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 ensure that all Veterans of the U.S. military, regardless of where they live, can access critical health care services, including for mental health and substance use disorders (MH/SUDs). Congress should also continue to streamline the complicated and burdensome application process for disability benefits.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) should reexamine discharges that were Other than Honorable (OTH) so that more Veterans receive access to critical health benefits.

Congress should pass the RESPECT Act, which would modernize the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) at the Department of Veterans Affairs, improving access to mental health services for veterans and their caregivers.[1][2]

The Department of Defense (DoD) should fully implement the Supporting Eating Disorders Recovery Through Vital Expansion (SERVE) Act, which allows for inpatient and outpatient treatment for eating disorders under TRICARE for dependants and active military personnel, and use its existing authorities to expand eating disorder treatment coverage to retired military families.[1][2][3]

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]