[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 20, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H2175-H2177]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NO WRONG DOOR FOR VETERANS ACT
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 1969) to amend and reauthorize the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon
Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program of the Department of Veterans
Affairs, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1969
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``No Wrong Door for Veterans
Act''.
SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF STAFF SERGEANT
PARKER GORDON FOX SUICIDE PREVENTION GRANT
PROGRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) Duration.--Section 201 of the Commander John Scott
Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019
(Public Law 116-171; 38 U.S.C. 1720F note) is amended, in
subsection (j), by striking ``the date that is three years
after the date on which the first grant is awarded under this
section'' and inserting ``September 30, 2026''.
(b) Emergent Suicide Care.--Such section is further
amended--
(1) in subsection (m)--
(A) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4);
(B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new
paragraph (3):
``(3) Emergent suicide care.--In the case of an eligible
individual who receives suicide prevention services provided
or coordinated by an eligible entity in receipt of a grant
under this section, the eligible entity shall notify--
``(A) the eligible individual that the individual may be
eligible for emergent suicide care under section 1720J of
title 38, United States Code; and
``(B) the Secretary, if an eligible individual notified
under subparagraph (A) elects to receive such emergent
suicide care.''; and
(C) in paragraph (4), as so redesignated, by striking ``(1)
or (2)'' and inserting ``(1), (2), or (3)''; and
(2) in subsection (n)--
(A) by inserting ``(1) In general.--'' before ``When'' and
adjusting the margins accordingly; and
(B) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(2) Time frame.--If the Secretary does not provide
services under paragraph (1) to an eligible individual during
the 72-hour period following a referral under subsection (m),
such eligible individual shall be treated as eligible for
emergent suicide care under section 1720J of title 38, United
States Code.''.
(c) Reauthorization.--Such section is further amended, in
subsection (p)--
(1) by striking ``section a total of $174,000,000 for
fiscal years 2021 through 2025.'' and inserting ``section--
''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
``(1) a total of $174,000,000 for fiscal years 2021 through
2025; and
``(2) $52,500,000 for fiscal year 2026.''.
(d) Requirements for Eligible Entities.--Such section is
further amended, in subsection (q)(3)--
(1) by inserting ``an entity that has continuously provided
mental health care or support services in the United States
during the two-year period before the date on which the
entity applies for a grant under this section and that is''
after ``means'';
(2) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or foundation'' and
inserting ``, foundation, or health care provider''; and
(3) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``A'' and inserting
``a''.
(e) Technical Correction to Definitions.--Such section is
further amended, in subsection (q)(5), by striking ``Medical
services'' and inserting ``The term `emergency treatment'
means medical services''.
(f) Required Use of Certain Screening Protocol.--Such
section is further amended, in subsection (q)(11)(A)(ii), by
inserting after ``risk'' the following: ``, which in the case
of a grant made on or after the date of the enactment of the
No Wrong Door for Veterans Act, shall be the Columbia
Protocol (also known as the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating
Scale)''.
[[Page H2176]]
SEC. 3. INCLUSION OF ADAPTIVE PROSTHESES AND TERMINAL DEVICES
FOR SPORTS AND OTHER RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN
MEDICAL SERVICES FURNISHED TO ELIGIBLE VETERANS
BY THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
Section 1701 of title 38, United States Code, is amended,
in paragraph (6)(F)(i), by inserting ``(including adaptive
prostheses and terminal devices for sports and other
recreational activities)'' after ``artificial limbs''.
SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN LIMITS ON PAYMENTS OF PENSION.
Section 5503(d)(7) of title 38, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``November 30, 2031'' and inserting
``January 30, 2033''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Bost) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
General Leave
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on
H.R. 1969, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1969, as amended. This
bill was introduced by the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks),
my friend and colleague.
The bill is a powerful reminder that mental health and physical
health go hand in hand. This bill extends authorization for the Staff
Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program.
House Republicans created the Fox grant program to expand the reach
of VA's mental health services through community-based organizations
where veterans and their families live. The organizations that have
qualified for the Fox grant program provide traditional and
nontraditional mental health and therapy support services to veterans
in need. This ensures VA services are reaching everyone who needs them.
We should, without question, continue the Fox grant program.
This bill also recognizes that being in the military is a physical
task. If our country wants to make veterans whole after their service,
it only makes sense that VA should provide the means for physical
activity.
Representative Miller-Meeks' bill would make adaptive prosthetics a
necessary medical service. This would help our veterans to return to
the activities they were accustomed to or even explore new
opportunities.
We must not let our veterans' time in service be what holds them back
from living the rest of their lives.
Mr. Speaker, I thank our Health Subcommittee chairwoman for her
leadership on both issues. This bill is a fantastic idea that will save
veterans' lives, and I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1969,
as amended.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in hesitant support of H.R. 1969, the No
Wrong Door Act, as amended.
This bill would reauthorize the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox
Suicide Prevention Grant Program, or Fox grants, for fiscal year 2026.
As the ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, one of my
top priorities has been and will continue to be veteran suicide
prevention. The Fox grant program is an important tool in our arsenal
for this work.
Community-based programs are a crucial part of a public health
approach to suicide prevention. However, I do have significant concerns
with this legislation's approach to reauthorizing this program.
We must ensure that we reauthorize this program in a way that ensures
it is as effective and robust as possible. I would like to take this
time to highlight some of those concerns.
First, based on congressionally mandated reports that the committee
has received, VA has not established enough metrics to allow Congress
to monitor the success of the program. Additionally, in our view,
grantees are not collecting or reporting complete data for all
participants, which further limits Congress' ability to determine
whether the program is meeting its intended purposes. It is clear that
this bill, as drafted and amended, will not do enough to improve data
collection and make clear what data grantees are responsible for
collecting.
This bill would also compound this issue by requiring grantees to use
the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale to screen participants for
their baseline mental health when entering the program. While this
scale is a widely accepted, clinically validated behavioral health
screening instrument, its primary use is to measure a patient's
suicidal ideation and the severity of suicidal risk at a given point in
time.
VA already requires Fox grantees to screen their participants using a
number of other validated screening tools, both at baseline and after
connecting veterans to additional support. Each of these tools measures
other upstream factors of mental health that contribute to veterans'
suicide risks, such as levels of emotion, optimism, work satisfaction,
and social support.
Limiting grantees to the use of a single screening instrument that
measures suicide risk at a point in time will further limit our ability
to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the Fox grant program on
improving veterans' mental health.
Perhaps more importantly, Congress is not and should not be in the
business of mandating the use of a particular clinical tool. Not only
does it micromanage providers or grantees in terms of determining the
most clinically appropriate tool, but it also arbitrarily limits
providers and grantees from using a different tool in the future if it
is determined to be more effective.
Finally, I remain concerned about language that would dramatically
alter the entities that would be eligible to receive grants.
Specifically, we oppose language that would add ``healthcare
providers'' as eligible grantees. The Fox grant program was designed to
allow community-based organizations to help address upstream suicide
risk factors and provide services to support veterans' needs. It was
never intended to directly provide clinical care, particularly mental
health care.
Combined with my existing concerns about the bill's lack of
requirements to strengthen data collection and demonstration of
effective outcomes, I remain extremely concerned that opening
eligibility up to new types of grantees without establishing additional
definitions, guardrails, or oversight will weaken the quality of care
provided to veterans.
In its current form, H.R. 1969, as amended, does not reauthorize this
grant program in a way that will meet the needs of our veterans.
Just 2 weeks ago, we held a markup where my Republican colleagues
rejected several amendments to improve this version of the bill,
including an amendment I offered that would have at least partially
addressed my concerns. Thus, the bill that we are considering today is
not one that considers any of the areas of improvement that I had hoped
could be incorporated into the legislation at the community level.
{time} 1530
Mr. Speaker, I believe that Senator Warner's bill to reauthorize this
program, S. 793, is a better starting place that will help ensure that
we reauthorize the strongest possible version of this grant program.
I hope we will have an opportunity to engage in robust renegotiation
and discussion with my Republican colleagues and our Senate
counterparts to ensure we advance the strongest possible bill to
prevent veteran suicide.
That said, while I have serious concerns about how this bill would
reauthorize the program, I want to make clear that I understand that
this grant program is a critical piece of VA's efforts in ensuring
veterans receive the outreach, support, and services they need and
deserve when it comes to their mental health.
Therefore, I hope that, moving forward, we can work together, along
with our Senate counterparts, to reauthorize the Fox Grant Program in a
responsible way and ensure it is as effective and robust as our
Nation's veterans deserve.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, at the end of the fiscal year, the Fox Grant Program
expires. This bill will keep the Fox Grant Program going. We have made
important
[[Page H2177]]
improvements to the grant program, the bill that is before us today.
I look forward to continuing to work with stakeholders and veterans
groups to find ways to make even more improvements to the Fox Grant
Program, but I won't let perfect be the enemy of the good. We can't let
this lifesaving program that veterans and their families rely on stop.
That is what we are here to do.
When it comes to the screening tool, it is essential that all
grantees use the same protocol to determine the effectiveness of
services and programs.
The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale is currently a tool used
by VA as one component of an eligibility screening and identifies
individuals with suicidal thoughts and behavior.
If we simply allow grantees to use whatever protocol they choose,
this could create differing approaches and confusion. The bill simply
requires that grantee servers include this essential screening tool.
The code says include, not exclude or only.
This bill, as amended, preserves VA's flexibility to ensure the best
results for veterans who are seeking mental health services in their
most desperate moments.
It is common sense to allow those who are already providing mental
health services to receive grants for a suicide prevention program. Not
only are these applicants subject to the same level of scrutiny as
previous years' grantees but they also receive the same amount of
funding.
The idea that this creates a loophole or expands community care is
far from reality. Adding qualified providers to the list of grantees
helps keep the door open for veterans seeking mental health services.
The reality is this program is set to expire in September, and we
cannot allow this to happen.
Delay jeopardizes this program. We have big problems to solve. Adding
qualified mental health providers will only help.
I can appreciate the fact that the Senate has a different
perspective. However, I find their approach to be business as usual for
Congress and VA. Their bill would simply reauthorize the program for
longer and with more money. It would also oblige VA to provide more
vague reporting requirements and briefing, in other words, more money
and more bureaucracy.
If this program had been perfect, maybe this would be a good idea. I
think we can do better by ensuring the program continues longer, while
giving Congress the opportunity to revisit these programs.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman
from Iowa (Mrs. Miller-Meeks).
Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Bost for yielding
time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1969, the No Wrong Door
for Veterans Act. As an Army veteran of 24 years, a physician, and a
Member of Congress, I have seen the toll that service can take on our
veterans, not just physically but mentally and emotionally. I have
heard from too many who feel forgotten once they have taken off the
uniform.
While I respect my colleague's comments from the other side of the
aisle, to ask for data for metrics and for outcomes but not to provide
a tool for these grantees seems to be the wrong path to take.
Mr. Speaker, 17 veterans die by suicide every single day. That number
should shake this Chamber. It is a national tragedy and a moral call to
action. This bill reauthorizes and strengthens the VA's Staff Sergeant
Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, one of the most
effective tools we have to get local, trusted organizations the funding
they need to help struggling veterans.
In Iowa, I have seen incredible work being done by people like Shane
Sawyer, an Air Force special operations combat veteran who helps lead
the Quad Cities Veterans Network. He brings veterans together, not just
to socialize but to survive, to reconnect with the tribe they lost, to
rediscover their identity, and to talk to people who understand what
they have been through.
His work saves lives. It is that simple. This bill helps him and
thousands like him do even more. It also includes my Veterans SPORT
Act, which ensures veterans can access adaptive prosthetics for sports
and physical activity.
Recovery isn't just about prescriptions. It is about purpose. Whether
it is walking a golf course or playing a team sport, these activities
can be the difference between isolation and hope.
Mr. Speaker, we made a promise to our veterans. This bill is about
keeping it. It ensures no veteran falls through the cracks. No door
should be the wrong door when a veteran is in crisis. No door should be
the wrong door when it comes to making our veterans whole.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R.
1969. Let's do the right thing by those who put everything on the line
for us.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to share my position on
H.R. 1969, the No Wrong Door for Veterans Act, as amended. I will
always be supportive of efforts to prevent veteran suicide, but I
remain concerned that this bill does not do enough to ensure the Fox
Grant Program is working as intended.
Veterans deserve our best legislative efforts, not legislation that
creates more problems than it solves and that does not take steps to
improve suicide prevention efforts.
That being said, I will not stand in the way of forward progress on
veteran suicide prevention efforts, but I strongly urge my House and
Senate colleagues to work with us to ensure that final reauthorization
of this program is as robust as possible.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage all Members to support
this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 1969, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not
present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.
____________________