(Washington D.C.) – Senator Patty Murray’s (D-WA)
comprehensive bi-partisan legislation to prepare the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) for the influx of women veterans who will access care there in the
coming years was signed into law this afternoon by President Obama. The law
will address many of the unique needs of female veterans, particularly those
women who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The women veterans bill,
which was included in S. 1963, The Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health
Services Act of 2010, is the first of its kind to focus on care for one of the
VA’s fastest growing populations.
“This is an important victory for all of the women who
have stepped forward to serve us,” said Senator Murray. “It will
help the VA to meet the challenge of serving the growing number of women who
will walk through their door. This bill addresses the unique challenges women
face by providing specialized care for the visible and invisible wounds of war.
As more women begin to transition home, and step back into lives as mothers,
wives, and citizens, the VA must be there for them.”
“Generations
of women have served honorably in all of this country’s major conflicts.
These women have earned the right to expect the same high quality health care
services and benefits as their male counterparts,” said Dave Gorman, Executive
Director of Disabled American Veterans (DAV). “While significant
progress has been made in recent years to remove institutional barriers that
often discourage women veterans from seeking assistance at VA facilities, more
needs to be done. The Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act will help
ensure these women have equal access to VA benefits and services. DAV is proud
to have worked on this legislation with Senator Murray, who has proven herself
time and again to be a steadfast and effective champion for all of America’s
veterans.”
Among
other things, the law will:
- Require the VA to implement a
program to train, educate, and certify VA mental health professionals
to care for women with sexual trauma - Require the VA Secretary to
conduct a comprehensive assessment of the barriers women are facing in
accessing care at the VA. - Authorize a report to Congress
on the effects the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have had on the physical,
mental, and reproductive health of women who have served there. - Require the VA to begin a pilot
program that provides child care to women veterans that seek mental health
care services at the VA. - Require the VA to begin a pilot
program that provides readjustment counseling to women veterans in group
retreat settings.
See more
detailed Information on the Women Veterans Health Improvement Act.
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