The Momnibus: Maternal Health for Veterans Act

Introduced by Representative Lauren Underwood and Senator Tammy Duckworth

Background

According to data from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), veterans are at heightened risk for pregnancy-related complications, and those receiving VA-covered maternity care have higher rates of adverse outcomes.¹ 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,² 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 2000.³ 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 Momnibus@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

 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. 4Kira4Moms
  3. A Better Balance
  4. ACA Consumer Advocacy 
  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 Foundation for Suicide Prevention
  16. American Heart Association
  17. American Muslim Health Professionals
  18. American Nurses Association
  19. American Psychological Association
  20. American Public Health Association
  21. Ancient Song Doula Services
  22. Anxiety and Depression Association of America
  23. Arika Trim Foundation
  24. Association of Black Cardiologists
  25. Association of Black Women Physicians
  26. Association of Community Health Nursing Educators (ACHNE) 
  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. Birthing Project USA
  37. Black Mamas Village
  38. Black Mothers Breastfeeding Association
  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. Champaign County Health Care Consumers
  54. Changent (Child First & Nurse-Family Partnership)
  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. DONA International
  62. Doula Alliance of Arkansas
  63. Dr. Shalon's Maternal Action Project
  64. EcoMadres
  65. Engage: Promoting Women’s Economic Security
  66. EverThrive Illinois
  67. Every Mother Counts
  68. Families USA
  69. Fayetteville Police Accountability Community Taskforce
  70. Federation of American Hospitals
  71. Fibroid Foundation
  72. First Focus Campaign for Children
  73. Futures Without Violence
  74. GA Maternal Fetal Health Alliance
  75. GLO Preemies
  76. Glow Birth & Body and The Birth Deck
  77. Grow Midwives, LLC
  78. Hackensack Meridian Health
  79. Harambee Doula Care & Holistic Services
  80. Health Tech for Medicaid (HT4M)
  81. HealthConnect One
  82. Healthy Birth Day Inc.
  83. HealthyWomen
  84. Heluna Health
  85. Hustle Mommies
  86. Ingram Screening, LLC
  87. International OCD Foundation
  88. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)
  89. Lamaze International
  90. Lifeline for Families Center and Lifeline for Moms Program at UMass Chan Medical School
  91. Living Well Black
  92. Luna Tierra Birth Center
  93. Mainline Maternity Care
  94. Majaica
  95. Malone Center
  96. March of Dimes
  97. Mary Amelia Center for Women's Health Equity Research
  98. Maternal Applications of Technology for Community Health (MATCH) Coalition
  99. Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance
  100. Maternity Care Coalition
  101. Melinated Moms
  102. Mental Health America
  103. Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health
  104. Minority Veterans of America
  105. Mom Congres
  106. Mom.ME.
  107. Mom2Mom Global
  108. Momma’s Village Fayetteville
  109. Moms Clean Air Force
  110. MomsRising
  111. Most Beautiful W.O.M.B. Inc
  112. Mothering Justice
  113. Mothers Out Front
  114. Narrative Nation Inc.
  115. National Alliance to impact the Social Determinants of Health (NASDOH)
  116. National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM)
  117. National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health
  118. National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health
  119. National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
  120. National Association of School Nurses
  121. National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Chicago-Metropolitan Chapter
  122. National Council of Negro Women (NCNW)
  123. National Health Law Program
  124. National Healthy Start Association
  125. National League for Nursing
  126. National Medical Association
  127. National Medical Fellowships, Inc.,
  128. National Organization for Women
  129. National Organization for Women - Hollywood Chapter
  130. National Perinatal Task Force
  131. National Urban League
  132. National WIC Association
  133. National Women's Law Center
  134. Nemours Children's Health
  135. NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
  136. New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute
  137. Northeast Arkansas Doulas
  138. Nurses for America
  139. Nzuri Doula Services
  140. Ob Hospitalist Group
  141. Once Upon A Preemie, Inc
  142. PA Education Association
  143. Pace University
  144. Partners In Health
  145. Poppy Seed Health
  146. Postpartum Support International (PSI)
  147. Pregnancy Justice
  148. Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association
  149. Prolacta Bioscience
  150. Reach Healthcare - Happy Mama
  151. riskLD
  152. Roots and River Wellness
  153. Service Women's Action Network
  154. Sista Midwife Productions
  155. Sister to Sister International, Inc.
  156. SisterReach
  157. SisterReach Illinois
  158. Six Dimensions
  159. SMART Recovery
  160. Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior
  161. Society for Women's Health Research
  162. Sojourners
  163. Star Legacy Foundation
  164. The American Legion
  165. The Arc of the United States
  166. The Children's Partnership
  167. The Collaborative
  168. The Kennedy Forum
  169. The National Women's Health Network
  170. The Root Cause Coalition
  171. The United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society
  172. Third Way
  173. Trust for America's Health
  174. U.S. Breastfeeding Committee
  175. Union for Reform Judaism
  176. United Against Inequities in Disease
  177. United Church of Christ Justice and Local Church Ministries
  178. University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
  179. Urban Baby Beginnings
  180. Urban Mommy Inc
  181. Vitality Wellness Solutions PLLC
  182. What to Expect Project
  183. Wolomi
  184. ZERO TO THREE

 

1VA Women's Health Research Network: VA Pregnancy and Maternity Care Research

2VA: Women Veterans Health Care

3VA: Office of Health Equity