To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand access to the Veterans Community Care Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs to include certain veterans seeking mental health or substance-use services, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · May 18, 2023
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
This bill aims to expand the Veterans Community Care Program to provide better access to mental health and substance abuse treatment services. Currently, many veterans struggle to access residential mental health programs through the Department of Veterans Affairs due to wait times and eligibility restrictions, and the bill would allow veterans to receive these services from community providers when the VA cannot accommodate them in a timely manner. The legislation requires the VA to establish minimum standards for community mental health facilities within 90 days and mandates that mental health access standards be no more restrictive than other specialty care. The bill also requires the VA to track detailed metrics on care requests, approvals, and denials, and prevents the department from future changing access rules without congressional approval, aiming to address the ongoing crisis of veteran suicides by removing barriers to timely mental health treatment.
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