Deborah Sampson Act signed into law
Ranking member secures 12 legislative victories—including his landmark bill supporting women veterans—in end-of-year veterans’ package signed into law by the President
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U.S. SENATE — Women veterans will have greater access to critical care and services following the signing of U.S. Senator Jon Tester’s historic Deborah Sampson Act into law today by the President. Tester’s bipartisan bill unanimously passed the Senate last month as part of an end-of-year package to better address the needs of veterans nationwide.
Senator Jon Tester, Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said, “This new law will ensure that VA does its part in supporting the selfless women who have borne the battle by providing services tailored to meet their needs now and into the future.”
The Deborah Sampson Act will eliminate barriers to care and services that many women veterans face and would help ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs addresses the needs of women veterans who are more likely to face homelessness, unemployment, and go without needed health care through the following provisions:
— Creates a dedicated Office of Women’s Health at VA, expands reintegration and readjustment group counseling retreats for women veterans and their family members, and bolsters call center services for women veterans.
— Eliminates barriers to care by staffing every VA health facility with a dedicated women’s health primary care provider, training clinicians, and retrofitting VA facilities to enhance privacy and improve the environment of care for women veterans.
— Bolsters supportive services by providing access to legal services for women veterans, expanding child care for veterans receiving VA health care, and requiring the Government Accountability Office to report on VA’s efforts to support homeless or at-risk women veterans.
— Improves access to care and benefits for survivors of military sexual trauma (MST) of all genders by expanding MST counseling to former Guard and Reserve members, allowing VA to treat the physical health conditions of MST, and improving the claims process for MST survivors at the Veterans Benefits Administration.
Tester secured 11 additional provisions in the end-of-year veterans’ package, including legislation removing barriers to VA funding for organizations in need of critical upgrades to keep homeless veterans safe from the coronavirus, increasing veterans’ access to timely health care through improved scheduling, streamlining veterans’ access to earned disability benefits online, and establishing an Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs to advise the VA Secretary on matters relating to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Native American veterans.
