3.0.0 4684 2023-01-11T13:31:55Z 2023-01-11T13:31:55Z House HR 2016-03-03 114 [Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 35 (Thursday, March 3, 2016)]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. COFFMAN:H.R. 4684.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution of the UnitedStates.[Page H1144]]]> hsvr00 Veterans' Affairs Committee House Standing Referred to 2016-03-03T14:03:40Z 2016-03-03 Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. IntroReferral H11100 2 House floor actions hsvr00 Veterans' Affairs Committee 2016-03-03 Introduced in House IntroReferral Intro-H 9 Library of Congress 2016-03-03 Introduced in House IntroReferral 1000 9 Library of Congress C001077 Rep. Coffman, Mike [R-CO-6] Mike Coffman R CO 6 N K000381 Rep. Kilmer, Derek [D-WA-6] Derek Kilmer D WA 6 2016-03-03 True R000602 Rep. Rice, Kathleen M. [D-NY-4] Kathleen Rice D NY M. 4 2016-03-03 True C001106 Rep. Costello, Ryan A. [R-PA-6] Ryan Costello R PA A. 6 2016-04-13 False J000255 Rep. Jones, Walter B., Jr. [R-NC-3] WALTER JONES R NC B. 3 2016-04-13 False O000170 Rep. O'Rourke, Beto [D-TX-16] Beto O'Rourke D TX 16 2016-04-13 False K000210 Rep. King, Peter T. [R-NY-2] PETER KING R NY T. 2 2016-04-20 False G000571 Rep. Gabbard, Tulsi [D-HI-2] Tulsi Gabbard D HI 2 2016-05-11 False A000373 Rep. Ashford, Brad [D-NE-2] Brad Ashford D NE 2 2016-05-24 False S001193 Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-15] Eric Swalwell D CA 15 2016-06-07 False H001048 Rep. Hunter, Duncan D. [R-CA-50] Duncan Hunter R CA D. 50 2016-11-14 False Armed Forces and National Security Conflicts and wars Congressional oversight Government studies and investigations Health care coverage and access Medical tests and diagnostic methods Mental health National Guard and reserves Veterans' medical care Armed Forces and National Security 00 2016-03-03 Introduced in House 2016-06-23T17:32:31Z Veteran Urgent Access to Mental Healthcare Act

This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a program to provide former members of the Armed Forces with: (1) an initial mental health assessment; and (2) health care services required to treat the former member's urgent mental health care needs, including risk of suicide or harming others.

A former member of the Armed Forces is an individual who meets either of the following criteria:

  • the individual is a former member of the Armed Forces, including the reserve components, who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and was discharged or released under a condition less than honorable (except a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge by reason of a general court martial), has applied for a character of service determination that has not yet been made, and is not otherwise eligible to enroll in the VA health care system by reason of such discharge or release; or
  • the individual is a veteran not otherwise eligible for VA health care.

The VA may provide such mental health care services pursuant to a contract with a qualified mental health professional if: (1) the receipt of mental health care services by an individual in VA facilities would be clinically inadvisable, or (2) VA facilities are not capable of furnishing such mental health care services to that individual economically because of geographical inaccessibility.

The VA shall seek to enter into a contract with an independent nongovernmental entity to study the effect combat service has had on suicide rates and serious mental health issues among veterans.

]]> Veteran Urgent Access to Mental Healthcare Act Display Title Veteran Urgent Access to Mental Healthcare Act Official Title as Introduced To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish mental health care to certain former members of the Armed Forces who are not otherwise eligible to receive such care, and for other purposes. Introduced in House IH Short Titles as Introduced Veteran Urgent Access to Mental Healthcare Act Introduced in House 2016-03-03T05:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-114hr4684ih/xml/BILLS-114hr4684ih.xml 2016-03-03 Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. 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.