* § 2509-d. Veterans reproductive mental health care. 1. As used in
this section:

(a) "Maternal health care provider" means a physician, midwife, nurse
practitioner, physician assistant, or other health care practitioner
acting within their lawful scope of practice, attending a pregnant
veteran or a veteran up to one year after childbirth, including a
practitioner attending the veteran's child up to one year after
childbirth.

(b) "Women veterans coordinator" shall mean the women veterans
coordinator appointed pursuant to section nineteen of the veterans'
services law.

(c) "Veteran" shall have the same meaning as such term is defined in
section one of the veterans' services law and shall also include a
veteran who has a qualifying condition, as defined in section one of the
veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other than bad
conduct or dishonorable from such service, or is a discharged LGBT
veteran, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and
has received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from
such service.

2. (a) The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of
mental health and the women veterans coordinator, shall make available
to maternal health care providers information on veterans reproductive
mental health care. The information shall include, but not be limited
to:

(i) the importance of identifying whether a patient has served in the
military in providing adequate maternal health care to veterans;

(ii) ensuring that all pregnant veteran patients are appropriately
screened for depression, intimate partner/domestic violence, military
sexual trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, substance abuse,
and postpartum depression;

(iii) a summary of the current evidence-based and professional
guidelines for the screening of conditions listed in subparagraph (ii)
of this paragraph;

(iv) validated, evidence-based tools for screening the conditions
listed in subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph;

(vi) 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
family members, as appropriate and consistent with patient
confidentiality.

(b) The information on veterans reproductive mental health care shall
be posted on the department's website. The commissioner shall, in
collaboration with the commissioner of mental health and the women
veterans coordinator, update and review the information on veterans
reproductive mental health, as necessary.

3. The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of mental
health and the women veterans coordinator, shall: (a) inform providers
of the need to raise awareness about veterans reproductive mental health
issues; and (b) provide information on the department and the office of
mental health's websites regarding how to locate available providers who
treat or provide support for veterans reproductive mental health issues
including maternal depression including but not limited to, mental
health professionals, other licensed professionals, peer support,
not-for-profit corporations and other community resources.

4. The commissioner, in consultation with the women veterans
coordinator, shall make any regulations necessary to implement this
section.

* NB Effective March 21, 2025