Women Veterans Access to Care Act

Women Veterans Access to Care Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), in providing health care services to women veterans, to emphasize: (1) with respect to physical health, conditions including reproductive health, preventive medicine and early detection, sexual trauma, special needs of women with prosthetics, and rehabilitation; (2) with respect to mental health, issues including stress reduction, services for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD), and substance abuse, and conflict resolution; (3) improving health-related telecommunications technologies; (4) providing care to women veterans who served in Operations Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom, live in a rural area, or are homebound or elderly; and (5) with respect to health professionals employed by the VA, hiring health professionals who are specialist in fields related to women's health, and offering additional training on special issues regarding women veterans.

Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study on health care for women veterans; and (2) carry out an information outreach program for women veterans and their families.

[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2583 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2583

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve health care for 
                women veterans, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 21, 2009

 Mr. Boswell (for himself, Mr. Latham, Mr. Braley of Iowa, Mrs. Capps, 
and Mr. Loebsack) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to improve health care for 
                women veterans, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Women Veterans Access to Care Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) As of 2008, 15 percent of members of the Armed Forces 
        are women.
            (2) As of 2008, one of every 10 members of the Armed Forces 
        serving in Iraq is a woman.
            (3) As of 2006, more than 16,000 single mothers have served 
        in Iraq and Afghanistan.
            (4) As of 2008, an estimated one-third of women veterans 
        who have sought counseling at the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs report having been the victim of rape or attempted rape 
        during their service.
            (5) As of 2008, women are the fastest growing group within 
        the veteran population.
            (6) As of 2008, 11 percent of Operation Enduring Freedom 
        and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans were women.
            (7) As of 2006, more than 155,000 women have served in 
        Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom.
            (8) As of 2008, nearly half of all women veterans who 
        served in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom 
        have enrolled with Department of Veterans Affairs health care.

SEC. 3. EMPHASIS ON HEALTH CARE FOR WOMEN VETERANS.

    (a) Emphasis.--In providing health care services to women veterans, 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that an emphasis is 
placed on the following:
            (1) With respect to physical health, conditions including--
                    (A) sexual reproductive health;
                    (B) preventative medicine and early detection of 
                problems;
                    (C) sexual trauma;
                    (D) special needs of women with prosthetics;
                    (E) rehabilitation; and
                    (F) other conditions the Secretary considers 
                appropriate.
            (2) With respect to mental health, issues including--
                    (A) stress reduction (including the reduction of 
                stress associated with balancing children, family, and 
                work responsibilities);
                    (B) services for depression, anxiety, post-
                traumatic stress disorder, and substance abuse;
                    (C) conflict resolution; and
                    (D) other issues the Secretary considers 
                appropriate.
            (3) Improving health-related telecommunications 
        technologies.
            (4) Providing care to women veterans who--
                    (A) served in Operation Enduring Freedom or 
                Operation Iraqi Freedom;
                    (B) live in a rural location; or
                    (C) are homebound or elderly.
            (5) With respect to health professionals employed by the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs, issues including--
                    (A) hiring health professionals who are specialists 
                in fields related to women's health; and
                    (B) offering additional training on special issues 
                regarding women veterans.
    (b) Study.--The Secretary shall conduct a study on health care for 
women veterans. Such study shall--
            (1) identify the main causes of stress among women 
        veterans;
            (2) determine the most effective method to reduce such 
        stress; and
            (3) evaluate the various private and public health care 
        systems in which women veterans receive care (including mental 
        health care).
    (c) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report 
containing--
            (1) an evaluation of the activities conducted by the 
        Secretary pursuant to subsection (a);
            (2) the findings of the study required by subsection (b); 
        and
            (3) such recommendations for legislative or administrative 
        action the Secretary considers appropriate to improve health 
        care for women veterans.

SEC. 4. OUTREACH TO WOMEN VETERANS AND FAMILIES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out 
an outreach program to provide women veterans and families of such 
veterans with information concerning the following:
            (1) The various resources available to such veterans and 
        families, including mental and behavioral resources.
            (2) The conditions and issues such veterans may experience, 
        including those described under section 3(a).
            (3) The challenges that family members of such veterans, 
        especially spouses and children, may experience.
    (b) Authority to Contract.--The Secretary may enter into a contract 
with a public or private entity to carry out this section.
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