The U.S. House gave approval to the Deborah Sampson Act Tuesday that addresses several important issues facing female veterans. Among the issues included in the legislation is the Newborn Care Improvement Act, introduced by Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), which extends the amount of time female veterans’ newborns are eligible to receive medical care through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from 7 days to 14 days.
Collins initially introduced the Newborn Care Improvement Act in May 2019, along with Susie Lee (D-N.V.), Jackie Walorski (R-I.N), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-P.A.) .
“Women serving in the armed forces put their lives on the line to defend our freedom, and the very least we can do is ensure these service members and their newborns receive the medical care they have earned,” said Collins.
“I’m proud the House passed this critical legislation to ease the burden on new mothers receiving care from the VA, and I encourage the Senate to do the same.”
Collins went on to say that female veterans often face unique medical challenges – including pregnancy complications – as a direct result of their service to their country. For example, women who give birth within one year of being affected by PTSD are 35 percent more likely to deliver prematurely, which results in greater health risks for their children, he said.
Currently, the VA is only authorized to provide up to 7 days of care for a newborn of a female veteran. Collins believes the Newborn Care Improvement Act will ease the burden on female veterans by extending the length of time that their newborns are eligible to receive medical care from the VA to 14 days.
The state of Georgia has the fifth highest number of female veterans, and the Atlanta VA serves more female veterans than any other VA nationwide.
Collins first introduced the Newborn Care Improvement Act during the 114th Congress and reintroduced this legislation in the 115th Congress. Senators Tillis (R-N.C.) and Klobuchar (D-M.N.) have introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
