Assembly committee advances bill directing CalVet study of women veterans’ mental health

Assemblymember Ta presented Assembly Bill 81 to the Committee on Military and Veteran Affairs, asking the committee to refer the measure to appropriations after directing the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) to commission an academic study of mental health needs among women veterans in California.

The bill’s sponsor said the study will examine barriers and root causes so that services and suicide-prevention efforts can be tailored. "California women veterans face different challenges than their male counterparts," Assemblymember Ta told the committee, adding that women veterans are "more likely to experience PTSD and depression at higher rates." Ta asked members for an aye vote to move the bill to Appropriations.

Supporters described the study as timely and necessary. Yolanda Benson, representing the California Association of County Veterans Service Officers, said CalVet recently appointed a deputy secretary for women veterans and that a focused study will help county veterans service officers advocate locally. Seth Reeb, testifying for several veterans organizations, told the committee women veterans are "twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to male veterans" and said the research would provide a foundation for targeted solutions.

No witnesses registered formal opposition during the hearing. The committee placed AB 81 on call while it established a quorum for votes; once the roll was completed the committee voted to re-refer AB 81 to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations (final recorded vote: 7 yes, 0 no).

Why it matters: Committee members and witnesses framed the bill as a step toward ensuring that existing and future mental-health and suicide-prevention programming reaches a growing subpopulation of veterans. Supporters said county veterans service officers (CVSOs) will be better able to identify service gaps with state-funded research.

The bill will next be considered by the Appropriations Committee. The committee hearing included statements from veterans organizations and county VSOs emphasizing service gaps and urging state-directed study before program changes are implemented.