On May 21, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee approved, by voice vote, the Veterans Health Care Authorization Act of 2009 (S. 252).
Sponsored by Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), the bill would establish a pilot program “to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing training and certification for family caregivers of veterans and members of the armed forces with traumatic brain injury as personal care attendants of such veterans and members.” Family caregivers would be eligible for compensation from the department of Veterans Affairs.
S. 252 would require the secretary of Veterans Affairs to issue, by July 1, 2010, to the House and Senate Committees on Veterans Affairs a report “on the barriers to the receipt of comprehensive health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs that are encountered by women veterans, especially veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.” The report must assess the impact of various barriers, including perceived stigma in accessing mental health services; transportation and geographic isolation; child care; perception of personal safety at veterans’ services locations; sensitivity of staff; and the effectiveness of department outreach. A second report on plans to “improve the provision of health care services to women veterans,” including mental health needs of women on active duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom would be required 18 months after enactment.
The secretary would be required to contract with an outside party to conduct a study on the “health consequences” for women veterans serving in the current theaters of combat operations, including associations between environmental and occupational exposures and general health, mental health and/or reproductive health. The study also would consider the effect of combat trauma, military sexual trauma, and exposure to substances known to cause reproductive problems and birth defects.
A program for “education, training, certification, and continuing medical education for mental health professionals to specialize in the provision of counseling and care to veterans” suffering from sexual trauma would be created. All mental health professionals participating in the program would be required to receive specialized training before assisting veterans who have experience sexual assault or trauma.
The measure also would create a pilot program to assess the feasibility of providing child care subsidies to veterans who are the primary family caretaker and receiving regular or intensive mental health care services. The measure authorizes $1.5 million for FY2010 and FY2011 to carry out the pilot program.
S. 252 would allow the secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide routine health care services to the newborn of any woman veteran for seven days after the birth of the child.
