Senator Murray's Legislation to Help Women Veterans Access Care at the VA Passes Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee

Press Release

Senator Murray's Legislation to Help Women Veterans Access Care at the VA Passes Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray's (D-WA) legislation to improve care for women veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) passed the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. The legislation, the Women Veterans Health Improvement Act of 2008, seeks to prepare the VA for the unprecedented influx of female veterans who will access care there in the coming years. The legislation addresses many of the unique needs of female veterans by authorizing programs to improve care for Military Sexual Trauma (MST), increase research on the current barriers to care, and expand women veterans staff positions at the VA.

"While women are playing an increasing role in our military and sacrificing on the front lines, they make up a small fraction of those receiving care at the VA," Senator Murray said at today's hearing. "We need to ensure that women have equal access to VA health care benefits and services, and that the VA health care system is tailored to meet the unique needs of women veterans. Planning for the wave of new women veterans is going to be a difficult and complex task, but this bill gets us on the right track."

Senator Murray's bill was passed as part of S. 2969 - The Veterans' Health Care Authorization Act of 2008 -- a larger "omnibus" bill that incorporated a number of different veterans' health care measures

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