[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 327 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.327

                       One Hundred Tenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE FIRST SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday,
            the fourth day of January, two thousand and seven


                                 An Act


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
   Veterans Affairs to develop and implement a comprehensive program 
       designed to reduce the incidence of suicide among veterans.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide 
Prevention Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
        (1) suicide among veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress 
    disorder (in this section referred to as ``PTSD'') is a serious 
    problem; and
        (2) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should take into 
    consideration the special needs of veterans suffering from PTSD and 
    the special needs of elderly veterans who are at high risk for 
    depression and experience high rates of suicide in developing and 
    implementing the comprehensive program under this Act.

SEC. 3. COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION AMONG VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--
        (1) Comprehensive program for suicide prevention among 
    veterans.--Chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, is amended 
    by adding at the end the following new section:

``Sec. 1720F. Comprehensive program for suicide prevention among 
            veterans

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall develop and carry out a 
comprehensive program designed to reduce the incidence of suicide among 
veterans incorporating the components described in this section.
    ``(b) Staff Education.--In carrying out the comprehensive program 
under this section, the Secretary shall provide for mandatory training 
for appropriate staff and contractors (including all medical personnel) 
of the Department who interact with veterans. This training shall cover 
information appropriate to the duties being performed by such staff and 
contractors. The training shall include information on--
        ``(1) recognizing risk factors for suicide;
        ``(2) proper protocols for responding to crisis situations 
    involving veterans who may be at high risk for suicide; and
        ``(3) best practices for suicide prevention.
    ``(c) Health Assessments of Veterans.--In carrying out the 
comprehensive program, the Secretary shall direct that medical staff 
offer mental health in their overall health assessment when veterans 
seek medical care at a Department medical facility (including a center 
established under section 1712A of this title) and make referrals, at 
the request of the veteran concerned, to appropriate counseling and 
treatment programs for veterans who show signs or symptoms of mental 
health problems.
    ``(d) Designation of Suicide Prevention Counselors.--In carrying 
out the comprehensive program, the Secretary shall designate a suicide 
prevention counselor at each Department medical facility other than 
centers established under section 1712A of this title. Each counselor 
shall work with local emergency rooms, police departments, mental 
health organizations, and veterans service organizations to engage in 
outreach to veterans and improve the coordination of mental health care 
to veterans.
    ``(e) Best Practices Research.--In carrying out the comprehensive 
program, the Secretary shall provide for research on best practices for 
suicide prevention among veterans. Research shall be conducted under 
this subsection in consultation with the heads of the following 
entities:
        ``(1) The Department of Health and Human Services.
        ``(2) The National Institute of Mental Health.
        ``(3) The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
    Administration.
        ``(4) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    ``(f) Sexual Trauma Research.--In carrying out the comprehensive 
program, the Secretary shall provide for research on mental health care 
for veterans who have experienced sexual trauma while in military 
service. The research design shall include consideration of veterans of 
a reserve component.
    ``(g) 24-Hour Mental Health Care.--In carrying out the 
comprehensive program, the Secretary shall provide for mental health 
care availability to veterans on a 24-hour basis.
    ``(h) Hotline.--In carrying out the comprehensive program, the 
Secretary may provide for a toll-free hotline for veterans to be 
staffed by appropriately trained mental health personnel and available 
at all times.
    ``(i) Outreach and Education for Veterans and Families.--In 
carrying out the comprehensive program, the Secretary shall provide for 
outreach to and education for veterans and the families of veterans, 
with special emphasis on providing information to veterans of Operation 
Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and the families of such 
veterans. Education to promote mental health shall include information 
designed to--
        ``(1) remove the stigma associated with mental illness;
        ``(2) encourage veterans to seek treatment and assistance for 
    mental illness;
        ``(3) promote skills for coping with mental illness; and
        ``(4) help families of veterans with--
            ``(A) understanding issues arising from the readjustment of 
        veterans to civilian life;
            ``(B) identifying signs and symptoms of mental illness; and
            ``(C) encouraging veterans to seek assistance for mental 
        illness.
    ``(j) Peer Support Counseling Program.--(1) In carrying out the 
comprehensive program, the Secretary may establish and carry out a peer 
support counseling program, under which veterans shall be permitted to 
volunteer as peer counselors--
        ``(A) to assist other veterans with issues related to mental 
    health and readjustment; and
        ``(B) to conduct outreach to veterans and the families of 
    veterans.
    ``(2) In carrying out the peer support counseling program under 
this subsection, the Secretary shall provide adequate training for peer 
counselors.
    ``(k) Other Components.--In carrying out the comprehensive program, 
the Secretary may provide for other actions to reduce the incidence of 
suicide among veterans that the Secretary considers appropriate.''.
        (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning 
    of such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following new 
    item:

``1720F. Comprehensive program for suicide prevention among veterans.''.

    (b) Report to Congress.--
        (1) Report required.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
    the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
    submit to Congress a report on the comprehensive program under 
    section 1720F of title 38, United States Code, as added by 
    subsection (a).
        (2) Contents of report.--The report shall contain the 
    following:
            (A) Information on the status of the implementation of such 
        program.
            (B) Information on the time line and costs for complete 
        implementation of the program within two years.
            (C) A plan for additional programs and activities designed 
        to reduce the occurrence of suicide among veterans.
            (D) Recommendations for further legislation or 
        administrative action that the Secretary considers appropriate 
        to improve suicide prevention programs within the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.