Bill Seeks Help For Combat Veterans

August 14, 2015

A Senate Republican on Thursday filed a proposal aimed at helping combat veterans and their families get mental-health and substance-abuse services. The bill (SB 128), filed by Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, would direct the Florida Department of Children and Families to help establish the “Florida Combat Veterans’ Care Coordination Program.”

The program would work with the Florida 211 Network, which provides referral services, to increase the use of community-based services and U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs services. Along with offering referral services, the program would provide care coordination to the combat veterans and their families. The bill, which will be considered during the 2016 legislative session, lists as one of its goals preventing suicides by combat veterans. It calls for the Legislature to spend about $2 million on the program during the 2016-17 fiscal year.

by The News Service of Florida


Comments

4 Responses to “Bill Seeks Help For Combat Veterans”

  1. Mike on August 15th, 2015 9:00 am

    nod:

    It sounds like you are saying that standards need bringing up at the VA hospitals, & that some vets & their families don’t want to go to them because of this. Maybe a law requiring better standards & conditions at VA hospitals would be a better idea than a law trying to get people to go somewhere they don’t want to for healthcare.

  2. nod on August 15th, 2015 2:02 am

    Mike
    the VA provides all sorts of mental health care and benefits but a lot of your veterans either what a whole lot more or is there in Paris to go to VA for the I think they are too good for VA. so private medical facilities need to be provided to get them the proper mental health care.

  3. Mike on August 15th, 2015 12:29 am

    I thought they already had this stuff at the VA hospitals, I guess not. If a serviceman has a wife & kids, don’t they qualify for these kinds of benefits?

    To provide for a retired vet & his family’s healthcare for the rest of their lives seems a bit much, but maybe that is what is normal, I don’t know. I certainly would not want any of our guys going without anything, & hope they get the best treatment possible.

    Seems like there would be laws in place already that cover this, & a new law should be unnecessary.

  4. 429SCJ on August 14th, 2015 6:58 am

    As a 21 year NON-COMBAT (BLESSED) Veteran, I have always maintained that our COMBAT Veterans are in a class by themselves, and most worthy of special distinction/recognition, respect.