Sponsors (2)
Introduced March 26, 2026 by Cory Anthony Booker · Last progress March 26, 2026
This bill pilots VA-funded doula services to improve maternal and pregnancy-related mental health outcomes and care coordination for veterans, but creates new federal costs and contains implementation, coverage, and payment limits and ambiguities that could restrict access or complicate rollout.
Pregnant veterans will gain access to covered doula services integrated into VA Whole Health, which can improve birth, postpartum, and pregnancy-related mental health outcomes (including MST/PTSD-tailored support).
Establishes a payment mechanism (VA may recommend up to $3,500 per doula per veteran), creating funding to compensate doulas and encourage program participation.
Requires designated Doula Service Coordinator and Maternity Care Coordinator functions at VA facilities, improving care coordination, program navigation, and administrative oversight for pregnant veterans.
The provision lacks explicit definitions and clear implementation details (e.g., covered veteran, eligible entity, payment mechanics), which may delay rollout, create administrative confusion, and limit early participation.
Limiting covered doula care to a maximum of 10 sessions could leave veterans needing more intensive prenatal or postpartum support without adequate continuity of care.
Because the VA does not provide prenatal care in its own facilities, reliance on community providers and VCCP coordination risks administrative complexity and potential continuity gaps in care for veterans.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Directs VA to run a pilot within one year offering doula services through an expanded Whole Health model to measure effects on birth and maternal mental health outcomes.
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to set up a pilot program within one year that offers doula services to eligible veterans by expanding the VA Whole Health model. The pilot must measure effects on birth and maternal mental health outcomes, run in selected VISNs to include high- and low-female-enrollment areas plus at least one Frontier State, and limit services to up to 10 doula sessions per veteran.