# 117-s-796: Protecting Moms Who Served Act of 2021

117-s-796, Protecting Moms Who Served Act of 2021, is a 117th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL); status became_law; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-01-05).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-s-796
- As of: 2026-01-05
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 117-s-796
- Congress: 117
- Title: Protecting Moms Who Served Act of 2021
- Status: became_law
- Introduced: 2021-03-17
- Sponsor: Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-01-05

## Summary

**Improve maternal health outcomes for veterans**. The law codifies a VA maternity care coordination program, funds training for community maternity care providers, and mandates a comprehensive GAO report to measure maternal deaths, severe morbidity, infertility, and racial disparities. - Pregnant and postpartum veterans gain a formal VA maternity care coordination program that focuses on veteran-specific mental and behavioral health needs and aims to reduce racial and ethnic disparities. It directs attention to homelessness, food insecurity, and other social risks for this group. - Community maternity care providers who serve veterans must receive training and support to address veteran-unique needs and to improve care coordination with VA facilities and records. - The Comptroller General must report within two years on maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity among veterans, including rates, infertility data over five years, veteran-specific causes, disparities, and recommendations to improve access and care. *Provides $15 million in new appropriations for fiscal year 2022 to fund the VA maternity care coordination program.*

## Cosponsors (7)

- Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME] (R-ME), 2021-03-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2021-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] (D-DE), 2021-10-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Ossoff, Jon [D-GA] (D-GA), 2021-10-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] (R-FL), 2021-10-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI] (D-MI), 2021-10-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2021-10-07T00:00:00.000Z

## Votes

| Date | Chamber | Question | Result | Yea | Nay |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2021-11-16T00:00:00.000Z | house | On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass | Passed | 414 | 9 |

## Provisions PRIA read

- More coordinated maternity care for veterans: benefit, medium. VA runs a maternity care coordination program. VA trains community maternity providers about veterans’ needs, with a focus on mental and behavioral health tied to service. The law provides $15 million in FY 2022 to support this program, on top of other VA maternity funding. This helps pregnant and…
- Clear maternal health definitions for veterans: benefit, low. The law defines key maternal health terms. It counts suicide and overdose as maternal deaths when tied to pregnancy or childbirth. Postpartum means the first year after a pregnancy ends. Severe maternal morbidity also includes mental health and substance use conditions linked to pregnancy or birth.

## Related bills

- 117-s-1605: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022
- 117-s-475: Juneteenth National Independence Day Act
- 117-sres-748: A resolution honoring and celebrating the life and legacy of Representative Jackie Walorski.
- 117-s-4587: Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 117-sres-621: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the late Senator Orrin G. Hatch.
- 117-sres-593: A resolution relating to the death of Kaneaster Hodges, Jr., former United States Senator for the State of Arkansas.

## Sources
- [117-s-796 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/796)

## Related
- [117-s-1605: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-s-1605)
- [117-s-475: Juneteenth National Independence Day Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-s-475)
- [117-sres-748: A resolution honoring and celebrating the life and legacy of Representative Jac…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-sres-748)
- [117-s-4587: Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-s-4587)
- [117-sres-621: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the late Senator Orrin G. Hatch.](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-sres-621)
- [117-sres-593: A resolution relating to the death of Kaneaster Hodges, Jr., former United Stat…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-sres-593)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-s-796 (as of 2026-01-05).