Veterans Mental Health and Addiction Therapy Quality of Care Act

This bill mandates a study comparing the quality of mental health and addiction therapy care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) versus non-VA providers. The study, to be conducted by an independent organization within 18 months, will assess differences in health outcomes, use of evidence-based practices, care coordination, veteran satisfaction, integrated treatment for co-occurring conditions, and long-term outcome monitoring. It specifically examines care across modalities like telehealth, inpatient, and outpatient settings. The findings must be reported to Congress and published publicly, focusing on concrete metrics such as symptom scores, suicide risk, and provider competency with veterans' unique needs. The bill does not change current care delivery but requires data collection to inform future policy decisions.