The Momnibus: Maternal Health for Veterans Act

Introduced by Rep. Lauren Underwood and Senator Tammy Duckworth

Background

According to data from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), women veterans often have multiple medical conditions that can increase their risk of pregnancy complications.7 Experiencing a military deployment can increase the risk of pre-term birth, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes.8 To address the unique maternal health risks facing veterans, Representatives Lauren Underwood (IL-14) and Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) introduced the bipartisan and bicameral Protecting Moms Who Served Act, which was signed into law in November 2021 and provided the first-ever authorization of funding for maternity care coordination programs at VA – ensuring that every veteran who receives maternity care through VA receives the world-class care and support they need during and after pregnancy.

With the population of women veterans continuing to grow,9 the need for sustained investments in VA’s maternity care programs is more urgent than ever. The number of deliveries paid for by VA has increased 14-fold since 2000.10 The Bipartisan Maternal Health for Veterans Act will reauthorize funding from the Protecting Moms Who Served Act to ensure that VA can continue to meet the growing demand for maternity care services and eliminate maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities among veterans.

For more information or to add your organization’s endorsement to the list below, please email BlackMaternalHealthCaucus@mail.house.gov.

Bill Summary

The Maternal Health for Veterans Act would:

  • Authorize $15 million per year for five fiscal years for VA’s maternity care programs.
  • Require annual reporting from VA:
    • Describing how the Department is using funding from the legislation to carry out maternity care programs.
    • Providing data on maternal health outcomes for veterans receiving VA care.
    • Making recommendations for further steps to improve maternal health outcomes among veterans, particularly for veterans from demographic groups with elevated rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, maternal health disparities, or other adverse perinatal or childbirth outcomes.

Click HERE for a printable one-pager on the bill.

Cosponsors

The Maternal Health for Veterans Act is co-led by Representatives Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), and Julia Brownley (CA-26). Click HERE for the current list of House cosponsors and HERE for the current list of Senate cosponsors.

Endorsements

The Maternal Health for Veterans Act is endorsed by the following organizations:

  1. 1,000 Days, an initiative of FHI Solutions
  2. A Better Balance
  3. ACA Consumer Advocacy
  4. ACHNE
  5. African American Breastfeeding Network
  6. African Heritage PA Caucus
  7. Alliance to End Hunger
  8. American Academy of Family Physicians
  9. American Academy of Nursing
  10. American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
  11. American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work
  12. American Association of Birth Centers
  13. American Association of Colleges of Nursing
  14. American College of Nurse-Midwives
  15. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
  16. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
  17. American Heart Association
  18. American Muslim Health Professionals
  19. American Nurses Association
  20. American Psychological Association
  21. American Public Health Association
  22. Ancient Song
  23. Anxiety and Depression Association of America
  24. Arika Trim Foundation
  25. Association of Black Cardiologists
  26. Association of Black Women Physicians
  27. Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs
  28. Association of Physician Associates in Obstetrics and Gynecology
  29. Association of State Public Health Nutritionists (ASPHN)
  30. Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
  31. Baby Cafe USA
  32. Babyscripts
  33. Bayard Rustin Liberation Initiative
  34. Big Cities Health Coalition
  35. Birthing Beautiful Communities
  36. Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Inc. (BMMA)
  37. Black Mothers Breastfeeding Association
  38. Black Women Birthing Justice, Inc
  39. Bloom Maternal Health
  40. Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA)
  41. Blue Shield of California
  42. Bobbie
  43. Boston Medical Center
  44. Breastfeed Durham
  45. Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities
  46. BreastfeedLA
  47. California Breastfeeding Coalition
  48. CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association)
  49. Catholic Health Association of the United States
  50. Catholics for Choice
  51. Center for American Progress
  52. Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
  53. Center for Reproductive Rights
  54. Champaign County Health Care Consumers
  55. Children's Health Fund
  56. Cityblock Health
  57. Commonsense Childbirth Inc.
  58. Community Catalyst
  59. Deans' Nursing Policy Coalition
  60. Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
  61. Diversity Uplifts, Inc.
  62. DONA International
  63. Dr. Shalon's Maternal Action Project
  64. EcoMadres
  65. EverThrive Illinois
  66. Every Mother Counts
  67. Families USA
  68. Federation of American Hospitals
  69. Fibroid Foundation
  70. First Focus Campaign for Children
  71. Futures Without Violence
  72. GA Maternal Fetal Health Alliance
  73. GLO Preemies
  74. Glow Birth & Body and The Birth Deck
  75. Grow Midwives, LLC
  76. Hackensack Meridian Health
  77. Harambee Birth and Family Center (HBFC)
  78. Health Tech for Medicaid (HT4M)
  79. HealthConnect One
  80. Healthy Birth Day Inc.
  81. HealthyWomen
  82. Heluna Health
  83. In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda
  84. Ingram Screening, LLC
  85. International OCD Foundation
  86. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)
  87. Lamaze International
  88. Lifeline for Families Center and Lifeline for Moms Program at UMass Chan Medical School
  89. Living Well Black
  90. Luna Tierra Birth Center
  91. Majaica
  92. Malone Center
  93. Mamatoto Village
  94. March for Moms
  95. March of Dimes
  96. Mary Amelia Center for Women's Health Equity Research
  97. Maternal Applications of Technology for Community Health (MATCH) Coalition
  98. Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance
  99. Maternity Care Coalition
  100. Melinated Moms
  101. Mental Health America
  102. Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health
  103. Minority Veterans of America
  104. Mom Congres
  105. Mom.ME.
  106. Mom2Mom Global
  107. Momma’s Village Fayetteville
  108. Moms Clean Air Force
  109. MomsRising
  110. Mothering Justice
  111. Mothers Out Front
  112. NARAL Pro-Choice America
  113. Narrative Nation Inc.
  114. National Alliance to impact the Social Determinants of Health (NASDOH)
  115. National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM)
  116. National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health
  117. National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health
  118. National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
  119. National Association of School Nurses
  120. National Health Law Program
  121. National Healthy Start Association
  122. National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice
  123. National League for Nursing
  124. National Medical Association
  125. National Medical Fellowships, Inc.,
  126. National Organization for Women
  127. National Organization for Women - Hollywood Chapter
  128. National Partnership for Women & Families
  129. National Perinatal Task Force
  130. National Rural Health Association
  131. National Student Nurses' Association
  132. National Urban League
  133. National WIC Association
  134. National Women's Law Center
  135. Nemours Children's Health
  136. NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
  137. New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute
  138. Nurse-Family Partnership
  139. Nurses for America
  140. Nzuri Doula Services
  141. Ob Hospitalist Group
  142. Once Upon A Preemie, Inc
  143. PA Education Association
  144. Pace University
  145. Partners In Health
  146. Poppy Seed Health
  147. Postpartum Support International (PSI)
  148. Power to Decide
  149. Pregnancy Justice
  150. Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association
  151. Prolacta Bioscience
  152. Protect Our Care
  153. Reach Healthcare - Happy Mama
  154. riskLD
  155. Service Women's Action Network
  156. Shades of Blue Project
  157. Sista Midwife Productions
  158. Sister to Sister International, Inc.
  159. SisterReach
  160. SisterReach Illinois
  161. Six Dimensions
  162. SMART Recovery
  163. Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
  164. Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior
  165. Society for Women's Health Research
  166. Sojourners
  167. Star Legacy Foundation
  168. The American Legion
  169. The Arc of the United States
  170. The Children's Partnership
  171. The Collaborative
  172. The Kennedy Forum
  173. The National Women's Health Network
  174. The Root Cause Coalition
  175. The United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society
  176. Third Way
  177. Trust for America's Health
  178. U.S. Breastfeeding Committee
  179. Union for Reform Judaism
  180. United Against Inequities in Disease
  181. United Church of Christ Justice and Local Church Ministries
  182. University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
  183. Urban Baby Beginnings
  184. Urban Mommy Inc
  185. Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW)
  186. Vitality Wellness Solutions PLLC
  187. What to Expect Project
  188. Wolomi
  189. Wounded Warrior Project
  190. ZERO TO THREE

 

7 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Women Veterans & Pregnancy Complications.

8 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Women Veterans & Pregnancy Complications.

9 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Women Veterans Health Care Facts and Statistics.

10 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Women Veterans & Pregnancy Complications.