Representative Jimmy Patronis (R-FL) has introduced a bill designed to improve access to urgent mental health care for veterans.
The Never Fight Alone Act ensures that veterans can access these services through community providers, protects veterans' right to choose their mental health care provider, reduces approval delays, and requires congressional approval before any changes to community care access.
"Northwest Florida is home to one of the largest veteran and military communities in the country," Rep. Patronis said in a press release. "Heroes that answered the call to serve our nation and protect our freedoms shouldn't come home to red tape from the very country they risked everything to defend."
Rep. Patronis further emphasized that "President Trump and Secretary Collins have made historic strides in reforming the VA, and this legislation builds on those efforts. Our heroes deserve care that is fast, local, and trusted, and I'm proud to file legislation that ensures no veteran is ever left to fight alone."
Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), one of the bill's primary cosponsors, said, "I am proud to co-sponsor this critical legislation led by Congressman Patronis to ensure veterans facing mental health and substance abuse challenges are treated with the urgency and dignity their service demands."
Speaking as an Air Force veteran, Rep. Luna shared that "access to these kinds of crucial treatment programs should never be lost in bureaucratic delay when qualified care is available in our own communities. If the system built to serve our veterans cannot meet their needs in time, it should not also stand in the way of their ability to choose the care they deserve. Removing those barriers is part of our duty to stand with those who stood for us."
In April, Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL) introduced a similar bill, the Answering the Call Act, which improves mental healthcare access for first responders, who similarly are repeatedly exposed to traumatic situations.
