The joint Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) Suicide Data Repository (SDR) is a unique, collaborative effort to merge existing data from multiple federal agencies. The SDR improves the DoD and VA’s ability to understand suicide behaviors, inform researchers, and evaluate suicide prevention programs through a comprehensive mortality database. The SDR was created in 2013 and became operational in 2014.

The SDR is a research tool for DoD and VA studies that enables researchers to access data that was previously impossible to obtain in an integrated way. Principal Investigators (PIs) for DoD- or VA- sponsored research may request data from the SDR.

A joint Board of Governors (BoG) was chartered in February 2014. The BoG serves as the SDR managing entity, overseeing its implementation as well as the collection and approval of data requests. For additional information, please read the SDR Fact Sheet and the FAQ:

• SDR Fact Sheet. This document provides a high-level overview of the SDR, its current data holdings, and general information on the process to access data.
• SDR Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). This document provides detailed answers to the most common questions regarding data requests, process, and expected timeline and cost.

If you have any additional questions about the SDR please contact: osd.sdr@mail.mil