Ralph Ibson, J.D.
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As vice president for Government Affairs at Mental Health America, Mr. Ibson heads up federal relations activity in support of our programs and mission, including advocacy in Congress and Executive Branch departments.
In that capacity, he helped found the Campaign for Mental Health Reform, a national campaign dedicated to realizing the goals of the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. At Mental Health America, Mr. Ibson supervises a team of three professionals, all with extensive congressional and other government experience.
Prior to joining Mental Health America in 2000, he served for 10 years on the staff of the Committee on Veterans Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives. During that period, he served as staff director of the Subcommittee on Health. In that capacity, he helped develop laws to expand and improve VA mental health care.
Among the specific measures Mr. Ibson initiated and helped enact are laws that revised eligibility for VA health care; established a grant/per-diem-payment program to provide services for homeless veterans, established oversight committee on care of veterans with serious mental illness; and required VA to maintain specialized programs to serve veterans with mental health needs. He also served as an adviser on veterans health care issues on the White House health care reform task force.
Before working in Congress, Mr. Ibson was a deputy assistant general counsel at the Department of Veterans Affairs. In that capacity, he had primary responsibility for representing VA’s Under Secretary for Health in legislative, oversight, and other proceedings, and advising that official and his staff on legal, administrative, legislative and policy issues. In that role, he also served as counsel to the Commission on the Future Structure of Veterans Health Care (1990).
His work on behalf of veterans with mental illness have earned him honors, including a Career Service Aware from the American Psychiatric Association, a Legislative Award from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, and a Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of State Veterans’ Homes.
Mr. Ibson holds a a bachelor’s degree in political science from Tufts University and a J.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is a veteran of service in the U.S. Army.
Page last updated: 11/10/2006