Funding Area: Veterans’ Health

Two decades of major combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan heightened awareness of the invisible injuries of war, including PTSD, depression, substance misuse, and traumatic brain injury. Recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the 20th anniversary of 9/11, and the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan further exacerbated these challenges. Public and private partners have mobilized to meet veterans’ mental health needs. The federal government recently implemented the PACT Act—the largest benefits expansion in the history of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)—alongside a policy ensuring that every veteran can access VA or private care during acute suicidal crises. In 2024, NYHealth awarded The Headstrong Project a grant to provide high-quality, free, culturally competent mental health care to veterans statewide. 

Under this grant, the Headstrong Project will use its trauma-informed model to provide services using evidence-based PTSD treatment. Headstrong will leverage technology to conduct outreach and increase awareness of services in high-need areas throughout the State, with a focus on rural areas and minority populations; provide approximately 300 clinical sessions to veterans statewide; work with the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Center and the VA to maintain a strong referral network; and share best practices and recommendations to support a sustainable mental health service network throughout the State.  

Two decades of major combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan heightened awareness of the invisible injuries of war, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance misuse, and traumatic brain injury. Recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the 20th anniversary of 9/11, and the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan further exacerbated these challenges. Public and private partners have mobilized to meet veterans’ mental health needs. The federal government recently implemented the PACT Act—the largest benefits expansion in the history of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)—alongside a policy ensuring that every veteran can access VA or private care during acute suicidal crises. In 2024, NYHealth awarded the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Center (MFC) at New York University Langone a grant to provide high-quality, free, culturally competent mental health care to veterans statewide. 

Under this grant, MFC will build on its decade-plus expansion throughout New York to serve veterans currently on its waitlist and to those in under-resourced, hard-to-reach areas. MFC will conduct intake evaluations and suicide risk screenings, deliver mental health care to approximately 240 veterans, and connect clients with local VA and community providers to complement their treatment. Additionally, MFC will expand its training programs for pre-doctoral and post-doctoral psychology fellows to provide culturally competent care.  

Veterans Treatment Courts (VTCs) were founded in Buffalo, New York, in 2008 as a type of problem-solving court that provides treatment as an alternative to incarceration for eligible veterans with mental health or substance use disorders. VTCs offer a lifeline for veterans encountering the criminal justice system, but access to these courts was not historically universal across New York State. A law enacted in 2021 now authorizes the transfer of cases from jurisdictions without VTCs to adjacent counties that have them, but further work is needed to realize the full potential of the policy change. In 2024, NYHealth awarded the New York State Defenders Association (NYSDA) to work with both existing and new VTC judges and court professionals to facilitate successful case transfers. NYHealth also awarded a complementary grant to the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic (VLC) at Syracuse University’s College of Law to provide comprehensive legal services to VTC participants in New York State to increase their likelihood of success in treatment.

Under this grant, NYSDA will build on its extensive training network of defense attorneys, judges, and other legal professionals. It will engage six counties with a VTC and multiple contiguous counties without a VTC to facilitate the robust implementation of the transfer policy and overcome barriers. NYSDA will work to ensure smooth and legally sound case transfers, including documentation and reporting in court systems, and help judges, defense attorneys, court staff, and prosecutors who need support prior to, during, and after case transfer proceedings.

 

Veterans Treatment Courts (VTCs) were founded in Buffalo, New York, in 2008 as a type of problem-solving court that provides treatment as an alternative to incarceration for eligible veterans with mental health or substance use disorders. VTCs offer a lifeline for veterans encountering the criminal justice system, but access to these courts was not historically universal across New York State. A law enacted in 2021 now authorizes the transfer of cases from jurisdictions without VTCs to adjacent counties that have them, but In 2024, NYHealth awarded the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic (VLC) at Syracuse University’s College of Law a grant to provide comprehensive legal services to VTC participants in New York State to increase their likelihood of success in treatment. NYHealth also awarded a complementary grant to the New York State Defenders Association to work with existing and new VTC judges and court professionals to facilitate successful case transfers.

Under this grant, the VLC will leverage a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that VTC participants have the legal services they need to support their recovery efforts. The VLC will conduct outreach to and coordinate with VTCs to incorporate legal services—covering areas such as government benefits, family law, housing, and debt management—into their treatment programs. It will also create a blueprint and provide support to other legal clinics in New York about how to replicate this model.