3.0.0 3340 2019-02-20T23:40:24Z 2019-02-22T21:11:49Z Senate S S 2012-06-25 112 ssva00 Veterans' Affairs Committee Senate Standing Markup by 2012-09-12T17:05:11Z Hearings by 2012-06-28T02:00:00Z Referred to 2012-06-25T22:51:04Z 2012-09-12 ssva00 Veterans' Affairs Committee Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported with amendments favorably. Committee 2012-06-28 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4719) IntroReferral B00100 9 Library of Congress 2012-06-27 ssva00 Veterans' Affairs Committee Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 112-668. Committee 2012-06-25 ssva00 Veterans' Affairs Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. IntroReferral 2012-06-25 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4461-4463) IntroReferral B00100 9 Library of Congress 2012-06-25 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress M001111 Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] Patty Murray D WA N B001277 Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] Richard Blumenthal D CT 2012-06-26 False D000563 Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] Richard Durbin D IL J. 2012-06-26 False S000148 Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] Charles Schumer D NY E. 2012-06-27 False S000033 Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] Bernard Sanders I VT 2012-07-18 False R000361 Sen. Rockefeller, John D., IV [D-WV] JAY ROCKEFELLER D WV 2012-07-18 False B001265 Sen. Begich, Mark [D-AK] Mark Begich D AK 2012-07-19 False S001181 Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH] Jeanne Shaheen D NH 2012-07-30 False T000464 Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] Jon Tester D MT 2012-09-11 False Armed Forces and National Security Afghanistan Asia Congressional oversight Dental care Department of Defense Department of Veterans Affairs Disability and paralysis Drug trafficking and controlled substances Executive agency funding and structure Government studies and investigations Health care costs and insurance Health care quality Health facilities and institutions Health information and medical records Health personnel Health promotion and preventive care Home and outpatient care Iraq Licensing and registrations Medical education Medical research Medical tests and diagnostic methods Mental health Middle East Military education and training Military medicine Military operations and strategy Military personnel and dependents Right of privacy Veterans' medical care Armed Forces and National Security 00 2012-06-25 Introduced in Senate 2012-10-18T19:48:25Z Mental Health Access to Continued Care and Enhancement of Support Services Act of 2012 or Mental Health ACCESS Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to:

  • establish a position for the oversight and management of all suicide prevention and resilience programs and preventative behavioral health programs of the Department of Defense (DOD);
  • develop and implement a program on the prevention of suicide among members of the Armed Forces (members);
  • ensure that the continuing medical education provided to physicians in the military medical treatment system includes education and training on the triage and referral of individuals with mental health conditions;
  • enter into a joint memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs providing for the sharing between DOD and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of the results of examinations and records under the medical tracking system for members deployed overseas;
  • enter into a DOD-VA MOU providing for certain combat-experienced former members to be considered for employment as VA peer counselors;
  • establish an organization to discharge certain responsibilities relating to DOD research and medical practices on mental health conditions
  • standardize, assess, and monitor DOD medical evaluation boards, physical evaluation boards, and physical evaluation board liaison officers;
  • submit an assessment of whether the military departments are fully compliant with the required use of the VA schedule for rating disabilities in making member disability determinations;
  • contract for an independent assessment of whether the mental health care benefits available to members and their beneficiaries under the TRICARE program are adequate to meet their needs; and
  • submit an assessment of the adequacy of the military medical treatment system to meet member needs for inpatient behavioral health care.

Provides limited exceptions to the prohibition against the disclosure of the mental health condition of a member, the treatment of a member for such a condition, or the request of a member for such treatment.

Requires the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to enter into a MOU with the DOD Secretary to establish procedures under which a member may deliver a controlled substance to another member or a DOE employee for disposal under provisions of the Controlled Substances Act.

Authorizes the DOD Secretary, when determined necessary, to exempt behavioral health care providers licensed under the TRICARE program from state licensure requirements.

Directs the VA Secretary to: (1) develop and implement measures to assess VA mental health care services, as well as guidelines for the staffing of such services; and (2) carry out a national outreach program to recruit mental health providers to provide such services for the VA on a part-time, no-compensation basis.

Expands the Vet Center program of counseling to former members who served on active combat duty to include the furnishing of counseling to their family members.

Authorizes the VA Secretary to furnish mental health care to immediate family members of members currently deployed in connection with a contingency operation.

Establishes the Readjustment Counseling Service in the VA to provide veterans' readjustment and associated services.

Authorizes the VA Secretary to reimburse up to $4,000 per year of the certification, recertification, and continuing professional education expenses of full-time VA psychiatrists.

Requires (under current law, authorizes) the VA Secretary to carry out a counseling program for veteran peer counselors. Requires such program, as well as peer outreach and peer support services, to be carried out at each VA medical center.

]]> Mental Health ACCESS Act of 2012 Short Titles as Introduced Mental Health ACCESS Act of 2012 Short Titles as Introduced Mental Health Access to Continued Care and Enhancement of Support Services Act of 2012 Display Title Mental Health ACCESS Act of 2012 Official Title as Introduced A bill to improve and enhance the programs and activities of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs regarding suicide prevention and resilience and behavioral health disorders for members of the Armed Forces and veterans, and for other purposes. Introduced in Senate 2012-06-25T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-112s3340is/xml/BILLS-112s3340is.xml 2012-09-12 Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported with amendments favorably. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.