Ads for Ask the Question in New Hampshire

The Right Referral Starts with the Right Question Have You or a Family Member Ever Served in the Military? In 2013, Lt. Col. Stephanie Riley of the NH Air National Guard was working in an emergency department, where she often saw patients experiencing headaches, dizziness, and hearing loss. Many were misdiagnosed with migraines, when actually they were Veterans suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). One day, Lt. Col. Riley encountered a Veteran who had visited three healthcare facilities without being asked about their military service. By the time they reached out, it was too late—the Veteran took their own life. This tragic experience led Lt. Col. Riley to advocate for a simple practice: asking about military service at intake. Sadly, Lt. Col. Riley passed away in December 2014, but her spirit and message would lead to the creation of NH’s Ask the Question initiative, now marking its 10th anniversary in 2025. Ask the Question encourages service providers across all sectors— healthcare, housing, employment, mental health, social services, education, and others to ask one vital question: “Have you or a family member ever served in the military?” Every day, Veterans, Service Members and military families go to work, school, medical appointments, and otherwise enjoy life in NH. Yet not all Veterans self-identify, for different reasons, which can delay or prevent them from obtaining needed services. Why this matters: nearly 90,000 Veterans live in NH, yet not all receive or are qualified to receive care at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Asking the Question enables providers of all kinds to more effectively identify, screen, refer, and connect Veterans to targeted care, resources, and earned benefits – which can ultimately lead to improved outcomes, reduced costs, and averted crises, while honoring military members and families for their service and sacrifice. Over the last decade, Ask the Question has been adopted by thousands of providers in NH. The initiative has inspired efforts across the country, and has been recognized as a “best practice” by the VA and the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration. To learn how you can Ask the Question and what to do when the answer is “yes,” go to www.AskTheQuestion.NH.gov for free training information or call (603) 227-1403.