WASHINGTON, DC – In an effort to provide free, high-quality mental health care and other supportive services to veterans and their families, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs committee advanced U.S. Senator Reed Reed’s (D-RI) Vet Center Improvement Act.  This legislation, which Reed introduced with Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT), would help improve staffing and hiring practices at Vet Centers and ensure counselors at these critical institutions can effectively treat veterans for mental health issues like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

There are 300 Vets Centers nationwide, including one in Warwick, that offer an array of counseling services, including marriage and family counseling, as well as alcohol and substance use assessment.  Vets Centers are designed to help veterans, active duty military, and their families deal with issues arising from their service, including trauma and grief counseling, and help prevent them from experiencing bigger problems down the road.

After allegations that changes to performance metrics at Vet Centers may have negatively impacted care and additional concerns about staffing practices, Senators Reed and Tester requested a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation.  GAO made several recommendations to improve care, transparency, and hiring and staffing methods that form the foundation for the Reed-Tester legislation to enhance these community-based Vet Centers and eliminate barriers to care.

“I am pleased the Veterans’ Affairs Committee advanced the Vets Center Improvement Act.  This legislation is about putting people first and ensuring that every combat veteran, and their family, can access the quality care they need, when they need it,” said Senator Reed.  “Vets Centers provide life-changing, life-saving assistance, and this bill will ensure they have the capacity and resources to meet growing demand.  We’ve got to ensure our Vet Centers are properly staffed and can offer the necessary level of care and assistance.  The Vets Center Improvement Act will go a long way toward improving expectations and staffing, and ultimately providing better help for those who use their services and heading off other issues down the road.”

The Vet Center Improvement Act requires periodic review and reform of productivity expectations at Vet Centers; the creation and periodic reevaluation of a staffing model, along with standardization of position descriptions and responsibilities across Vet Centers; the creation of a working group to implement changes to improve quality of care for veterans and recruitment and retention of staff; and the GAO to review Vet Center infrastructure and examine what future investments are needed.

Additionally, the bill creates a pilot program to provide $15 million in federal grants to combat food insecurity and provide necessary utility bill assistance to veterans and their families.  Food insecurity and the need for heating and cooling assistance are growing issues for veterans and others as a result of the pandemic.