Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District has joined forces with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to introduce a bill to assess the effectiveness of the mental health services available to veterans and transitioning servicemembers.
Titled the Improving Mental Health Support for Servicemembers and Veterans Act, this bill would launch a formal review of the mental health programs offered by the federal government to former military members and those transitioning back into civilian life.
Co-leads on this bill include Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI), Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), and Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE).
“When I came home from the Marines,” said Rep. Golden in a statement Friday, “I saw how important it is to have a strong support system in your corner.”
“The VA is full of skilled public servants who do that work, but there’s only so much an individual employee can do about the fundamental gaps in service created by an imperfect system,” Golden said.
“I’m grateful for the partnership of Congressmen Bergman, Bacon and Suozzi in the effort to show VA leaders just how lacking the agency’s outreach, rural logistics, and staffing efforts have been,” he added.
Under this bill, the Department of Defense-Veterans Affairs Joint Executive Committee (JEC) would be required to investigate the effectiveness of its programs and processes in “facilitating access to mental health services” for those who are exiting the military.
As part of this review, the JEC would conduct a full inventory of the government’s mental health programs, including “metrics, milestones, and plans of actions to identify inefficiencies and gaps in programming.”
This work would need to be completed and reported to the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees within 180 days, or six months, of enactment.
Additionally, the JEC’s existing Joint Separation Health Assessment (SHA) would need to be updated every two years.
According to Golden, the SHA “currently uses an outdated process to infrequently catalog veterans’ generalized health needs.” He suggested that this “forces policymakers to contend with data that isn’t specific nor timely enough.”
[RELATED: Golden Announces He Won’t Seek Re-Election in 2026, Drops Out of Re-Election Bid]
“We owe our men and women in uniform more than gratitude — we owe them accountability and results,” Rep. Bergman said.
“[This bill] ensures the Department of War and VA are working together effectively, eliminating gaps and duplication, and delivering real access to mental health care when it matters most,” he continued. “By requiring measurable standards, regular review, and transparency to Congress, this bill strengthens the transition process and helps ensure no Veteran falls through the cracks.”
“Too many veterans and service members fall through the cracks when transitioning from active duty to civilian life. We have to do better,” said Rep. Suozzi. “It’s our responsibility as lawmakers and Americans to make sure that everyone who serves our country receives the healthcare, including mental healthcare, they deserve.”
“It’s common sense to assess and improve veterans’ health services of all kinds as time goes on,” he added.
“The transition to civilian life is one of the most vulnerable periods in a servicemember’s career,” said Rep. Bacon. “We must ensure our mental health screening tools are validated, effective, and connecting people to care.”
