Following Veterans Day, Underwood Legislation to Improve Care for Women Veterans Passes the House

WASHINGTON— Yesterday, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood's (IL-14) legislation to improve care for women veterans passed the House of Representatives. The Caring for Our Women Veterans Act (H.R. 3636) would ensure women veterans receive quality health care from VA facilities. The bill directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to report to Congress annually on gender-specific care available at VA facilities, which will provide valuable information about how VA can better provide high-quality, accessible care for women veterans. Underwood's legislation passed as a part of the Deborah Sampson Act (H.R. 3224), championed by Chairwoman Julia Brownley (CA-26). The bill includes several key provisions to improve veterans' access to VA resources and benefits and ensures that women veterans have access to high-quality health care that meets their unique needs.

"Today, the day after Veterans Day, I'm so proud to continue our work on behalf of veterans," said Rep. Underwood. "Women have served honorably in the armed forces since the founding of the United States, and women veterans are the fastest growing group within the veteran population. We have a collective responsibility to care for our veterans when they return home, and I'm proud that my bill, the Caring for Our Women Veterans Act, will empower the VA to fulfill its mission to honor all veterans."

Full video of Underwood's remarks can be found here.

As a member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, the Servicewomen & Women Veterans Congressional Caucus, and the Women Veterans Task Force, Underwood is an advocate for improving veterans' access to quality care and has worked to help ensure veterans receive the care they have earned. In May, Underwood's bipartisan legislation to ensure high-quality mental health and suicide prevention care for veterans passed the U.S House of Representatives unanimously. The Veterans' Care Quality Transparency Act helps ensure both the VA and outside providers are offering veterans high-quality mental health and suicide prevention services. In September, Underwood introduced the ACE Veterans Act and the Post-9/11 Veteran Suicide Prevention Counseling Act to improve access to quality care for veterans.

###