WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) cosponsored three pieces of legislation securing improved care for America’s veterans. Details on the Veterans’ ACCESS Act, the TAP Promotion Act, and the Written Informed Consent Act are outlined below.

“The patriots who have put their lives on the line to serve our country deserve competent care, not bureaucratic red tape and systems that ignore their unique needs,” said Senator Mike Lee. “I’m proud to cosponsor legislation to improve efficiency in VA systems so that our veterans are heard and helped in the ways they need. These bills will prioritize veterans’ voices, help with burdensome paperwork, and ensure patients are well informed about potential medication side effects. These changes will get our veterans the competent, efficient care they’ve earned.”

The Veterans’ ACCESS Act

The Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers (ACCESS) Act would establish existing community care access standards as the baseline standard of care for veterans seeking care in the community, increase access to life-saving treatment programs for veterans with mental health conditions or addiction, and expand the list of criteria VA is required to take into account when determining whether it is in a veteran’s best medical interest to refer a veteran to the community to include veteran preference and continuity of care.

Access the full bill text here.

Read more about the Veterans’ ACCESS Act here.

The TAP Promotion Act

Service members leaving the military are often told to prepare for civilian life long before their final day in uniform. But when it comes to filing for the benefits they earned, they must navigate a complicated system, which too often leads to delayed compensation and health care. For transitioning service members, timing matters. Delays in filing can mean months without disability payments, postponed medical appointments and access to mental health professionals, and added financial stress during an already significant life transition.

Under existing law, instructors in the military’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP), the mandatory program to prepare service members for civilian life, are not permitted to help participants fill out benefits paperwork. As a result, troops nearing separation often receive information about their U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits but cannot get hands-on assistance completing the forms required to access them.

The TAP Promotion Act allows accredited members of Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) and similar entities to participate in TAP classes, help service members file Benefits Delivery at Discharge claims, and complete medical evaluations before leaving service.

Access the full bill text here.

The Written Informed Consent Act

The average veteran utilizing VA healthcare receives nearly 30 prescriptions per year, and more than 64% of veterans using VA healthcare receive at least one duplicative prescription. Many of these drugs, specifically antipsychotics, stimulants, antidepressants, anxiolytics, and narcotics, can carry the side effect of suicidal ideation when added to a “combat cocktail.” Veteran suicide rates have increased by more than 49% since 2001.

During the first Trump Administration, VA Secretary David Shulkin mandated that written informed consent (WIC) be applied to “long-term opioids.” By 2023, the number of veterans prescribed opioids was 67%  lower than in 2012. WIC is an effective tool in ensuring that veterans are cognizant of the risks associated with certain drugs and curbing their overprescription.

The Written Informed Consent Act amends VHA Directive 1005 to apply to the following types of medication: antipsychotics, stimulants, antidepressants, anxiolytics, and narcotics. When VHA prescribes one of these types of medications to a veteran, they first need a signed consent form from the veteran stating that they have been informed of all known side effects.

Access the full bill text here.

Read more about the Written Informed Consent Act here.

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