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.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A5155 Revised 05/15/25
SPONSOR: Stern TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the veterans' services law, in relation to veterans
health care
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill calls for the New York State Department of Veterans' Services,
in consultation with the Department of Health, to undertake a study
regarding veteran healthcare in New York State.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: amends the veterans' services law by adding a new section
18-a. Section 2: sets the effective date
JUSTIFICATION:
Although New York State has the sixth largest population of veterans in
the nation, we spend significantly less per veteran than almost any
other state. A staggeringly small number of these veterans uses health
care services provided by the federal Department of Veterans Affairs,
despite the fact that more than 50% of the veteran population is over
the age of 65 and thus significantly more likely to require access to
adequate health care services. According to the New York Health Founda-
tion, nearly three quarters of the veteran population has served during
wartime and are roughly eight times more likely to require mental health
care services. Despite these statistics, New York lacks an adequate
system to seamlessly connect our courageous heroes with the federal,
state and local health care services they need.
This bill attempts to remedy these myriad problems by providing for a
state sponsored study to improve veterans' health care in New York. The
study would evaluate whether the needs of veterans and their families
are being met by existing healthcare and veterans' programs and provide
recommendations for steps that could be taken to increase access to
affordable, quality healthcare. The study will also consider the effects
of designating health care navigators who would assist veterans and
their families in obtaining vital information and access to needed
health care services, including mental health care and benefits provided
by federal agencies like the V.A. This bill would ensure that New York
is committed to helping our hometown heroes get access to the care that
they deserve after sacrificing so much in service to our nation.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-2024: A.4201-B - passed the Assembly and Senate. Veto No. 25 of
2024 2022: A.7538-A - reported referred to ways and means
2021: A.7538 - referred to veterans' affairs
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have
become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5155
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 12, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. STERN, PHEFFER AMATO, SANTABARBARA, RAJKUMAR,
RAGA, EACHUS, SIMPSON, NOVAKHOV, CHANG -- read once and referred to
the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
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-seven.
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, anxiety, military sexual trauma, reproductive and mental
21 health conditions, and suicide prevention;
22 (e) increasing primary, reproductive and mental health care services
23 and resources for women veterans;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04144-01-5
A. 5155 2
1 (f) identifying all federal and other health benefits, coverage, and
2 services available to veterans and their families; and
3 (g) more effectively coordinating with other local, state, and federal
4 departments and agencies, health care providers, and health insurance
5 programs to help veterans and their beneficiaries apply for coverage
6 under such programs, including helping veterans overcome barriers within
7 the health care system, to ensure enrollment in health plans and effec-
8 tive delivery and coordination of health services.
9 3. As part of the study, the department shall also:
10 (a) evaluate whether the needs of veterans and their families are met
11 by existing health care and veterans' programs;
12 (b) examine the existing health care services and resources available
13 to women veterans, assess if the existing services and resources are
14 serving the needs of women veterans, and provide recommendations to
15 further expand access to additional health care services and resources
16 for women veterans;
17 (c) provide recommendations for steps that could be taken to increase
18 access to affordable, quality health care;
19 (d) consider the effects of designating health care navigators who
20 would assist veterans in navigating the complexities of accessing health
21 care benefits and services;
22 (e) evaluate the extent to which veterans in the state are experienc-
23 ing delays in the receipt of health care services and ways to provide
24 assistance to those veterans having difficulty receiving timely or
25 adequate care; and
26 (f) evaluate the potential effectiveness of health care choice
27 accounts, deposits into which shall be deductible from the veteran's
28 state personal income tax, for veteran members of the organized militia,
29 particularly those who served on active duty in a combat zone designated
30 by the president of the United States and have a current disability that
31 was incurred or aggravated as a result of such service. For purposes of
32 this section the term "health care choice account" shall mean an indi-
33 vidual savings account, owned by a veteran for the purpose of obtaining
34 health care from the provider of their choice, when after making appli-
35 cation to or attempting to schedule an appointment for health care
36 services through the federal veterans health administration the veteran
37 has been unable to receive such services in a timely manner.
38 § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
39 have become a law.
