{"id":778204,"date":"2026-05-06T22:09:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T22:09:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/778204\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T22:09:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T22:09:17","slug":"renewed-push-in-veteran-bill-that-would-change-medication-information","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/778204\/","title":{"rendered":"Renewed Push in Veteran Bill That Would Change Medication Information"},"content":{"rendered":"

National veterans organizations are urging Congress to pass legislation that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to obtain written, informed consent from patients before prescribing certain\u00a0psychiatric medications.<\/a><\/p>\n

Around 35 groups, including the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, sent a letter last month to leaders of the House and Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committees calling on them to prioritize the bill, which is currently pending votes in both chambers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe legislation will ensure veterans are fully informed about a drug\u2019s risks, leaving no doubt about what information veterans are or are not provided,\u201d the groups wrote in the letter.<\/p>\n

Why It Matters<\/p>\n

Nearly 70 percent of veterans receiving VA care are prescribed psychiatric medications, often for conditions such as post\u2011traumatic stress disorder, <\/a>according to the Grunt Style Foundation.<\/p>\n

The bill would require VA providers to follow the same informed\u2011consent protocols for psychiatric medications that are already used when prescribing opioid painkillers, which are also drugs known for their addiction risks and serious side effects.<\/p>\n

What To Know<\/p>\n

Known as the Written Informed Consent Act, the bill would require the VA to provide veterans with clear and comprehensive written information before prescribing medications used to treat mood disorders.<\/p>\n

That includes antidepressants, anti\u2011anxiety medications, and other psychiatric drugs, along with disclosures about potential risks such as suicidal thoughts and behaviors.<\/p>\n

Under the proposal, VA health care providers would be required to use a standardized written consent form outlining potential adverse effects. Veterans or their caregivers would also receive a written summary detailing risks, benefits, and alternative treatment options.<\/p>\n

Currently, lawmakers say these prescriptions may be accompanied only by verbal disclosures or limited written information.<\/p>\n

Republican Representative Gus Bilirakis of Florida, who is helping lead the legislation in the House, said the measure is about transparency and patient rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur veterans deserve nothing less than complete transparency when it comes to their health and the medications they\u2019re prescribed,\u201d Bilirakis said at a news conference organized by veterans groups outside the Capitol in April.<\/p>\n

The House version of the bill has 19 co\u2011sponsors, including Democratic Representative Don Davis of North Carolina, an Air Force veteran, and Republican Representative Tom Barrett of Michigan, an Army veteran.<\/p>\n

The legislation specifically names several categories of drugs that would require a veteran\u2019s written consent, including antipsychotics, stimulants, antidepressants, anxiolytics (anti\u2011anxiety drugs) and narcotics.<\/p>\n

While more informed consent could help many veterans, some worry that it could overly discourage veterans from taking medications even when they need them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the veteran says, \u2018I don\u2019t want it,\u2019 their refusal would need to go into their chart,\u201d Charles Garbarino, a retired Army colonel, told military publication Stars and Stripes. \u201cLeaving a serious mental health problem untreated can lead to suicide.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Happens Next<\/p>\n

The bill now awaits action in both the House and Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committees.<\/p>\n

With a renewed push from the coalition of veterans’ groups, the legislation could be closer to passage, even after its previous attempts stalled.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"National veterans organizations are urging Congress to pass legislation that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":778205,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1230,210,1141,1060,1188,67,132,68,2512,15994],"class_list":{"0":"post-778204","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-drugs","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-health-care","11":"tag-medication","12":"tag-psychiatry","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us","16":"tag-veterans","17":"tag-veterans-affairs"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116529920524791643","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/778204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=778204"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/778204\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/778205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=778204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=778204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=778204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}