BRAVE Act of 2025
Congress Proposes Expanding Mental Health Care and Suicide Prevention Programs for Veterans
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
↔Companion bill: Congress Proposes VA Mental Health Upgrades, Including Vet Center Outreach and New Supports for Women VeteransLegislative Progress
Key Points
- The bill aims to hire more mental health workers by checking if their pay is competitive with private sector jobs. It also allows the Department of Veterans Affairs to hire counselors and psychologists more quickly by giving them more time to finish their licensing requirements while they begin working.
- Vet Centers, which provide community-based counseling, would get better technology and data to find veterans who need help. The government would also study where to open new centers, focusing on rural areas and places with high suicide rates to ensure help is available where it is needed most.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs would be required to change how it tracks suicide risk for women veterans. It would specifically look at factors like military sexual trauma and domestic violence to make sure women get the right kind of support and outreach tailored to their experiences.
- A new pilot program would be created at at least three facilities to help veterans with spinal cord injuries get into live-in mental health treatment centers. This addresses a current gap where veterans with physical disabilities often face barriers to getting intensive mental health care.
- The bill extends a major suicide prevention grant program for three additional years and increases the maximum grant amount to $1 million. It also requires the government to offer every veteran with a mental health disability an annual check-in to discuss their care options and any new services available to them.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Life & Work
Active duty service members transitioning to civilian life would benefit from improved coordination between the Department of Defense and the VA on mental health access. The bill requires a joint report on programs that promote mental health services during military-to-civilian transitions, and it ensures that service members in the Transition Assistance Program receive information about Vet Centers and available services.
Programs
Disabilities
Milestones
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
3 articlesColorado congressman backs bills to help veterans
Rep. Jason Crow introduced the BRAVE Act to ensure the VA meets the needs of rural and female veterans. The bill calls for reports on Vet Centers in rural areas and additional research into preventing suicide among female veterans by tailoring outreach messaging to their specific experiences.
Military Mental Health Lobbying | Cornerstone Government Affairs Hired
Cornerstone Government Affairs has been hired to lobby for several bills, including the BRAVE Act of 2025 (S. 609). The legislation is part of an 'unprecedented' congressional focus on military mental health as the VA struggles with a 55% compliance rate for suicide risk screenings.
Pending Legislation of Interest: The BRAVE Act of 2025 (H.R. 6024)
The BRAVE Act would support VA mental health outreach by extending licensure waivers for psychologists to a 'reasonable period' under supervision. It also seeks to replace the VA's aging IT systems used for managing Vet Center services to improve coordination for high-risk veterans.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
BRAVE Act of 2025
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(4)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.