On May 25, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee held a hearing on several bills, including S. 2520, the Newborn Care Improvement Act, and S. 2487, the Female Veterans Suicide Prevention Act. The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee approved versions of both bills in July 2015 (see The Source, 7/24/15).
Newborn Care Improvement Act
Sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), S. 2520 would increase from seven to 14 the number of days that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) may provide health care, including post-delivery care, to a newborn child of a woman veteran who delivered the child in a VA facility.
Female Veterans Suicide Prevention
S. 2487 would require VA to identify the most effective mental health care and suicide prevention programs for women veterans and, of those programs, rank those with the highest satisfaction rates among women veterans. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA).
