BRAVE Act

Bill: 119-hr-553
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Wittman, Robert J. [R-VA-1]
Introduced: 2025-01-16
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Health promotion and preventive care

Mental health

Veterans' medical care
Latest action: action_date: 2025-02-20
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-01-16
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Be Ready to Assist Veterans in Extremis Act or the BRAVE Act</strong></p> <p>This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a patient outreach system under which it must ensure that veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system and have experienced a traumatic or highly stressful event may elect to receive information and resources relating to mental health and available mental health care services.</p> <p>The VA must coordinate the system with the Transition Assistance Program of the Department of Defense. </p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 553 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 16, 2025 Mr. Wittman (for himself and Mr. Case ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs A BILL To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a patient outreach system relating to mental health care, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Be Ready to Assist Veterans in Extremis Act or the BRAVE Act . 2. Establishment of Department of Veterans Affairs system for patient outreach relating to mental health care (a) Establishment of system Chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1720J the following new section (and conforming the table of sections at the beginning of such chapter accordingly): 1720K. Mental health care: patient outreach system The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a patient outreach system under which the Secretary shall ensure that veterans who are enrolled in the system of annual patient enrollment established and operated under section 1705 of this title and have experienced a traumatic or other highly stressful event, may elect to receive from the Secretary information relating to mental health and resources relating to the mental health care services available to the veteran. . (b) Administration of system In administering the patient outreach system established under section 1720K of title 38, United States Code (as added by subsection (a)), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall seek to coordinate such system with the Transition Assistance Program of the Department of Defense. (c) Deadline for establishment The Secretary shall establish the patient outreach system under such section 1720K by not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act.