Blumenthal Introduces Bill to Improve & Expand Veterans' Mental Health Care

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) recently introduced comprehensive legislation to strengthen and expand veterans’ access to mental health care at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Senator’s Building Resources and Access for Veterans’ Mental Health Engagement (BRAVE) Act would strengthen VA’s mental health workforce, infrastructure, and services, including renewing the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program—a first-of-its-kind grant providing funding for local organizations combatting veteran suicide.

During a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing yesterday focused on examining mental health care at VA, Blumenthal and the Committee heard firsthand from veterans about the success of the life-saving Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. The Committee also considered Blumenthal’s BRAVE Act provision to reauthorize this program during the hearing.

“The Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program has been a game-changer for so many veterans,” said Ranking Blumenthal during the hearing. “It’s geared towards meeting veterans where they are, providing access to services from trusted community partners, and targeting underserved communities…The rate of veteran suicide—17.6 a day—is absolutely intolerable…My bill on today’s agenda, the BRAVE Act, reauthorizes the Fox program, but it goes farther. And I hope we’ll have bipartisan support to ensure not only this program – but others to address these issues are [preserved].”

Among its many provisions, the BRAVE Act would:

• Extend the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program – which would currently expire in 2025 – and increase the maximum amount for each grant from $750,000 to $1,000,000.
• Require Vet Centers across the country make improvements to their technology systems, outreach efforts, and staffing. There are more than 300 Vet Centers across the country, which focus on offering veterans, servicemembers, and their families mental health care and readjustment counseling.
• Require VA to take the experience of women veterans into account when conducting early suicide prevention interactions. This follows a report from Disabled American Veterans (DAV), which found that VA’s REACH VET initiative was not considering additional mental health risk factors specific to the experiences of women veterans, including survivors of military sexual trauma and intimate partner violence.
• Eliminate disparities spinal cord-injured veterans currently face when seeking care at Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Programs by breaking down access barriers to these facilities and services.

Veterans Service Organizations across the country support Blumenthal’s effort to improve veterans’ mental health care services.

“Ensuring America’s veterans have access to high-quality, timely mental health care is imperative to suicide prevention efforts,” said Disabled American Veterans (DAV) National Commander Daniel Contreras. “DAV is proud to support the Building Resources and Access for Veterans’ Mental Health Engagement Act (BRAVE) Act of 2025, which takes recommendations from our most recent report on women veterans to enhance mental health services for all veterans and the need to provide our sisters-in-arms with gender-tailored care. We thank Sen. Blumenthal for introducing this critical legislation and continuing to work with DAV to keep our promise America’s veterans.”

"PVA proudly supports the Building Resources and Access for Veterans’ Mental Health and Engagement (BRAVE) Act of 2025,” said Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) Chief Policy Officer Heather Ansley. “Mental health is a critical service offered by VA and the BRAVE Act will help address disability-related barriers veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders encounter in attempting to access residential rehabilitation treatment programs. PVA is grateful to Senator Blumenthal for the reintroduction of this important legislation."

“On behalf of the 2.5 million veterans, family members, and caregivers in The American Legion family, we are proud to support the BRAVE Act,” said The American Legion National Commander Jim LaCoursiere, Jr. “We applaud Senator Blumenthal for continuing this important work to ensure veterans and their families have access to comprehensive and robust mental health care. This bill was built on the very real and traumatic experiences that veterans, especially women, face during and after their service. We look forward to working with the Congress and our partners in the VSO community to see that this becomes law.”  

“Improving the quality of care and services available to veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs is one of Wounded Warrior Project's (WWP) highest legislative priorities,” said WWP Vice President of Government and Community Relations Jose Ramos. “We applaud the introduction of the Building Resources and Access for Veterans’ Mental Health Engagement Act and its focus on important areas like Vet Center counseling, outreach to women veterans, and renewal of the critical Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program.  We appreciate Senator Blumenthal's advocacy and support for our nation's veterans and are eager to see Congress pass this important legislation.”

“The VFW supports the Building Resources and Access for Veterans’ Mental Health Engagement (BRAVE) Act of 2025 to enhance mental health services for veterans through improvements in workforce qualifications, infrastructure, and targeted outreach at the Department of Veterans Affairs,” said Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) National Legislative Associate Director Meggan Coleman. “The VFW believes this bill offers a variety of important enhancements to VA mental health services. We are pleased to see that the bill includes a review of VA's suicide prevention outreach programs for women veterans and expanded access to care for veterans with spinal cord injuries. We thank Senator Blumenthal for introducing this important legislation.”

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