Alabama Veterans Deserve Better Mental Health Care

Editor’s note: The following is a Guest Opinion initially published on the Alabama Veterans for Better Health Care Facebook page on April 6, 2025. It is reprinted here with permission from that page.

The announcement that the 𝗔𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗺𝗮 𝗩𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗲 met during the last week of March and agreed to “recommend expanded services, new prevention programs and stronger partnerships between state agencies to improve mental health care and crisis interventions for Alabama veterans” would be welcome news if it weren’t so hypocritical.

After all, it was the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) that hijacked the effort by veterans advocates and the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA) last year to authorize ADVA to establish an integrated healthcare system for Alabama’s nearly 400,000 veterans and their families. An unholy alliance of ADMH and lobbyists from the state’s mental healthcare cartels succeeded in re-writing the Veterans Access to Care Bill that was introduced during the 2024 legislative session.

The resulting bill was so watered down as to be meaningless. It stripped the authority of the ADVA to establish a separate healthcare system (ADVA is arguably already in the business of providing healthcare through its State Veterans Homes long-term care facilities), and, rather than offering proven solutions for dealing with the opioid epidemic and the suicide crisis faced by Alabama veterans, the bill established the steering committee to review “the current state of Alabama veterans’ mental health and rates of substance use, mental health, substance use, recover, and other veteran support services in Alabama, needs assessments previously conducted for the purposes of identifying gaps in services and support,” all of which is redundant because it had already been done.

Further, the amended bill proposed to establish “pilot projects utilizing existing evidence-based services certified by ADMH or organizations which agree to become certified by ADMH.” This is window-dressing. There are already comprehensive in-patient facilities and out-patient clinics, certified and accredited, that are addressing the healthcare needs affecting Alabama veterans.

Meanwhile, the State ignored a unanimous resolution by the 𝗔𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗺𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗩𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀 (SBVA) calling for 25% or $72 million of the opioid settlement funds to be allocated for addressing veterans’ addiction issues (veterans are twice as likely to experience opioid overdose as non-veterans). The SBVA requested 25% based on the fact that veterans and their families account for approximately 25% of the state’s population. Rather than $72 million, the State is doling out $1.5 million to the ADVA, along with a percentage of another $3 million apportioned to the Administrative Office of Courts for Veterans Drug Courts.

As a reminder, an independent review rated ADMH as the third-worst mental health care provider in the nation.

To rub salt in the wounds, the Alabama State Legislature passed Senate Bill 70 that establishes the 𝗔𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗺𝗮 𝗩𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿, supposedly a "public corporation, having a legal existence separate and apart from the state and any county, municipality, or political subdivision." And yet, membership of the board of directors will be appointed by the Governor (three appointments), the Speaker of the House (one appointment), the Lt. Governor (one appointment), and the President Pro Tem of the Senate (one appointment). The Commissioner of the ADVA will serve as an ex-officio member and vice chairman; the Commissioner of the ADMH will serve as an ex-officio member; the Secretary of the Alabama Department of Workforce will serve as an ex-officio member and chairman. Other members will include the Minority Leader of the House and the Minority Leader of the Senate. How is this not political? ADMH is already talking about expanding the resource center to include multiple locations across the state. ADVA 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 has veterans service offices located in 61 of Alabama's 67 counties. Is this so-called "public corporation" meant to replace ADVA's veterans service offices? If not, why the redundancy?

Alabama’s veterans have rightly voiced their skepticism about the "Alabama Veterans Resource Center." Alabama's veterans deserve better.

Opinions expressed are solely those of the author. They do not reflect the ideas or opinions of ALPolitics.com or its advertisers.