Veterans Mental Health Reform

Purpose

The purpose of this reform is to enhance the mental health services available to veterans by expanding their access to timely, high-quality care that addresses the unique challenges they face. This reform emphasizes veterans’ freedom to choose providers, including those outside the VA system, ensuring they receive the best possible support for their mental health needs.

Key Provisions

  1. Provider Choice Expansion

• Flexible Provider Network: Veterans will be granted the option to seek mental health treatment from providers outside of the VA system without needing referrals. This includes licensed therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists within an approved network or those accepting government-sponsored reimbursements.

• Equalized Reimbursement: Private providers who accept veterans will be reimbursed at rates comparable to VA funding, making it financially viable for them to participate in veterans’ care networks. Veterans will not face higher out-of-pocket costs for choosing an external provider.

  1. Streamlined Authorization Process

• Automatic Approval for Mental Health Services: Veterans will no longer need to go through lengthy authorization processes for essential mental health services. Once a diagnosis of a mental health condition is confirmed by a provider (VA or non-VA), veterans will have immediate access to care.

• Simplified Referral System: For veterans still seeking care within the VA, the referral system will be streamlined, reducing wait times by enabling self-referral and decreasing administrative burdens on healthcare staff.

  1. Timely Access and Reduced Wait Times

• Mandated Maximum Wait Times: All veterans seeking mental health services should be seen by a qualified provider within a maximum wait time of 14 days, whether within or outside the VA. The VA will coordinate with external providers to meet this requirement.

• Mental Health Crisis Hotline and Immediate Access: Veterans experiencing a mental health crisis will have immediate access to both VA and non-VA resources, including local emergency centers and telehealth options, without waiting for pre-approvals.

  1. Expanded Access to Specialized Therapy Options

• Range of Therapy Choices: Veterans will have access to a broad array of therapeutic options, including traditional talk therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), group therapy, and alternative therapies (e.g., art therapy, equine therapy) that can address specific mental health needs related to military service.

• Teletherapy Availability: Teletherapy will be an option for veterans who prefer or need virtual appointments, particularly for those in rural or underserved areas. Teletherapy services will be available across both VA and non-VA providers.

  1. Expanded Support for Family-Centered Care

• Family Involvement in Therapy: Families of veterans are critical to their mental health and recovery. The reform will include coverage for family-centered therapy sessions, helping veterans reintegrate with their families and address issues that affect both their personal and family lives.

• Educational Resources for Families: Families will also have access to resources on supporting a veteran with mental health challenges, helping them become partners in the recovery process.

  1. Financial Support and Incentives for Private Providers

• Incentives for Rural and Specialized Providers: To encourage more providers to participate in veterans’ mental health care, particularly in rural areas or with specialized skills, the government will offer incentives, including grants and student loan forgiveness, for those who work with veterans.

• Provider Training in Military Mental Health: Non-VA providers who wish to join the veterans’ care network will have access to government-sponsored training programs to deepen their understanding of military culture and trauma-informed care, ensuring veterans receive quality, empathetic support from all providers.

  1. Outcome Tracking and Accountability

• Data Collection on Mental Health Outcomes: All mental health care providers, both VA and non-VA, will participate in outcomes tracking to assess the efficacy of various treatments and therapies. This data will inform future policy decisions and improvements to veterans’ mental health services.

• Regular Public Reporting: A quarterly report will be published on the status of veterans’ mental health care access, wait times, and outcomes, holding the system accountable and making transparent any areas that require additional focus.

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Great comments. We need to also integrate deep brain stimulation tools such as “Neurogen Brain Balancing”, and the monitored use of Psilocybin. We also believe there are tools available to help address the suicide challenge in the VHA. We have developed a tool that monitors the mood of a patient and keeps in contact with them on a daily or more basis. It also gives a veteran a tool to instantly access care and a professional who can address an intervention and support an at risk patient.

Mood Monitoring Tool “MMT” is a simple, patient focused and effective application to allow treating mental health professional, oncologists, urologists, and all those associated with the treatment of severe mental health disorders including those that are chemically induced from by the necessary application of Androgen Deprivation Therapy “ADT” during treatment of advanced prostate cancer. The digital IT application serves as a mental health monitoring tool through the innocuous and simple response of a patient when queried about his daily mood. With specific programmed alerts set into the clinicians monitoring “command center” specific alerts can be set for individual patients, which trigger an intervention by health care, emergency or family personnel.

A. Patient Solution: The Mood Monitoring Tool “MMT” platform is a holistic patient-centered digital care and research platform. MMT enables remote patient monitoring and the generation of real-world evidence to address the unique needs of Veterans navigating the mental health aspects of their individual prostate cancer journey. The application is a simple process that begins with the diagnosis of the patient in the clinic, a brief introduction to the application, and the execution of a consent for its use. MMT was developed through collaboration between Veteran’s Prostate Cancer Awareness (VPCa), patients experiencing cognitive decline and depression onset experienced through ADT, along with consultation by treating physicians. Together our goal is to meet the needs of Veterans as they manage their prostate health and the physical and mental wellbeing around it. Based on interaction with hundreds of thousands of patients managing a variety of conditions, the platform is configurable to improve awareness and education, reduce the anxiety and burden of disease, and treatment through smart alerts and reminders. It also allows for the collection of individual level data in real-time, and empowers patients to take an active role in their care.

The patient-facing application, Mood Monitoring Tool “MMT”, include modules within the application such as Erectile Dysfunction reporting, Pain level reporting, Urine and Bowel Incontinence Tracking, a PSA log, and other tools such as Medication Reminders, and Daily Vitals. However, the main function of the application and what we feel is the most important component of the MMT is the Mental Health indicator called “Mood Monitor” which is intended to report a status of the patients mental health.

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