Rep. Wild’s Bill to Provide Improved Legal Services for Women Veterans Passes House
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the House passed U.S. Representative Susan Wild’s (PA-07) Improving Legal Services for Female Veterans Act to require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide legal assistance to women veterans to help address some of their unique, unmet needs. Included as a key component of H.R. 3224, the Deborah Sampson Act, Wild’s bill would require the VA to establish a partnership with an experienced organization that would help women veterans access services to assist with eviction and foreclosure, child support, and child care.
“Today, in my community and across our country, far too many veterans lack adequate access to simple legal services, fair housing, or quality health care – and a growing number of those veterans are women,” Wild said. “When these women return home, they face different challenges than their male counterparts, and this bill is intended to address their specific, currently unmet, needs. The very least that our women in uniform should be able to expect once they come home is that they won’t have to fight for basic dignity, support, and opportunity after they put their lives on the line for our country.”
Last week, Wild, a member of the Servicewomen and Women Veterans Congressional Caucus, as well as the Women Veterans Task Force, hosted a roundtable event to hear from female veterans in the Greater Lehigh Valley about these crises that disproportionately affect women.
More on the Improving Legal Services for Female Veterans Act:
Women continue to take on new roles and responsibilities in each branch of the armed services, and according to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, over 345,000 women have deployed since 9/11. Yet, their service and sacrifice are often overlooked. The number of women seeking care at the Department of Veterans Affairs has increased by 80% and female veterans face unique needs. In a recent national survey conducted by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, 78% of respondents believe that addressing issues facing women veterans is extremely or very important.
The Improving Legal Services for Female Veterans Act would require the VA to partner with at least one NGO to provide legal services, specifically to women veterans. This partnership would focus on the 10 highest unmet needs as described in the recent Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education and Networking Group for Veterans (CHALENG for Veterans) survey.
Specifically, the Deborah Sampson Act:
- Expands group counseling for veterans and their family members and call centers for women veterans
- Improves the quality of care for infant children of women veterans by increasing the number of days of maternity care VA facilities can provide
- Eliminates barriers to care by increasing the number of gender-specific providers in VA facilities, training clinicians, and retrofitting VA facilities to enhance privacy and improve the environment of care for women veterans
- Authorizes additional grants for organizations supporting low-income women veterans and increases resources for homeless women and their families
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