Military/Veterans Mental Health

Congress should pass the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act (Momnibus 2.0) package, which includes 13 bills to address alarming disparities in Black maternal health.

Congress should pass the VA Clinician Appreciation, Recruitment, Education, Expansion, and Retention Support (CAREERS) Act.

The Department of Veterans Affairs should update its National Formulary to make all clinically appropriate non-opioid therapies available to patients.

Congress should amend 42 U.S.C. § 254e(a)(2) to extend and fund the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) to include Veterans’ Health Administration facilities and clinics by explicitly including those facilities and clinics under the definition of the term “medical facility.” [1][2]

Congress should appropriate additional funding to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to increase the number of mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) providers, decrease wait and travel times, and attract culturally competent providers that serve the unique needs of the nation’s Veterans.[1][2]

Congress should pass the Servicemembers Mental Health Improvement Act as stand alone legislation or part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would establish a mental health task force within the Department of Defense (DoD), including DoD and non-DoD mental health experts, to examine mental health matters across the department and provide recommendations to improve mental health services in the Armed Forces. [1][2]