Shipbuilding: Authorizes investments to help meet the congressionally mandated requirement to have 31 operational amphibious warfare ships for the Navy and Marine Corps, by restoring funding for LPD-33 and strengthening oversight of the Navy’s shipbuilding plan. Creates a program to provide intensive outpatient treatment for servicemembers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, and co-occurring disorders related to military sexual trauma, to be carried out through partnerships with public, private, and non-profit health organizations.Directs a review and report on access to resources and services related to mental health for students of Department of Defense Education Activity Schools.Makes mental health care more accessible and affordable for beneficiaries in the active duty family members category and TRICARE Young Adult program, by waiving cost sharing requirements for the first three outpatient mental health visits each year.
Provides the authority to allow servicemembers E-6 and below without dependents to collect a Basic Housing Allowance (BAH) and not live aboard the ship during maintenance periods.Requires department assessment on the rates of opioid prescriptions to servicemembers.Requires department assessment on perinatal mental health services for servicemembers.
Provides career flexibility for the services’ mental health workforce to increase retention.Encourages a comprehensive review of the Navy’s efforts to prevent and respond to incidents of death by suicide, suicide attempts, and suicidal ideation in commands and organizations within the Navy that have not been reviewed by other studies.Following the deaths by suicide of multiple limited duty service members in Virginia, the legislation includes provisions that require the Department of Defense to provide Congress with a report regarding the services’ limited duty processes in order to improve understanding of and identify ways to improve support and mental health resources for limited duty servicemembers.Expands mental health counseling services to servicemembers and dependents regardless of their location, making it easier for servicemembers to access mental health care more quickly.Kaine advocated for many priorities that were ultimately adopted in the final bill, including: I look forward to getting this bill to the Senate floor and signed into law later this year.”
I also worked to include my bipartisan legislation to direct the Pentagon to develop a fentanyl-specific counter-drug strategy, and was proud to support pay raises for our servicemembers. This year, I’m glad to have worked with my colleagues on the committee to strengthen servicemembers’ access to mental health care and help ensure that our Navy and Marine Corps have the ships they need to protect our nation. That’s why one of my top priorities every year is to listen to our servicemembers and defense community, so I can best advocate for them and our national security through my position on the Senate Armed Services Committee when we write the annual defense bill. “Virginia is more connected to America’s military than any other state. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), released the following statement after SASC passed the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes various provisions secured and supported by Kaine to benefit Virginia’s servicemembers and defense community, such as reforms to improve access to mental health care and support Virginia’s shipbuilding industry:
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