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Committee advances bill to provide free bereavement counseling to families of veterans who die by suicide
Summary
A3157 would direct the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to match family members and volunteer caregivers of veterans who die by suicide with clinicians, with no fee for recipients and clinicians donating time. Supporters called the measure long overdue; veterans groups raised eligibility and implementation concerns.
The Assembly Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs released A3157, a bill directing the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to establish a bereavement counseling program for family members and volunteer caregivers of veterans who die by suicide. The program would use the department’s regional veteran service officers and funeral directors to provide information and match family members with clinicians; clinicians would volunteer services at no charge to the families.
Ken Hageman, representing the Veterans of Foreign Wars, described the proposal as urgently needed and said funeral directors are well positioned to identify veteran status and manner of death. "Let's get the families the support and dignity that they deserve," Hageman said, urging that the state ensure families receive counseling.
Witnesses from the Vietnam Veterans of America cautioned that the bill’s veteran definition excludes people with other‑than‑honorable (OTH) discharges, veterans who nonetheless may have service‑related trauma and whose families might need services. The VVA witness asked how clinicians would be vetted, whether services would be statewide or centralized, and warned that excluding OTH cases could leave high‑need families without state support. The witness noted the bill’s definition — active duty service and honorable discharge — would not cover some service members who now access VA mental‑health care.
Legislators said the measure largely codifies a service already provided through partnerships (for example, the Cohen Military Family Clinic) and that extending the benefit to family members is appropriate; they also acknowledged the OTH eligibility question as a policy issue to be addressed separately if needed.
The committee voted to release A3157 for further consideration; lawmakers indicated they expected additional technical clarifications about program administration and clinician qualifications during drafting.
