Brindisi Bill Would Require VA Women Veteran Call Center to Be Text Accessible
Freshman Rep. Anthony Brindisi, a member of the bipartisan Women Veterans Task Force, has introduced legislation to mandate accessibility for women at the VA’s healthcare call center.
Brindisi’s legislation, H.R. 2972, would statutorily require the Veterans Affairs Women Veterans Call Center be accessible via text and create a one-stop-shop for women veterans’ benefits.
While the Women Veterans Call Center is currently available via text, Brindisi’s legislation would codify it in law.
Also, in order to create more efficiency, the legislation requires the VA to create a centralized webpage in which women veterans can access gender-specific information, pages, and resources throughout the VA system.
The webpage will include locations of medical centers, CBOC’s and contact information for women’s health coordinators, and will also be required to be updated at least every 90 days.
Brindisi, called on Washington to improve accessibility for women veterans.
“Women veterans are the fastest growing demographic in the veteran community,” he said. “Women comprise nearly 10 percent of the veteran population, and that figure is expected to rise to 18 percent over the next twenty years. This bill will build on efforts by VA and this Committee to ensure all women veterans are aware of the hard-earned resources and benefits available to them and where to turn if they are struggling.”
Text of the bill can be found here. Rep. Brindisi’s remarks before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Health Subcommittee can be found here.
