S. 597: Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009

111th Congress · introduced 2009-03-16 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2009-03-16 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009

Plain summary

Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) report on barriers to the receipt of comprehensive health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) encountered by women veterans, especially those of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom; (2) provide for an independent study on health consequences for women veterans serving on active duty in deployments in such Operations; and (3) report on the employment of full-time managers for women veterans programs at VA medical centers. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop a plan to improve the provision of VA health care services to women veterans; (2) carry out a program of education, training, certification, and continuing medical education for mental health professionals providing care for veterans suffering from sexual trauma; (3) carry out a pilot program of providing reintegration and readjustment services in group retreat settings to women veterans recently separated from service after a prolonged deployment; and (4) carry out a pilot program on subsidies for child care for certain women veterans receiving health care from VA facilities. Requires women veterans recently separated from service to be included on the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans and the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans. Authorizes the Secretary to furnish care to a newborn child of a woman veteran receiving VA maternity care for up to seven days after the birth of the child.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2009

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] · 20 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Ron Wyden (D-OR), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Susan M. Collins (R-ME), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] reported raising $3.6 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-111s597.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/s>

Record fed-us-cong111-s597 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111