Bill > HR2426

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to commission an independent study on the quality of mental health and addiction therapy care provided by VA healthcare providers compared to non-VA providers. The study, which must be completed within 18 months, will comprehensively evaluate various aspects of mental health treatment, including health outcomes, treatment effectiveness, and patient experiences. Specifically, the study will assess improvements in patient health using metrics like symptom scores and suicide risk, evaluate whether providers are using evidence-based practices, examine potential coordination gaps between VA and non-VA providers, analyze the implementation of veteran-centric care, investigate the treatment of veterans with co-occurring conditions, review ongoing health outcome monitoring, and compare the average time to initiate services. The results of this study will be submitted to the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees and published on a publicly accessible website, with the goal of understanding and potentially improving mental health and addiction therapy care for veterans across different treatment settings such as telehealth, in-patient, intensive out-patient, out-patient, and residential treatment.

Health and Social Services, Military Affairs and Security

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2426/all-info