On April 27, U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano, D-Calif., introduced the REMOVE Copays Act, which aims to ease financial burdens on veterans seeking mental health care from Veterans Health Administration facilities.
The Reduce and Eliminate Mental Health Outpatient Veteran Copays Act, or REMOVE Copays Act, will drop the first three copayments veterans pay for outpatient mental health each year. Explaining his position on the bill, Chairman Takano says, “cost should never be a barrier to accessing vital VA mental healthcare.”
According to the release, the bill has the support of at least 15 veterans service organizations, including The American Legion, and was specifically requested by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in its 2023 Budget Request.
National Commander Paul Dillard says, “The American Legion is proud to support the Remove Copays Act…no veteran should have to forgo mental health services due to financial limitations. It is essential that we eliminate any barriers to care to ensure that veterans can access the services they need when they need them.”
Currently, the bill has been referred to the U.S. House Subcommittee on Health. It is unclear when or if it will see further deliberation.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.