Austin News

U.S. Senators John Cornyn, Maggie Hassan, Michael Bennet, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, and Gary Peters have introduced the Veterans Mental Health and Addiction Therapy Quality of Care Act. This proposed legislation aims to ensure that veterans receive high-quality mental health care by mandating an independent study on the quality of such care provided both within and outside the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Senator Cornyn emphasized the importance of this initiative: “The brave men and women who served our nation should never be denied access to the high-quality care they deserve.” He highlighted that the bill aims to provide an independent evaluation of veterans' quality of life.

Senator Hassan stated that veterans deserve comprehensive health care, including mental health services. She believes this bipartisan effort will help veterans make informed decisions about their mental health care options while identifying potential areas for improvement.

Senator Bennet expressed his commitment to ensuring veterans have access to necessary resources: “Our bipartisan bill is an important step toward understanding the barriers veterans face and improving their access to high-quality substance abuse and mental health services.”

According to Senator Cassidy, addressing suicide and addiction risks among veterans is crucial: “Every veteran must receive the care and services they need... There is no room for failure.”

Senator Collins noted that many veterans struggle with serious mental health issues like PTSD but often face barriers in accessing needed care. The legislation seeks to review available treatments both within and outside the VA.

Senator Peters underscored the importance of delivering first-rate care for veterans: “I’m proud to help lead this bipartisan bill that would assess...mental health and addiction services available.”

The legislation has garnered support from organizations such as Disabled American Veterans Association, American Psychological Association, and Veteran Health Care Policy Initiative.

Recent estimates indicate a significant number of VA-eligible veterans seek external providers for their healthcare needs. The proposed study will analyze various aspects such as symptom scores, evidence-based practices used by providers, coordination gaps between internal and external providers, military cultural competency assessments by providers, ease in sharing medical records with healthcare teams along with overall patient satisfaction levels among others.

This initiative also received cosponsorship from Senators John Fetterman (D-PA) and Thom Tillis (R-NC).