WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined fellow Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee members Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) in introducing bipartisan legislation to strengthen the Solid Start program, which reaches out to veterans multiple times after they leave active duty to check in and help connect them to VA programs and benefits.

“Our bill would codify a flexible, personalized program which helps veterans return to civilian life,” said Senator Cramer. “These patriots put their lives on the line each day. We should give them all the resources they need to make that transition as easy as possible.”

The VA launched the Solid Start program in December 2019 with the goal of reaching out by phone to all newly separated veterans three times within their first year of separation to check in and help connect them to VA programs and benefits, regardless of separation type or characterization of service. The program also prioritizes outreach to veterans who accessed mental health resources prior to separation in order to quickly connect at-risk veterans to services. The bipartisan bill would codify the program and authorize sufficient funding so that it can continue to serve veterans, and also makes improvements such as:

  • Helping ensure veterans can be reached by collecting up-to-date contacting information during the transition process;
  • Following up by mail or other outreach if a veteran does not respond to phone calls;
  • Providing Solid Start information in VA printed materials and on the VA website;
  • Giving women veterans with information that is tailored to their specific health care and benefit needs; and
  • Connecting veterans with state and local resources, as well as local Veterans Service Organizations.

Data released by the VA late last year showed that in the first nine months of the Solid Start program, the VA successfully contacted almost 70,000 newly separated veterans, including over 12,000 veterans who had sought mental health support in their last year of service. Earlier this year, the non-partisan Government Accountability Office accepted and started work on a request by Senators Hassan, Cramer, and others to assess the Solid Start program to ensure it is efficiently and effectively meeting its goals.

Click here to read the bill text.