Get Justice-Involved Veterans BACK HOME Act

Key Points

• The bill creates a pilot program to provide mental health care to veterans in prison, with priority given to those dealing with PTSD, traumatic brain injury, or military sexual trauma. Care would be delivered at no cost through at least five facilities representing different sizes and settings.
• Mental health services would be delivered primarily through telehealth video appointments, with mobile mental health units as a backup option for prisons that lack the right technology. Only VA health care providers would deliver these services, not outside contractors.
• Federal prisons would be directed to create dedicated housing units for veterans wherever possible. These units would offer an environment modeled on military structure and discipline to support rehabilitation and peer connection among veteran inmates.
• The VA would be required to automatically restart disability and dependency compensation payments on the day a veteran is released from prison. This eliminates delays that currently leave returning veterans without income during a critical transition period. The requirement takes effect 180 days after the bill is enacted.
• The Bureau of Justice Statistics would begin collecting detailed data on incarcerated veterans and submit annual reports to Congress, creating an ongoing knowledge base to inform future policy decisions about justice-involved veterans.