Bill Text: NY A04201 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended

New York Assembly Bill 4201

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Relates to veterans' health care; creates a veteran health care review to ensure veterans and their families have access to health and mental health treatment, including for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, military sexual trauma, reproductive and mental health conditions, and suicide prevention.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-3)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-06-04 - RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY [A04201 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A04201-Amended.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         4201--A

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 13, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M. of A. STERN, SIMPSON -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Veterans' Affairs -- committee discharged, bill  amended,
          ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  veterans' services law, in relation to veterans
          health care

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  The  veterans'  services  law  is amended by adding a new
     2  section 18-a to read as follows:
     3    § 18-a. Veteran health care review. 1. The department, in consultation
     4  with the department of health, shall undertake a study regarding  veter-
     5  an health   care as provided  in  this  section.  Such  study  shall  be
     6  completed  and reported to the legislature on or before December thirty-
     7  first, two thousand twenty-five.
     8    2. The veteran health care review shall comprehensively study  efforts
     9  that  can  be made to improve veterans' health care in the state includ-
    10  ing, but not be limited to:
    11    (a) increasing access by veterans and   their   families   to   health
    12  care coverage and services;
    13    (b) leveraging existing resources and structures in areas where veter-
    14  ans and their families are able to easily access such resources;
    15    (c)  ensuring    the needs of veterans and their families are incorpo-
    16  rated in all state efforts to expand  access  to   affordable,   quality
    17  health care;
    18    (d)  ensuring    veterans    and  their families have access to mental
    19  health  treatment,  including  for   post-traumatic   stress   disorder,
    20  depression, and suicide prevention;
    21    (e)  identifying  all federal and other health benefits, coverage, and
    22  services available to veterans and their families; and
    23    (f) more effectively coordinating with other local, state, and federal
    24  departments  and agencies, health care providers, and  health  insurance

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02560-02-3

        A. 4201--A                          2

     1  programs  to  help  veterans  and their beneficiaries apply for coverage
     2  under such programs, including helping veterans overcome barriers within
     3  the health care system, to ensure enrollment in health plans and  effec-
     4  tive delivery and coordination of health services.
     5    3. As part of the study, the department shall also:
     6    (a) evaluate whether the needs of veterans and their families are  met
     7  by existing health care and veterans' programs;
     8    (b)  provide recommendations for steps that could be taken to increase
     9  access to affordable, quality health care;
    10    (c) consider the effects of designating  health  care  navigators  who
    11  would assist veterans in navigating the complexities of accessing health
    12  care benefits and services;
    13    (d)  evaluate the extent to which veterans in the state are experienc-
    14  ing delays in the receipt of health care services and  ways  to  provide
    15  assistance  to  those  veterans  having  difficulty  receiving timely or
    16  adequate care; and
    17    (e)  evaluate  the  potential  effectiveness  of  health  care  choice
    18  accounts,  deposits  into  which  shall be deductible from the veteran's
    19  state personal income tax, for veteran members of the organized militia,
    20  particularly those who served on active duty in a combat zone designated
    21  by the president of the United States and have a current disability that
    22  was incurred or aggravated as a result of such service.  For purposes of
    23  this section the term "health care choice account" shall mean  an  indi-
    24  vidual  savings account, owned by a veteran for the purpose of obtaining
    25  health care from the provider of their choice, when after making  appli-
    26  cation  to  or  attempting  to  schedule  an appointment for health care
    27  services through the federal veterans health administration the  veteran
    28  has been unable to receive such services in a timely manner.
    29    §  2.  This  act  shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
    30  have become a law.