VFW Legislative Alert: Save the Women's Health Care Bill
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 10:10 AM
by northdakota
Current Status:
S. 252, which passed the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee earlier this year, is stuck in the Senate. With time winding down in the year and the Senate is taking on many complicated bills, we need to ensure that the Senate approves this before the end of the session.
Background:
S. 252 includes a broad range of health-care improvements for all veterans, including expanded mental-health services and grants for homeless veteran programs. It also includes a number of significant improvements for female veterans and the health care and services VA provides to them.
Improving the care and treatment of female veterans is a VFW Priority Goal. This is among our highest priorities.
The women veterans' provisions include:
- Studies into what access barriers exist
- Requiring VA to provide a detailed plan on services and how to provide
- A detailed study on the long-term health consequences of female vets serving in the Gulf Region
- Improvements into training and care for military sexual trauma
- Providing limited child care services for veterans seeking treatment at VA
- Providing limited newborn care
Other important provisions: improvements to recruiting and retention of medical professionals; pilot program on dental care; expanded mental health counseling through Vet Centers.
Action Needed:
Contact your two Senators to urge them to support this critical bill and to pass it before adjourning for the year. Its provisions - especially the ones aimed at female veterans - are among the VFW's highest priorities. Let them know that you expect their strong support for this legislation and that you expect them to quickly approve the bill.
