119th Congress Armed Forces and National Security
S. 609: BRAVE Act of 2025
Introduced
- Introduced (completed)
- Passed Senate (not reached)
- Passed House (not reached)
- To the President (not reached)
- Became law (not reached)
Summary
This bill addresses mental health services and care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including matters related to personnel, Vet Center administration, care for women veterans, and access to care.
The bill authorizes the VA to waive the licensure or certification requirement for individual licensed professional mental health counselor appointees for a reasonable period of time.
The bill also extends the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program and increases the maximum annual grant amount.
Read the full summary
The VA must provide Vet Centers with guidance for assessing outreach activities and implement processes to periodically assess the extent to which (1) veterans and eligible members of the Armed Forces experience barriers to obtaining services at Vet Centers, and (2) Vet Center staff may encounter barriers to providing services.
Among other requirements, the VA must also
- survey and host listening sessions with women veterans to gauge the effectiveness of the VA’s suicide prevention, lethal-means safety, and mental health resources and messaging campaigns;
- initiate efforts to modify the Recovery Engagement and Coordination for Health-Veterans Enhanced Treatment (REACH VET) program to incorporate risk factors weighted for women;
- annually offer a mental health consultation to veterans who are receiving compensation for a service-connected disability relating to a mental health diagnosis; and
- implement a pilot program to provide access to mental health residential treatment programs for veterans with a spinal cord injury or disorder.
Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.
Roll calls
No roll call votes have been held on this bill.
Amendments
No amendments were offered to this bill.
Cosponsors
- Jeanne Shaheen D-NH
- Angus King I-ME
- Jon Ossoff D-GA
- Lisa Blunt Rochester D-DE
Who scored on this bill
- 1Richard Blumenthal SponsorIntroduced, drew cross-party cosponsors2 events+6
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Introductions and cosponsorships count toward weekly caps and show no points.
Other bills by Richard Blumenthal
- S.J.Res. 150: Disapproval of Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection relating to the withdrawal of the rule rule: Limited Applicability of Consumer Financial Protection Act's 'Time or Space' Exception With Respect to Digital Marketing Providers
- S.J.Res. 103: Disapproval of Department of Veterans Affairs rule: Reproductive Health Services
- S. 610: Ensuring VetSuccess On Campus Act of 2025
- S. 2682: Captain Paul W. 'Bud' Bucha VA Medical Center Act of 2025
- S. 5136: Plum Island Preservation Study Act
- S. 5313: Rebuilding with Resilience Act
History
- Introduced in the Senate by Richard Blumenthal.
Show the full action history (2 actions)
- Introduced in Senate
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.