Priorities & Policies | VA Mental Health
About VA Mental Health
Priorities and Policies
Priorities
In September 2022, the VA Under Secretary for Health announced VA’s latest health care priorities for the next few years. All of VA’s priorities are focused on providing Veterans with the latest, highest-quality care — the care they earned and deserve.
Understand VA’s plans for addressing these priorities.
Policies
As legislative landscapes change, so do public policies that affect VA and Veterans’ health care. In recent years, Veterans’ care has received significant enhancements due to legislative acts like these:
- Support the Resiliency of Our Nation’s Great (STRONG) Veterans Act of 2022
- Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care and Treatment (COMPACT) Act
- Section 201 - Emergent Care
- Section 204 - Comprehensive Assessment
- Executive Order 13822 – Supporting Our Veterans During Their Transition From Uniformed Service to Civilian Life
- Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 (Hannon Act)
- Title 3 - Mental Health Programs, Studies and Guidelines
- Title 7 - Other Matters
- Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018 (MISSION Act)
- Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) for Veterans Therapy Act
- Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 (Hannon Act)
- Title 1 - Transition to VA Services
- Title 2 - Suicide Prevention
- Title 6 - Women Veterans
- Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care and Treatment (COMPACT) Act
- William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Reserve Component: Title V, Subtitle B)
- Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 (Hannon Act)
- Title 4 - Oversight of Mental Health Care
- Title 5 - Mental Health Workforce
- Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act
- Joseph Maxwell Cleland and Robert Joseph Dole Memorial Veterans Benefits and Health Care Improvement Act of 2022
- Domestic Policy Council (DPC)
- National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide
- National Suicide Hotline Designation Act
- President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS)
- Suicide Prevention 2.0 Initiative
- Suicide Prevention Now Initiative
- Veterans Benefits Administration
- Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care and Treatment (COMPACT) Act
- Dignity for MST Survivors Act
- MST Claims Coordination Act
- Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise To Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022
- Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021
- VA Peer Support Enhancement for MST Survivors Act
- William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Reserve Component: Title V, Subtitle B)
- Care and Readiness Enhancement (CARE) for Reservists Act of 2019
- Protecting Moms Who Served Act of 2021
Looking Ahead
In 2023, the White House is seeking to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in VA research programs, clinical trials and epidemiological studies on suicide risk and prevention. It also proposes to direct $16 billion toward improving access to quality mental health care and lowering the cost of mental health services for Veterans.
The administration’s proposed budget would also provide significant funds to support VA’s National Suicide Prevention Strategy and to continue expanding the Veterans Crisis Line’s nationwide 988 number for 24/7 mental health support.
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