Farr Delivers $21.5 Million for First Responders at Fort Hunter Liggett And Improves Access to Therapists for Veterans Nationwide

Press Release

Today, Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) is pleased to announce that he secured $21.5 million for an emergency services center at Fort Hunter Liggett to ensure first responders have the resources they need to fulfill their critical mission and negotiated a change in federal rules to improve access to licensed marriage and family therapists for veterans.

"Ensuring our veterans have the care they've earned and improving public health and safety have long been priorities of mine," said Rep. Farr. "We all know the sacrifice veterans make and we deeply appreciate the service our military's first responders make, and as I close out my career in Congress, I'm very pleased to deliver this funding and take another step toward providing those who have served with better care."

Specifically, the emergency services center will consolidate base police, fire, crash rescue and EMT into a single, modern facility to improve response times and coordination. Currently, these departments are not centrally located, with the fire station having been built in 1915 and the police station only a temporary structure still in use nearly 20 years later. Fort Hunter Liggett is the Army Reserve's largest training base with capability to conduct large-scale, year-round, exercises for all branches of the US military, allied nations and interagency training.

Despite many veterans suffering from PTSD, TBI and other mental health issues, antiquated rules exclude about 95% of accredited marriage and family therapists in California, 90% in New York and 50% in Florida from employment by the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA). Language inserted into the bill by Rep. Farr directs the VA to implement a new qualification process allowing for a wider range of qualified marriage and family therapists. There are 1.9 million, or 10% of the country's, veterans living in California, many of which may benefit from the change in law.

The funding and policy change are included in the Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2017, which cleared the House of Representatives today.

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