Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official source posted by the New York State Senate, fetched 2026-08-11. Nothing is edited or removed. Where this bill amends existing law, language marked for deletion in the official source appears here in brackets. The official bill page.
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
2058
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
January 15, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. CUNNINGHAM -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
AN ACT to amend the veterans' services law and the public health law, in
relation to veteran maternity care; to repeal certain provisions of
the veterans' services law relating thereto; and to amend a chapter of
the laws of 2024 amending the veterans' services law and the public
health law relating to establishing a maternity care coordination
program for pregnant and postpartum veterans, as proposed in legisla-
tive bills numbers S. 9259 and A. 8162-A, in relation to the effec-
tiveness thereof
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subdivision 3 of section 19 of the veter-
ans' services law is amended to read as follows:
(c) liaison between the department, the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs center for women veterans, the United States Department
of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Women Veterans, state veterans
nursing homes, state agencies, community groups, advocates and other
veterans and military organizations and interested parties AND, AS IT
PERTAINS TO THE VETERAN MATERNITY CARE PROGRAM ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO
SECTION TWENTY-NINE-C OF THIS ARTICLE, THE COMMISSIONERS OF HEALTH AND
MENTAL HEALTH, HOSPITALS, FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL HEALTH OFFICIALS,
OBSTETRICIANS, MIDWIVES, PEDIATRICIANS, VETERANS AND VETERANS ADVOCATES;
§ 2. Section 29-b of the veterans' services law, as added by a chapter
of the laws of 2024 amending the veterans' services law and the public
health law relating to establishing a maternity care coordination
program for pregnant and postpartum veterans, as proposed in legislative
bills numbers S. 9259 and A. 8162-A, is renumbered section 29-c and
subdivisions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of such section are amended to read as
follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02718-01-5
A. 2058 2
1. Serving as a liaison between the United States department of veter-
ans affairs (VA) including VA maternity care coordinators located in the
state, the department of health and the office of mental health to
facilitate better coordination of veteran maternity care in the state
and cooperation in addressing issues related to veteran reproductive
mental health care;
2. [Providing] DISSEMINATING AVAILABLE information to maternity care
providers and expectant veterans regarding identifying and treating
common mental and physical conditions experienced by veterans that can
heighten the risk of pregnancy complications;
3. Providing guidance and referral information on maternity care and
benefits available to veterans including the VA's maternity care coordi-
nation program at all events including but not limited to, seminars
required under subdivision six of section four of this article;
4. [Developing a system for rapid consultation and referral linkage
services for obstetricians and primary care providers statewide who
provide care for expectant veterans with service-connected disabilities
that may impact a veteran's maternal health;
5.] Providing [guidance on the identification of] RESOURCES ON IDENTI-
FYING THE signs and symptoms of mental health conditions in expectant
veterans to maternity care providers;
[6.] 5. Raising awareness among maternity care providers of the feder-
al Veterans Community Care Program established pursuant to 38 U.S.C §
1703 and considering ways to encourage and incentivize participation in
such program. The coordinator shall make information relevant to such
providers available on the department's website, including but not
limited to, links to [the] any continuing medical education material or
courses for non-department medical professionals provided on the inter-
net website of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pursuant to
section 123 of the VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening
Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018 (P.L.115-182);
§ 3. Subdivisions 7, 8, 9 of section 29-c of the veterans' services
law, as added by a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the veterans'
services law relating to establishing a maternity care coordination
program for pregnant and postpartum veterans, as proposed in legislative
bills numbers S. 9259 and A. 8162-A, and such section as renumbered by
section two of this act, are REPEALED.
§ 4. Subparagraphs (iv), (vi) and (vii) of paragraph (a) of subdivi-
sion 2 of section 2509-d of the public health law, as added by a chapter
of the laws of 2024 amending the veterans' services law and the public
health law relating to establishing a maternity care coordination
program for pregnant and postpartum veterans, as proposed in legislative
bills numbers S. 9259 and A. 8162-A, are amended to read as follows:
(iv) validated, evidence-based tools for screening the conditions
listed in subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph; AND
[(vi)] (V) information about follow-up support for patients who may
require further evaluation, referral, or treatment including, when
available, information about specific community resources and entities
licensed by the office of mental health[; and
(vii) information on engaging support for the veteran, which may
include communicating with the other parent of the child and other fami-
ly members, as appropriate and consistent with patient confidentiality].
§ 5. Section 5 of a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the veterans'
services law and the public health law relating to establishing a mater-
nity care coordination program for pregnant and postpartum veterans, as
A. 2058 3
proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 9259 and A. 8162-A, is amended
to read as follows:
§ 5. This act shall take effect [on the ninetieth day] ONE YEAR after
it shall have become a law.
§ 6. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however,
sections one, two, three and four of this act shall take effect on the
same date and in the same manner as a chapter of the laws of 2024 amend-
ing the veterans' services law and the public health law relating to
establishing a maternity care coordination program for pregnant and
postpartum veterans, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 9259
and A. 8162-A, takes effect.Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.