Commission that the department has expanded family readiness and installation-resiliency work and is coordinating a range of programs to support service members, veterans and their families.

Garrett said the department now organizes its military-affairs work into two main lines of effort: family readiness and installation resiliency. He said the legislature funded new staff positions over the last year, including Mike Miller as family programs manager and Cale Smith overseeing suicide prevention and resilience work.

The report described several recent program milestones. Garrett said state-funded military support teams placed in Davis County, Ogden, Weber and Tooele have assisted more than 800 military and veteran families, reached roughly 13,000 participants in school events tied to the Month of the Military Child and trained about 2,500 teachers on military-connected student needs. He credited Davis School District and military child advocates for an early case in which a military-background therapist helped a child show measurable behavioral improvement in the classroom.

Garrett said the department’s Purple Star Schools initiative now recognizes about 101 schools that meet standards in Board of Education administrative rule for services to military children; he said Davis School District aims to have all 90 of its schools Purple Star–designated by 2027.

On policy changes affecting military children, Garrett said the Utah High School Activities Association changed its transfer policy so military students need only show a permanent change-of-station order or proof of relocation rather than submitting voluminous paperwork and losing half a season of athletics. He said the association’s change has been promoted as a Department of Defense best practice.

Garrett also summarized two bills from the past session that affect military families. He said a portability change to 401(k) contributions through Utah Retirement Systems allows a relocating service member or military spouse to retain employer contributions earned before a move, and a separate bill extended transition benefits to Department of Defense civilian employees.

On installation resiliency, Garrett said staff now manage more than 350 military easement interests for the state and are partners in the Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape, a 2,700,000-acre collaboration across nine counties and more than 40 partner organizations aimed at protecting lands around five installations. He said work also includes assistance with land-use issues and previous legislation that created “dead zones” for food-delivery services to limit unauthorized access to Hill Air Force Base.

Garrett said the department has distributed about 1,300 gun safes over the life of its suicide-prevention program and that the Military Live playbook is now launched as part of broader resilience work.

The commission members thanked department staff and noted ongoing coordination with base leaders, the governor’s office and the congressional delegation. Garrett closed by offering to answer questions and acknowledged possible fiscal constraints on some efforts.

Ending — The commission did not take formal action on the update; members discussed continuing support and flagged budget considerations for implementation of some initiatives.