S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    790
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the veterans' services law and the public health law, in
   relation to veteran maternity care; to repeal  certain  provisions  of
   the veterans' services law relating thereto; and to amend a chapter of
   the  laws  of  2024 amending the veterans' services law and the public
   health law relating to  establishing  a  maternity  care  coordination
   program  for pregnant and postpartum veterans, as proposed in legisla-
   tive bills numbers S. 9259 and A. 8162-A, in relation  to  the  effec-
   tiveness thereof
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 3 of section 19 of the  veter-
 ans' services law is amended to read as follows:
   (c)  liaison  between  the department, the United States Department of
 Veterans Affairs center for women veterans, the United States Department
 of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Women Veterans, state veterans
 nursing homes, state agencies, community  groups,  advocates  and  other
 veterans  and  military  organizations and interested parties AND, AS IT
 PERTAINS TO THE VETERAN MATERNITY CARE PROGRAM ESTABLISHED  PURSUANT  TO
 SECTION  TWENTY-NINE-C  OF THIS ARTICLE, THE COMMISSIONERS OF HEALTH AND
 MENTAL HEALTH, HOSPITALS, FEDERAL, STATE, AND  LOCAL  HEALTH  OFFICIALS,
 OBSTETRICIANS, MIDWIVES, PEDIATRICIANS, VETERANS AND VETERANS ADVOCATES;
   § 2. Section 29-b of the veterans' services law, as added by a chapter
 of  the  laws of 2024 amending the veterans' services law and the public
 health law  relating  to  establishing  a  maternity  care  coordination
 program for pregnant and postpartum veterans, as proposed in legislative
 bills  numbers  S.  9259  and  A. 8162-A, is renumbered section 29-c and
 subdivisions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of such section are amended to read  as
 follows:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD02718-01-5
 S. 790                              2
 
   1. Serving as a liaison between the United States department of veter-
 ans affairs (VA) including VA maternity care coordinators located in the
 state,  the  department  of  health  and  the office of mental health to
 facilitate better coordination of veteran maternity care  in  the  state
 and  cooperation  in  addressing  issues related to veteran reproductive
 mental health care;
   2. [Providing] DISSEMINATING AVAILABLE information to  maternity  care
 providers  and  expectant  veterans  regarding  identifying and treating
 common mental and physical conditions experienced by veterans  that  can
 heighten the risk of pregnancy complications;
   3.  Providing  guidance and referral information on maternity care and
 benefits available to veterans including the VA's maternity care coordi-
 nation program at all events including  but  not  limited  to,  seminars
 required under subdivision six of section four of this article;
   4.  [Developing  a  system for rapid consultation and referral linkage
 services for obstetricians and  primary  care  providers  statewide  who
 provide  care for expectant veterans with service-connected disabilities
 that may impact a veteran's maternal health;
   5.] Providing [guidance on the identification of] RESOURCES ON IDENTI-
 FYING THE signs and symptoms of mental health  conditions  in  expectant
 veterans to maternity care providers;
   [6.] 5. Raising awareness among maternity care providers of the feder-
 al  Veterans  Community  Care Program established pursuant to 38 U.S.C §
 1703 and considering ways to encourage and incentivize participation  in
 such  program.  The  coordinator shall make information relevant to such
 providers available on  the  department's  website,  including  but  not
 limited  to, links to [the] any continuing medical education material or
 courses for non-department medical professionals provided on the  inter-
 net  website  of  the  U.S.  Department  of Veterans Affairs pursuant to
 section 123 of the VA Maintaining  Internal  Systems  and  Strengthening
 Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018 (P.L.115-182);
   §  3.  Subdivisions  7, 8, 9 of section 29-c of the veterans' services
 law, as added by a chapter of the laws of 2024  amending  the  veterans'
 services  law  relating  to  establishing  a maternity care coordination
 program for pregnant and postpartum veterans, as proposed in legislative
 bills numbers S. 9259 and A. 8162-A, and such section as  renumbered  by
 section two of this act, are REPEALED.
   §  4.  Subparagraphs (iv), (vi) and (vii) of paragraph (a) of subdivi-
 sion 2 of section 2509-d of the public health law, as added by a chapter
 of the laws of 2024 amending the veterans' services law and  the  public
 health  law  relating  to  establishing  a  maternity  care coordination
 program for pregnant and postpartum veterans, as proposed in legislative
 bills numbers S. 9259 and A. 8162-A, are amended to read as follows:
   (iv) validated, evidence-based  tools  for  screening  the  conditions
 listed in subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph; AND
   [(vi)]  (V)  information  about follow-up support for patients who may
 require further  evaluation,  referral,  or  treatment  including,  when
 available,  information  about specific community resources and entities
 licensed by the office of mental health[; and
   (vii) information on engaging  support  for  the  veteran,  which  may
 include communicating with the other parent of the child and other fami-
 ly members, as appropriate and consistent with patient confidentiality].
   § 5. Section 5 of a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the veterans'
 services law and the public health law relating to establishing a mater-
 nity  care coordination program for pregnant and postpartum veterans, as
 S. 790                              3
 
 proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 9259 and A. 8162-A, is  amended
 to read as follows:
   §  5. This act shall take effect [on the ninetieth day] ONE YEAR after
 it shall have become a law.
   § 6. This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately;  provided,  however,
 sections  one,  two, three and four of this act shall take effect on the
 same date and in the same manner as a chapter of the laws of 2024 amend-
 ing the veterans' services law and the public  health  law  relating  to
 establishing  a  maternity  care  coordination  program for pregnant and
 postpartum veterans, as proposed in legislative bills  numbers  S.  9259
 and A. 8162-A, takes effect.