Budget omnibus includes new mental health care for other-than-honorable vets

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https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2018/03/22/budget-omnibus-includes-new-mental-health-care-for-other-than-honorable-vets/

Budget omnibus includes new mental health care for other-than-honorable vets

By: Leo Shane III    18 hours ago

WASHINGTON — Tucked into the $1.3 trillion omnibus budget deal released late Wednesday are provisions to expand mental health care access for veterans with other-than-honorable discharges, in an effort to prevent more veteran suicides. If the bill becomes law later this week — and it has to by Friday at midnight, or lawmakers will trigger a partial government shutdown — the provisions will ensure mental health screenings and care for veterans with so called “bad paper” dismissals. Individuals with bad conduct discharges or court-martial convictions will not be eligible.

Advocates called the measure an overdue change that will help save lives. “For far too long we’ve seen veterans whose service was overwhelmingly honorable, but were denied help from the [Department of Veterans Affairs] for a lifetime over administrative separations,” said John Rowan, president of Vietnam Veterans of America. “This provision of the omnibus will help veterans from the Vietnam war, to the current forever wars and future conflicts, and save so many of the untold lives of countless forgotten heroes.”
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Last summer, VA officials changed their policies to allow veterans with other-than-honorable discharges to access department emergency rooms for urgent mental health care for 90 days of treatment. The moves also included provisions to help those veterans appeal for discharge upgrades, making them eligible for additional help.

The omnibus provisions go even further. They require a mental health screening for all veterans with other-than-honorable dismissals before their departure, and guarantee future mental health support for veterans who served at least 100 days on active duty, experienced sexual assault or trauma while serving, or worked as a drone operator.

Veterans will receive care at VA facilities or, if deemed appropriate by a medical provider, at private-sector medical officers. Unlike last summer’s changes at VA, there is no expiration date for the treatments.
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