[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2182 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2182

  To expand and improve care provided to veterans and members of the 
  Armed Forces with mental health disorders or at risk of suicide, to 
review the terms or characterization of the discharge or separation of 
 certain individuals from the Armed Forces, to require a pilot program 
on loan repayment for psychiatrists who agree to serve in the Veterans 
 Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 27, 2014

 Mr. Walsh (for himself and Mr. Tester) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To expand and improve care provided to veterans and members of the 
  Armed Forces with mental health disorders or at risk of suicide, to 
review the terms or characterization of the discharge or separation of 
 certain individuals from the Armed Forces, to require a pilot program 
on loan repayment for psychiatrists who agree to serve in the Veterans 
 Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for 
                            other purposes.

    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 ``Suicide Prevention for American 
Veterans Act''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR DOMICILIARY CARE FOR CERTAIN 
              VETERANS WHO SERVED IN A THEATER OF COMBAT OPERATIONS.

    Section 1710(e)(3)(A) of title 38, United States Code, is amended 
by striking ``period of five years'' and inserting ``period of 15 
years''.

SEC. 3. REVIEW OF CHARACTERIZATION OR TERMS OF DISCHARGE FROM THE ARMED 
              FORCES OF INDIVIDUALS WITH MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS 
              ALLEGED TO AFFECT TERMS OF DISCHARGE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretaries of the military departments shall 
each provide for a process by which a covered individual may challenge 
the terms or characterization of the individual's discharge or 
separation from the Armed Forces.
    (b) Covered Individuals.--For purposes of this section, a covered 
individual is any individual as follows:
            (1) An individual who was discharged or separated from the 
        Armed Forces for a personality disorder.
            (2) An individual who--
                    (A) was discharged or separated from the Armed 
                Forces on a punitive basis, or under other than 
                honorable conditions; and
                    (B) who alleges that the basis for such discharge 
                or separation was a mental health injury or disorder 
                incurred or aggravated by the individual during service 
                in the Armed Forces.
    (c) Discharge of Process Through Boards of Corrections of 
Records.--The Secretary of a military department shall carry out the 
process required by subsection (a) through boards for the correction of 
military records of the military department concerned.
    (d) Considerations on Modification of Terms of Discharge or 
Separation.--In deciding whether to modify the terms or 
characterization of an individual's discharge or separation pursuant to 
the process required by subsection (a), the Secretary of the military 
department concerned shall instruct boards to give due consideration to 
any mental health injury or disorder determined to have been incurred 
or aggravated by the individual during service in the Armed Forces and 
to what bearing such injury or disorder may have had on the 
circumstances surrounding the individual's discharge or separation from 
the Armed Forces.

SEC. 4. IMPROVEMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDED BY DEPARTMENT OF 
              VETERANS AFFAIRS AND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

    (a) Evaluations of Mental Health Care and Suicide Prevention 
Programs.--
            (1) In general.--Not less frequently than once each year, 
        the Secretary concerned shall provide for the conduct of an 
        evaluation of the mental health care and suicide prevention 
        programs carried out under the laws administered by such 
        Secretary.
            (2) Elements.--Each evaluation conducted under paragraph 
        (1) shall--
                    (A) use metrics that are common among and useful 
                for practitioners in the field of mental health care 
                and suicide prevention;
                    (B) identify the most effective mental health care 
                and suicide prevention programs conducted by the 
                Secretary concerned; and
                    (C) propose best practices for caring for 
                individuals who suffer from mental health disorders or 
                are at risk of suicide.
            (3) Third party.--Each evaluation conducted under paragraph 
        (1) shall be conducted by an independent third party 
        unaffiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the 
        Department of Defense.
    (b) Training of Providers.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary concerned shall train all 
        providers of health care under the laws administered by such 
        Secretary on the following:
                    (A) Recognizing if an individual is at risk of 
                suicide.
                    (B) Treating or referring for treatment an 
                individual who is at risk of suicide.
                    (C) Recognizing the symptoms of posttraumatic 
                stress disorder.
            (2) Dissemination of best practices.--The Secretary 
        concerned shall ensure that best practices for identifying 
        individuals at risk of suicide and providing quality mental 
        health care are disseminated to providers of health care under 
        the laws administered by such Secretary.
    (c) Secretary Concerned Defined.--In this section, the term 
``Secretary concerned'' means--
            (1) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs with respect to 
        matters concerning the Department of Veterans Affairs; and
            (2) the Secretary of Defense with respect to matters 
        concerning the Department of Defense.

SEC. 5. COLLABORATION BETWEEN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND 
              DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ON HEALTH CARE MATTERS.

    (a) Timeline for Implementing Interoperable Electronic Health 
Records.--
            (1) In general.--Section 1635 of the Wounded Warrior Act 
        (10 U.S.C. 1071 note) is amended by adding at the end the 
        following new subsection:
    ``(k) Timeline.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary of 
Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that--
            ``(1) the creation of a health data authoritative source by 
        the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans 
        Affairs that can be accessed by multiple providers and 
        standardizes the input of new medical information is achieved 
        not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
        subsection;
            ``(2) the ability of patients of both the Department of 
        Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to download the 
        medical records of the patient (commonly referred to as the 
        `Blue Button Initiative') is achieved not later than 180 days 
        after the date of the enactment of this subsection;
            ``(3) the full interoperability of personal health care 
        information between the Departments is achieved not later than 
        one year after the date of the enactment of this subsection;
            ``(4) the acceleration of the exchange of real-time data 
        between the Departments is achieved not later than one year 
        after the date of the enactment of this subsection;
            ``(5) the upgrade of the graphical user interface to 
        display a joint common graphical user interface is achieved not 
        later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
        subsection; and
            ``(6) each current member of the Armed Forces and the 
        dependent of such a member may elect to receive an electronic 
        copy of the health care record of the individual beginning not 
        later than June 30, 2015.''.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--Section 1635 of such Act is 
        further amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a), by striking ``The 
                Secretary'' and inserting ``In accordance with the 
                timeline described in subsection (k), the Secretary''; 
                and
                    (B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) of 
                subsection (e), by inserting ``in accordance with 
                subsection (k)'' after ``under this section''.
    (b) Establishment of Uniform Prescription Formulary.--The Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense shall jointly 
establish a uniform prescription formulary for use in prescribing 
medication under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans 
Affairs and the laws administered by the Secretary of Defense.

SEC. 6. PILOT PROGRAM FOR REPAYMENT OF EDUCATIONAL LOANS FOR CERTAIN 
              PSYCHIATRISTS OF VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry 
out a pilot program to repay loans of individuals described in 
subsection (b) that--
            (1) were used by such individuals to finance education 
        relating to psychiatric medicine, including education leading 
        to--
                    (A) an undergraduate degree;
                    (B) a degree of doctor of medicine; or
                    (C) a degree of doctor of osteopathy; and
            (2) were obtained from any of the following:
                    (A) A governmental entity.
                    (B) A private financial institution.
                    (C) A school.
                    (D) Any other authorized entity as determined by 
                the Secretary.
    (b) Eligible Individuals.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), an individual 
        eligible for participation in the pilot program is an 
        individual who--
                    (A) either--
                            (i) is licensed or eligible for licensure 
                        to practice psychiatric medicine in the 
                        Veterans Health Administration of the 
                        Department of Veterans Affairs; or
                            (ii) is enrolled in the final year of a 
                        residency program leading to a specialty 
                        qualification in psychiatric medicine that is 
                        approved by the Accreditation Council for 
                        Graduate Medical Education; and
                    (B) demonstrates a commitment to a long-term career 
                as a psychiatrist in the Veterans Health 
                Administration, as determined by the Secretary.
            (2) Prohibition on simultaneous eligibility.--An individual 
        who is participating in any other program of the Federal 
        Government that repays the educational loans of the individual 
        is not eligible to participate in the pilot program.
    (c) Selection.--The Secretary shall select not less than 10 
individuals described in subsection (b) to participate in the pilot 
program for each year in which the Secretary carries out the pilot 
program.
    (d) Period of Obligated Service.--The Secretary shall enter into an 
agreement with each individual selected under subsection (c) in which 
such individual agrees to serve a period of obligated service for the 
Veterans Health Administration in the field of psychiatric medicine, as 
determined by the Secretary.
    (e) Loan Repayments.--
            (1) Amounts.--Subject to paragraph (2), a loan repayment 
        under this section may consist of payment of the principal, 
        interest, and related expenses of a loan obtained by an 
        individual who is participating in the pilot program for all 
        educational expenses (including tuition, fees, books, and 
        laboratory expenses) of such individual relating to education 
        described in subsection (a)(1).
            (2) Limit.--For each year of obligated service that an 
        individual who is participating in the pilot program agrees to 
        serve under subsection (d), the Secretary may pay not more than 
        $60,000 in loan repayment on behalf of such individual.
    (f) Breach.--
            (1) Liability.--An individual who participates in the pilot 
        program and fails to satisfy the period of obligated service 
        under subsection (d) shall be liable to the United States, in 
        lieu of such obligated service, for the amount that has been 
        paid or is payable to or on behalf of the individual under the 
        pilot program, reduced by the proportion that the number of 
        days served for completion of the period of obligated service 
        bears to the total number of days in the period of obligated 
        service of such individual.
            (2) Repayment period.--Any amount of damages that the 
        United States is entitled to recover under this subsection 
        shall be paid to the United States not later than one year 
        after the date of the breach of the agreement.
    (g) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date on 
        which the pilot program terminates under subsection (i), the 
        Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of 
        the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House 
        of Representatives a report on the pilot program.
            (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    (A) The overall effect of the pilot program on the 
                psychiatric workforce shortage of the Veterans Health 
                Administration.
                    (B) The long-term stability of the psychiatric 
                workforce of the Veterans Health Administration.
                    (C) Strategies of the Veterans Health 
                Administration to improve and increase the ability of 
                the Administration to promote the physical and mental 
                resiliency of all veterans.
    (h) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe regulations to 
carry out this section, including standards for qualified loans and 
authorized payees and other terms and conditions for the making of loan 
repayments.
    (i) Termination.--The authority to carry out the pilot program 
shall expire on the date that is three years after the date on which 
the Secretary commences the pilot program.

SEC. 7. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY ON PAY DISPARITIES OF PSYCHIATRISTS 
              OF VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Study.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 
        United States shall conduct a study of pay disparities among 
        psychiatrists of the Veterans Health Administration of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (2) Elements.--The study required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    (A) An examination of laws, regulations, practices, 
                and policies, including salary flexibilities, that 
                contribute to such disparities.
                    (B) Recommendations for legislative or regulatory 
                action to improve equity in pay among such 
                psychiatrists.
    (b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date on which the 
Comptroller General completes the study under subsection (a), the 
Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs 
of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
Representatives a report containing the results of the study.
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