NO WRONG DOOR FOR VETERANS ACT

On 2025-05-20, Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-1) delivered a floor speech titled "NO WRONG DOOR FOR VETERANS ACT" in the House.

NO WRONG DOOR FOR VETERANS ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 85 (Tuesday, May 20, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 20, 2025)] [House] [Pages H2175-H2177] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] NO WRONG DOOR FOR VETERANS ACT Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1969) to amend and reauthorize the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 1969 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``No Wrong Door for Veterans Act''. SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF STAFF SERGEANT PARKER GORDON FOX SUICIDE PREVENTION GRANT PROGRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. (a) Duration.--Section 201 of the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 (Public Law 116-171; 38 U.S.C. 1720F note) is amended, in subsection (j), by striking ``the date that is three years after the date on which the first grant is awarded under this section'' and inserting ``September 30, 2026''. (b) Emergent Suicide Care.--Such section is further amended-- (1) in subsection (m)-- (A) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); (B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new paragraph (3): ``(3) Emergent suicide care.--In the case of an eligible individual who receives suicide prevention services provided or coordinated by an eligible entity in receipt of a grant under this section, the eligible entity shall notify-- ``(A) the eligible individual that the individual may be eligible for emergent suicide care under section 1720J of title 38, United States Code; and ``(B) the Secretary, if an eligible individual notified under subparagraph (A) elects to receive such emergent suicide care.''; and (C) in paragraph (4), as so redesignated, by striking ``(1) or (2)'' and inserting ``(1), (2), or (3)''; and (2) in subsection (n)-- (A) by inserting ``(1) In general.--'' before ``When'' and adjusting the margins accordingly; and (B) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: ``(2) Time frame.--If the Secretary does not provide services under paragraph (1) to an eligible individual during the 72-hour period following a referral under subsection (m), such eligible individual shall be treated as eligible for emergent suicide care under section 1720J of title 38, United States Code.''. (c) Reauthorization.--Such section is further amended, in subsection (p)-- (1) by striking ``section a total of $174,000,000 for fiscal years 2021 through 2025.'' and inserting ``section-- ''; and (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs: ``(1) a total of $174,000,000 for fiscal years 2021 through 2025; and ``(2) $52,500,000 for fiscal year 2026.''. (d) Requirements for Eligible Entities.--Such section is further amended, in subsection (q)(3)-- (1) by inserting ``an entity that has continuously provided mental health care or support services in the United States during the two-year period before the date on which the entity applies for a grant under this section and that is'' after ``means''; (2) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or foundation'' and inserting ``, foundation, or health care provider''; and (3) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``A'' and inserting ``a''. (e) Technical Correction to Definitions.--Such section is further amended, in subsection (q)(5), by striking ``Medical services'' and inserting ``The term `emergency treatment' means medical services''. (f) Required Use of Certain Screening Protocol.--Such section is further amended, in subsection (q)(11)(A)(ii), by inserting after ``risk'' the following: ``, which in the case of a grant made on or after the date of the enactment of the No Wrong Door for Veterans Act, shall be the Columbia Protocol (also known as the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale)''. [[Page H2176]] SEC. 3. INCLUSION OF ADAPTIVE PROSTHESES AND TERMINAL DEVICES FOR SPORTS AND OTHER RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN MEDICAL SERVICES FURNISHED TO ELIGIBLE VETERANS BY THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. Section 1701 of title 38, United States Code, is amended, in paragraph (6)(F)(i), by inserting ``(including adaptive prostheses and terminal devices for sports and other recreational activities)'' after ``artificial limbs''. SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN LIMITS ON PAYMENTS OF PENSION. Section 5503(d)(7) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking ``November 30, 2031'' and inserting ``January 30, 2033''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois. General Leave Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 1969, as amended. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Illinois? There was no objection. Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1969, as amended. This bill was introduced by the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks), my friend and colleague. The bill is a powerful reminder that mental health and physical health go hand in hand. This bill extends authorization for the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program. House Republicans created the Fox grant program to expand the reach of VA's mental health services through community-based organizations where veterans and their families live. The organizations that have qualified for the Fox grant program provide traditional and nontraditional mental health and therapy support services to veterans in need. This ensures VA services are reaching everyone who needs them. We should, without question, continue the Fox grant program. This bill also recognizes that being in the military is a physical task. If our country wants to make veterans whole after their service, it only makes sense that VA should provide the means for physical activity. Representative Miller-Meeks' bill would make adaptive prosthetics a necessary medical service. This would help our veterans to return to the activities they were accustomed to or even explore new opportunities. We must not let our veterans' time in service be what holds them back from living the rest of their lives. Mr. Speaker, I thank our Health Subcommittee chairwoman for her leadership on both issues. This bill is a fantastic idea that will save veterans' lives, and I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1969, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in hesitant support of H.R. 1969, the No Wrong Door Act, as amended. This bill would reauthorize the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, or Fox grants, for fiscal year 2026. As the ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, one of my top priorities has been and will continue to be veteran suicide prevention. The Fox grant program is an important tool in our arsenal for this work. Community-based programs are a crucial part of a public health approach to suicide prevention. However, I do have significant concerns with this legislation's approach to reauthorizing this program. We must ensure that we reauthorize this program in a way that ensures it is as effective and robust as possible. I would like to take this time to highlight some of those concerns. First, based on congressionally mandated reports that the committee has received, VA has not established enough metrics to allow Congress to monitor the success of the program. Additionally, in our view, grantees are not collecting or reporting complete data for all participants, which further limits Congress' ability to determine whether the program is meeting its intended purposes. It is clear that this bill, as drafted and amended, will not do enough to improve data collection and make clear what data grantees are responsible for collecting. This bill would also compound this issue by requiring grantees to use the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale to screen participants for their baseline mental health when entering the program. While this scale is a widely accepted, clinically validated behavioral health screening instrument, its primary use is to measure a patient's suicidal ideation and the severity of suicidal risk at a given point in time. VA already requires Fox grantees to screen their participants using a number of other validated screening tools, both at baseline and after connecting veterans to additional support. Each of these tools measures other upstream factors of mental health that contribute to veterans' suicide risks, such as levels of emotion, optimism, work satisfaction, and social support. Limiting grantees to the use of a single screening instrument that measures suicide risk at a point in time will further limit our ability to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the Fox grant program on improving veterans' mental health. Perhaps more importantly, Congress is not and should not be in the business of mandating the use of a particular clinical tool. Not only does it micromanage providers or grantees in terms of determining the most clinically appropriate tool, but it also arbitrarily limits providers and grantees from using a different tool in the future if it is determined to be more effective. Finally, I remain concerned about language that would dramatically alter the entities that would be eligible to receive grants. Specifically, we oppose language that would add ``healthcare providers'' as eligible grantees. The Fox grant program was desig

Referenced legislation: S793, HR1969