Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act

Vet Center Eligibility Expansion Act

This bill expands eligibility for readjustment counseling and related mental health services through Vet Centers to certain members of the Coast Guard, National Guard, and Reserves. Specifically, eligibility is expanded to include (1) members of the Coast Guard who participated in a drug interdiction operation; and (2) members of the National Guard or Reservists who were activated due to a national emergency or major disaster declared by the President, or responded to a disaster or civil disorder in a state. Vet Centers are community-based counseling centers that provide social and psychological services to eligible veterans, active duty service members, and their families.

The bill also requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit a plan to provide Vet Center services to veterans living in geographic areas where no Vet Center is located.