Legislative News
Dear Friend,
We are pleased to inform you about two important veterans bills supported by DAV that were recently passed by Congress and signed by the President.
On October 17, the President signed into law S. 785, the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act. Public Law 116-171
This comprehensive bipartisan bill, in line with DAV Resolution No. 370, will help increase outreach and services to veterans at risk for suicide and improve VA mental health services by:
Strengthening VA’s mental health workforce to serve more veterans by offering scholarships to mental health professionals to work at Vet Centers, and placing at least one Suicide Prevention Coordinator in every VA hospital;
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Directing the department to develop a staffing plan for increasing the number of mental health counselors and region-specific incentives needed to hiring them;
Improving rural veterans’ access to mental health care by increasing the number of locations at which veterans can access VA telehealth services;
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Implementing a pilot program to expand veterans access to complementary and integrative health programs through animal therapy, agriculture therapy, sports and recreation therapy, art therapy and post-traumatic growth programs;
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Studying the health benefits of providing integrative health treatments such as yoga, meditation, acupuncture, chiropractic care;
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Establishing a grant program that allows VA to better collaborate with community organizations already serving veterans with a goal of early identification and supportive prevention services for veterans at risk of suicide;
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Studying the impact of living at high altitude and associated suicide risk factors for veterans and implementing a precision medicine initiative to identify and validate brain and mental health biomarkers among veterans to better identify and treat depression, anxiety, PTSD, and traumatic stress disorder.
The bill also includes provisions, supported by DAV Resolution No. 020, to improve services to women veterans by:
Expanding the capabilities of the VA women veterans call center, to include text messaging; and
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Creating a centralized website that includes information about all the benefits and services available to women veterans, the name and contact information for each women's health coordinator, and specific services available for women veterans at each medical center and community-based outpatient clinic throughout a designated VISN—Veterans Integrated Service Network.
Important information for disabled veterans and/or their loved ones. The VA Caregiver Support program has now been expanded to include veterans from the Vietnam era forward. It used to be that only those veterans from 9/11 forward qualified. The program can help keep a veteran at home in lieu of having to go to a nursing home. More specific qualifications: Veteran who has a single or combined service connected disability rating of 70% or more, and who is in need of in-person personal care services for a minimum of six (6) continuous months based on either: an inability to perform an activity of daily living each time the activity is performed, or a need for supervision, protection, or instruction, which means a functional impairment that directly impacts his/her ability to maintain his/her personal safety, on a daily basis. The program provides support to caregivers who are family members or other individuals not related to the veteran. The caregiver must reside in the home of the veteran. A monthly payment equivalent to a federal civil service employee rated at GS4 step 1 is provided or approximately $2,600.00 a month. This program goes a long way in keeping veterans at home in lieu of having to leave their loved ones for a place they would rather not be. For further information please visit: https://www.caregiver.va.gov/index.asp Because of the updated program you may be directed to a new web address.