The Department of Veterans Affairs will introduce additional informed consent requirements for veterans receiving certain psychotropic medications starting in 2027, a move the agency said will give veterans more information as they make treatment decisions.
Here are three things to know:
1. Veterans will need to provide signature consent before receiving opioids and benzodiazepines at the same time. Signature consent will also be required before a veteran younger than 30 is prescribed an antidepressant, according to a Sept. 28 news release from the agency. VA already requires signature consent for all long-term opioid treatment.
2. The changes will also establish standardized education for veterans prescribed psychotropic medications, including medications for which oral consent is sufficient. Providers will be required to document discussions covering medication risks, side effects, benefits, alternatives and safe discontinuation.
“America’s veterans should get as much information as possible as they are deciding what treatment is best for them,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said in the release.
3. VA will use the rest of 2026 to inform staff of the requirements, train employees on the procedures and update its policies and procedures.
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