Julia Brownley: “I thank the chairman for yielding time and for bringing my bill, the Veterans' Access to Child Care Act, to the floor…”

“I thank the chairman for yielding time and for bringing my bill, the Veterans' Access to Child Care Act, to the floor for consideration; and I thank Ranking Member Roe for his support of the bill. As a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, I believe that it is critical that veterans have the support they need to ensure they are able to access needed healthcare services at the VA. For many veterans, the lack of access to childcare is a barrier to receiving healthcare, especially mental healthcare and intensive care services. Research has shown that women veterans more commonly face this barrier, as they are more often responsible for caring for young children. That said, we know that the problem is not unique to women veterans, as male veterans have also reported lack of available childcare as a barrier to making their healthcare appointments as well. In 2010, Congress passed legislation directing the VA to start a pilot program to provide free childcare at a small number of VA medical centers and clinics throughout the country. Since then, this pilot program has been successfully implemented and hugely popular at several locations across the country. In 2015, the VA reported that the pilot program had provided childcare assistance to more than 10,000 children, and since then, many more veterans have benefited.…”