WATCH/DOWNLOAD: Sen. Ossoff speaks on passage of his bipartisan bill
Atlanta, Ga. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff has passed his bipartisan bill to expand servicemembers’ access to mental health services through the U.S. Senate.
Sens. Ossoff and Mike Braun (R-IN) passed the bipartisan Military Mental Health Professionals Support Act as part of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act to ensure servicemembers have access to the vital mental health care services they deserve.
Currently, mental and behavioral health specialists count toward caps on military personnel by rank, impacting recruitment and retention of mental health care providers. Sen. Ossoff’s bipartisan bill would cut red tape by removing those caps and permitting more specialists to provide vital care to servicemembers.
“Whenever I visit a defense installation in Georgia, I try to take time to sit down with junior-enlisted personnel and young military families. The impediments to accessing mental health services for military families is a real concern. That’s why I brought Republicans and Democrats together to pass this legislation,” Sen. Ossoff said. “My bipartisan bill will ensure our servicemembers, who make tremendous sacrifices in our country’s defense, can access the mental health services they need while they defend our nation.”
Sen. Ossoff continues to fight for Georgia’s servicemembers and to champion mental health care access.
Last year, Sen. Ossoff’s bipartisan bill to help Georgia veterans afford mental health and substance abuse treatment became law.
Earlier this year, Sens. Ossoff and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced the bipartisan Military Families Mental Health Services Act to allow the Secretary of Defense to waive out-of-pocket expenses for military families on TRICARE for their first three outpatient mental health visits per year, lowering costs and helping families access the treatment they need — which passed as part of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act.
Click here to read the bipartisan Military Mental Health Professionals Support Act.
