Breaking Barriers for Women Veterans Act

To improve the provision of health care to women veterans by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Breaking Barriers for Women Veterans Act 2. Women Veterans Retrofit Initiative (a) In general The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall retrofit existing medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs with fixtures, materials, and other outfitting measures to support the provision of care to women veterans at such facilities. (b) Plan Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a plan to address deficiencies in environment of care for women veterans at medical facilities of the Department. (c) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $20,000,000 to carry out subsection (a) in addition to amounts otherwise made available to the Secretary for the purposes set forth in such subsection. 3. Staffing of women's health primary care providers at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that each medical facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs has not fewer than one full-time or part-time women's health primary care provider whose duties include, to the extent possible, providing training to other health care providers of the Department on the needs of women veterans. 4. Additional funding for primary care and emergency care clinicians in Women Veterans Health Care Mini-Residency Program (a) In general There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs $1,000,000 for each fiscal year for the Women Veterans Health Care Mini-Residency Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide opportunities for participation in such program for primary care and emergency care clinicians. (b) Treatment of amounts The amounts authorized to be appropriated under subsection (a) shall be in addition to amounts otherwise made available to the Secretary for the purposes set forth in such subsection. 5. Establishment of women veteran training module for non-Department of Veterans Affairs health care providers (a) In general Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish and make available to community providers a training module that is specific to women veterans. (b) Community provider defined In this section, the term community provider 6. Study on staffing of Women Veteran Program Manager program at medical centers of the Department of Veterans Affairs and training of staff (a) Study The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct a study on the use of the Women Veteran Program Manager program of the Department of Veterans Affairs to determine— (1) if the program is appropriately staffed at each medical center of the Department; (2) whether each medical center of the Department is staffed with a Women Veteran Program Manager; and (3) whether it would be feasible and advisable to have a Women Veteran Program Ombudsman at each medical center of the Department. (b) Report Not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on the study conducted under subsection (a). (c) Training The Secretary shall ensure that all Women Veteran Program Managers and Women Veteran Program Ombudsmen receive the proper training to carry out their duties.

Summary: Breaking Barriers for Women Veterans Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement changes to better serve women veterans. Among other requirements, the VA must retrofit its existing medical facilities to support the provision of care to women veterans. Additionally, the VA must ensure its medical facilities have at least one full-time or part-time women's health provider. The bill also requires the VA to establish a training module for community providers that is specific to women veterans.