(The Center Square) – Advocates and U.S. lawmakers are pushing for a sweeping package of bills to support improvements in veteran healthcare services, including mental health funding.
The Take Care of America’s Veterans Act is a provision consisting of 62 bills to consolidate veteran’s disability care, extend suicide grant programs, and standardize healthcare requirements.
Proposals in the legislation have received broad bipartisan support from lawmakers and veterans. A new pollfrom Mission Roll Call found that 71% of veterans supported TCAVA.
“I know it's an emotional issue for many veterans, but the vast majority of veterans and their families support this,” said John Whelan, CEO of Mission Roll Call.
Whelan told The Center Square that provisions in TCAVA are essential for the future of veteran’s care in the United States. He specifically highlighted support for mental healthcare and suicide prevention initiatives, which are supported by veterans.
TCAVA proposes extending the Staff Sgt. Richard Fox suicide prevention grant program for three more years with new metrics of success and bonus awards to support the grant.
“We need to make sure that we address it at the local level and from those organizations that are showing success and I think that's what the Fox Grants do,” Whelan told The Center Square.
Most recent data from the Department of Veterans Affairs showed6,398 veterans committed suicide in 2023, for an average of 17.5 suicides per day. Mission Roll Call found 80% of veterans supported combining clinical treatment with community-based support to curb suicide.
The poll also found 91% of veterans support redirecting known funding toward suicide prevention. Additionally, 73% of veterans supported public-private partnerships to improve mental health resources.
Whelan said aspects of the legislation that are not entirely related to funding suicide prevention will be helpful for veterans. TCAVA includes the Richard Star Act, legislation that would allow disabled, retired combat veterans to receive full disability and retirement pay without one offsetting the other.
TCAVA also includes the Veterans ACCESS Act, a piece of legislation that allows veterans to have the same access to community healthcare for a minimum of eight years.
“That holistic approach will have an accumulative effect that will help reduce suicide numbers because it will provide support in a variety of areas that are dragging the veteran community into a bad situation,” Whelan said.
The legislation also gives the Department of Veterans Affairs more authority to audit community care clinics, assign traveling physicians for veterans in U.S. territories and introduces a 5-year pilot program to help veterans coordinate their various healthcare options.
While a broad coalition of support has emerged for the legislation, some veterans groups have fiercely criticized certain provisions in TCAVA. Veterans of Foreign Wars, an advocacy group, has criticized provisions in TCAVA that would adjust the rating schedule for tinnitus and sleep apnea in order to provide support for other veteran health claims.
Veterans of Foreign Wars estimated changes to disability compensation could be as much as $57 billion over the next 10 years and affect 1.5 million veterans. Carol Whitmore, National Commander at Veterans of Foreign Wars, slammed the legislation’s provisions.
“We have long maintained that veterans’ benefits are an earned obligation of the nation, a promise made through the military service contract, and should not be financed through offsets, military fee increases or reductions that place additional burdens on military families and survivors,” Whitmore said.
Whelan said the benefits and reforms to veteran’s services in TCAVA outweigh criticisms against the legislation. He said the broad support from veterans for the legislation is more important than minor policy differences.
“We have been surveying and doing polling on those 60 plus bills, the majority of those bills for the past couple years,” Whelan said. “So we have data supporting those bills.”
Whelan said he is optimistic that the bill will be passed in Congress before the end of the term. He is pushing to advance a vote on the legislation in September, which also happens to be National Suicide Prevention Month.
“I think momentum is building on TCAVA and I think the reason for that is they're seeing what veterans are saying,” Whelan said.
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