VA Mental Health Outreach and Engagement Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The VA Mental Health Outreach and Engagement Act amends title 38 section 1167 and redesignates the mental-health consultation section as section 1169. At least annually, VA must offer a mental health consultation to each veteran receiving compensation for a service-connected disability related to a mental health diagnosis. VA must also conduct outreach about those consultations and other VA mental health services unless the veteran opts out. The reported text specifies outreach methods: successful telephone or text contact, at least two calls or texts if contact is not made, or at least one email or letter if VA lacks a phone number. The bill says the consultation cannot be used to require reevaluation of the veteran's compensation entitlement. GAO must report to Congress within two years. A separate section extends certain VA housing loan fee dates from June 9, 2034 to May 12, 2035.
Who Benefits and How
Veterans with service-connected mental health disabilities benefit because VA must offer a yearly consultation and explain other mental health care options. Veterans who are hard to reach benefit from required phone, text, email, or letter outreach attempts. VA mental health clinicians benefit if outreach connects compensated veterans with appropriate care before crises worsen. Congressional veterans committees benefit from a GAO report evaluating implementation. VA home-loan program administrators benefit from updated fee-date authority.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of Veterans Affairs must identify eligible veterans, make annual consultation offers, run outreach, track opt-outs, and protect compensation entitlement from being reevaluated because of the consultation. VA mental health outreach staff must perform the required contact attempts. VA information technology offices must support phone, text, email, and mail workflows. The Government Accountability Office must evaluate and report to Congress within two years. VA home-loan borrowers may bear continued loan-fee costs because the fee table dates are extended to May 12, 2035.
Key Provisions
- Requires annual VA mental health consultation offers for veterans receiving compensation for service-connected mental health disabilities.
- Requires outreach about consultations and other VA mental health services unless a veteran opts out.
- Defines outreach methods using telephone calls, text messages, email, or letters.
- Protects veterans from compensation reevaluation solely because of the consultation.
- Requires a GAO report within two years and extends VA housing-loan fee dates to May 12, 2035.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires VA to offer annual mental health consultations and outreach to veterans receiving compensation for service-connected mental health disabilities, specifies telephone, text, email, and letter outreach methods, protects compensation from reevaluation because of the consultation, requires a GAO report within two years, and extends specified VA housing-loan fee dates to May 12, 2035.
Key Policy Areas
Veterans, Mental Health, Housing Finance
Primary Purpose
Requires VA to offer annual mental health consultations and outreach to veterans receiving compensation for service-connected mental health disabilities, specifies telephone, text, email, and letter outreach methods, protects compensation from reevaluation because of the consultation, requires a GAO report within two years, and extends specified VA housing-loan fee dates to May 12, 2035.
Policy Domains
House resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Veterans with service-connected mental health disabilities
- Hard-to-reach veterans
- VA mental health clinicians
- Congressional veterans committees
- VA home-loan program administrators
Identified Costs
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- VA mental health outreach staff
- VA information technology offices
- Government Accountability Office
- VA home-loan borrowers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedPlaced on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 550.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. H. Rept. …
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the …
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 550.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Ms. Budzinski (for herself and Mr. Edwards) introduced the following …
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced in House
Ms. Budzinski (for herself and Mr. Edwards) introduced the following …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Department of Veterans Affairs, Government Accountability Office, Taxpayers
Positive-direction: Taxpayers
Negative-direction: Department of Veterans Affairs, Government Accountability Office, VA home-loan program administrators, VA mental health outreach staff
Hard-to-reach veterans, Veterans with service-connected mental health disabilities
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "va"
- → Department of Veterans Affairs
- "gao"
- → Government Accountability Office
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology