Eligible veterans would be automatically enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system under a bill passed by the House on Thursday.
The House voted 265-163 to approve the Ensuring Veterans'
Smooth Transition, or EVEST, Act. The vote fell largely along party lines,
though 44 Republicans joined Democrats to support the bill.
The bill, which does not change who is eligible for VA
health benefits, would apply retroactively to veterans discharged 90 days
before it becomes law. The bill must still be voted on by the Senate before
being sent to the president to be signed into law.
Supporters of the bill touted it as a common sense measure
that will help ease the transition from the military to civilian life.
"We know that the months following transition out of
the military can be very stressful and particularly risky for new veterans in
terms of mental health," House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mark
Takano, D-Calif., who sponsored the bill, said Thursday on the House floor.
"This helps simplify the process and prevents veterans from potentially
missing out on lifesaving care. It also keeps veterans from having to opt-in to
VA care later and attempt to navigate a new bureaucracy on their own."
The bill could affect about 58,000 veterans annually who
might otherwise not enroll in VA health care, according to estimates from the
Congressional Budget Office, or CBO.
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