Denham, Zeldin measures to improve veteran care signed into law

Bipartisan measures led by U.S. Reps. Jeff Denham (R-CA) and Lee Zeldin (R-NY) to improve how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) serves veterans were signed into law on Friday.

President Barack Obama signed the Appropriate Care for Disabled Veterans Act led by Denham and the No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act led by Zeldin into law as parts of the larger Continuing Resolution (CR).

The Appropriate Care for Disabled Veterans Act, H.R. 5091, which Denham introduced with U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), would require the VA to report to Congress on its ability to provide specialized treatment and rehabilitative services to disabled veterans.

“Our veterans deserve the best available care for their service to our country,” Denham said. “This bill will hold the VA accountable to ensure hospital capacity and treatments remain in line with the growing needs of our nation’s veterans.”

Zeldin’s No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act, H.R. 5325, meanwhile, was introduced in response to a VA Office of Inspector General report that found that calls to a Veterans Crisis Line in 2014 were not returned.

“Each and every struggling veteran who contacts the suicide hotline should receive immediate support from a trained VA responder,” Zeldin said. “After sacrificing so much for our country, there is absolutely no justifiable reason that a veteran who calls the suicide hotline should ever be sent to voicemail. I am proud to have secured passage of this new law ensuring that a trained professional is available to take an incoming call on the suicide hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”