No Wrong Door for Veterans Act
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Would reauthorize the VA's Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program through September 30, 2026, authorize $52.5 million for that year, and tighten program rules — including a requirement that grantees use the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale for mental health screenings and notify veterans of their eligibility for emergent suicide care.
The bill would also expand the definition of VA medical services to cover adaptive prostheses for sports and recreational activities, and extend a deadline governing limits on veterans' pension payments.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would extend the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program — which funds community organizations to provide or coordinate suicide prevention services for veterans, service members, and their families — through September 30, 2026, and would authorize $52.5 million for that fiscal year. It would require grantees to use the Columbia Protocol (Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale) for baseline mental health risk screenings. Grantees would have to inform eligible individuals that they may qualify for VA emergent suicide care, and notify the VA when an individual elects that care. If the VA fails to provide follow-up services within 72 hours of a referral, the individual would be deemed eligible for emergent care. Eligibility for grants would be expanded to include health care providers, provided they have continuously delivered mental health or support services for at least two years.
The bill would also amend 38 U.S.C. § 1701 to explicitly include adaptive prostheses and terminal devices for sports and recreational activities within VA medical services furnished to eligible veterans. Separately, it would extend a sunset date governing limits on VA pension payments from November 30, 2031, to January 30, 2033.
Key provisions
- 1Would reauthorize the suicide prevention grant program through September 30, 2026, and authorize $52,500,000 for fiscal year 2026.
- 2Would require grantees to notify eligible individuals of their potential eligibility for VA emergent suicide care and alert the VA when individuals elect such care.
- 3Would deem an eligible individual automatically qualified for VA emergent suicide care if the VA does not provide follow-up services within 72 hours of a referral.
- 4Would require baseline mental health risk screenings under the program to use the Columbia Protocol (Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale) for grants made on or after enactment.
- 5Would expand grant eligibility to include health care providers that have continuously provided mental health or support services for at least two years before applying.
- 6Would amend VA medical services to explicitly include adaptive prostheses and terminal devices for sports and other recreational activities.
- 7Would extend the sunset on limits governing VA pension payment amounts from November 30, 2031, to January 30, 2033.
Who would be affected
Veterans and service members at risk of suicide who receive services from grantee organizations; nonprofit organizations, foundations, and health care providers that apply for or hold grants under the program; VA medical centers located within 100 miles of a grantee's primary location (which would receive annual briefings); veterans with limb differences seeking adaptive prostheses for sports or recreation; and veterans receiving VA pension payments subject to the extended limits.
Why it matters
Grantee organizations would face new clinical and administrative requirements — standardized screening tools, emergent care notifications, and evidence of meaningful veteran reach in renewal applications — while gaining access to a broader pool of eligible applicants. Veterans in crisis could benefit from a clearer pathway to emergent VA care if community referrals are not followed up within 72 hours. Veterans with limb differences would gain explicit VA coverage for recreational adaptive prosthetics.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 (Public Law 116-171) (Sec. 2)
Extends program through September 30, 2026; adds Columbia Protocol screening requirement; expands grantee eligibility; adds emergent care notification duties and 72-hour follow-up rule.
Amends 38 U.S.C. § 1701 (Sec. 3)
Adds adaptive prostheses and terminal devices for sports and recreational activities to the definition of VA medical services for eligible veterans.
Amends 38 U.S.C. § 5503(d)(7) (Sec. 4)
Extends the sunset date governing limits on VA pension payments from November 30, 2031, to January 30, 2033.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Columbia Protocol screening requirement applies to grants made on or after this date
- Suicide prevention grant program authorization expires
Funding and costs
- $174,000,000
Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, original authorization
- $52,500,000
Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program reauthorization
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates the bill would reduce the federal deficit by $46 million over the 2025–2035 period in net direct spending, while also authorizing $43 million in discretionary appropriations over that same window.
H.R. 1969 would have two main budgetary effects. First, it reauthorizes the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program through fiscal year 2026 and authorizes $53 million in appropriations for that year; CBO estimates this would increase discretionary spending (spending that Congress must separately approve each year) by $43 million and mandatory direct spending (automatic spending not subject to annual appropriation) by $10 million over 2025–2035, partly because some costs would be drawn from the mandatory Toxic Exposures Fund. Second, it extends through January 2033 an existing rule that reduces VA pension payments to $90 per month for veterans and survivors living in Medicaid nursing homes; CBO estimates this would reduce VA direct spending by $56 million while increasing Medicaid costs by about $10 million over the same window, for a net direct-spending reduction of $46 million over 2025–2035. The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
How implementation would work
The VA would continue awarding grants competitively to eligible entities, now including health care providers with a two-year service history. Grantees must use the VA-selected Columbia Protocol for baseline screenings on new grants and must document that prior funds served a significant number of veterans in renewal applications. VA medical center staff within 100 miles of each grantee's primary location would receive at least one briefing per year on the program. Grantees would track and report to the VA when individuals elect emergent suicide care, and the 72-hour follow-up window would trigger automatic emergent-care eligibility if unmet.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 and modifies the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which awards grants to eligible entities to provide or coordinate suicide prevention services for veterans and members of the Armed Forces and their families.
Among other elements, the bill
- adjusts the maximum amount for grants awarded under the program and provides for additional funding per individual who receives suicide prevention services provided or coordinated by a grantee;
- requires the VA to provide briefings about the grant program at least once a year to certain personnel at each VA medical center located within 100 miles from the primary location of a grantee;
- requires baseline mental health screenings for risk provided as suicide prevention services under the program to use a protocol selected by the VA; and
- modifies eligibility requirements for entities seeking grants, including by authorizing applications from health care providers.
In subsequent applications, grantees who have previously received funds under the program must include evidence that previously awarded funds served a significant number of veterans.
The bill requires grantees to notify (1) eligible individuals that they may receive emergent suicide care furnished or paid for by the VA, and (2) the VA if eligible individuals request emergent suicide care.
Legislative subjects
Armed Forces and National Security; Health programs administration and funding; Health promotion and preventive care; Mental health; Veterans' medical care
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-103