Expanding Care for Veterans Act

Expanding Care for Veterans Act

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop a plan to expand the scope of research and education on and delivery of complementary and integrative medicine services (products and practices that are not currently part of mainstream, conventional medical practice) for veterans. The bill also requires the VA to define in regulations the meaning of complementary and integrative medicine.

The VA must implement a three-year program at not fewer than 15 VA medical centers to assess the feasibility and advisability of integrating the delivery of complementary and integrative medicine services for veterans with mental health conditions, chronic pain conditions, and other chronic conditions.

The bill requires the VA to contract with a qualified independent entity to conduct studies of the barriers encountered by veterans in receiving (and administrators and clinicians in providing) complementary and integrative medicine services. The National Research Advisory Council must review the results of the studies and submit findings to the VA.

Finally, the VA must implement a three-year grant program awarding grants to public or private nonprofit entities to assess the feasibility and advisability of using wellness programs to complement the provision of mental health care to veterans and family members who are eligible for readjustment counseling from the VA.