[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1668 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1668

  To require a Comptroller General of the United States report on the 
   impact of certain mental and physical trauma on the discharge of 
              members of the Armed Forces for misconduct.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 7, 2013

  Mr. Bennet introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require a Comptroller General of the United States report on the 
   impact of certain mental and physical trauma on the discharge of 
              members of the Armed Forces for misconduct.

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

SECTION 1. COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES REPORT ON IMPACT OF 
              CERTAIN MENTAL AND PHYSICAL TRAUMA ON DISCHARGES FROM 
              MILITARY SERVICE FOR MISCONDUCT.

    (a) Report Required.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to Congress a report on the impact of mental and physical 
trauma relating to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic 
Brain Injury (TBI), behavioral health matters not related to Post 
Traumatic Stress Disorder, and other neurological combat traumas (in 
this section referred to as ``covered traumas'') on the discharge of 
members of the Armed Forces from the Armed Forces for misconduct.
    (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall include 
the following:
            (1) An assessment of the extent to which the Armed Forces 
        have in place processes for the consideration of the impact of 
        mental and physical trauma relating to covered traumas on 
        members of the Armed Forces who are being considered for 
        discharge from the Armed Forces for misconduct, including the 
        compliance of the Armed Forces with such processes and 
        mechanisms in the Department of Defense for ensuring the 
        compliance of the Armed Forces with such processes.
            (2) An assessment of the extent to which the Armed Forces 
        provide members of the Armed Forces, including commanding 
        officers, junior officers, and noncommissioned officers, 
        training on the symptoms of covered traumas and the 
        identification of the presence of such conditions in members of 
        the Armed Forces.
            (3) An assessment of the extent to which members of the 
        Armed Forces who receive treatment for a covered trauma before 
        discharge from the Armed Forces are later discharged from the 
        Armed Forces for misconduct.
            (4) An identification of the number of members of the Armed 
        Forces discharged as described in paragraph (3) who are 
        ineligible for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        based on characterization of discharge.
            (5) An assessment of the extent to which members of the 
        Armed Forces who accept a discharge from the Armed Forces for 
        misconduct in lieu of trial by court-martial are counseled on 
        the potential for ineligibility for benefits from the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs as a result of such discharge 
        before acceptance of such discharge.
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