Veteran Urgent Access to Mental Healthcare Act

Veteran Urgent Access to Mental Healthcare Act

This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to furnish to former members of the Armed Forces or the reserve components: (1) an initial mental health assessment; and (2) the mental health care services required to treat the member's urgent mental health care needs, including risk of suicide or harming others.

A former member of the Armed Forces is an individual who:

• served in the active military, naval, or air service, was discharged or released under a condition that is not honorable (except a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge), has applied for a character of service determination that has not yet been made, and is not otherwise eligible to enroll in the VA health care system by reason of such discharge or release; or
• while serving in the Armed Forces, was deployed in a theater of combat operations or an area at a time during which hostilities occurred in that area, participated in or experienced such combat operations or hostilities, or was the victim of a physical assault of a sexual nature, battery of a sexual nature, or sexual harassment.

The VA may provide such mental health care services at a non-VA facility under specifed circumstances.