[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 715 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 715

To improve the provision of mental health care to members of the Armed 
 Forces and veterans from the Department of Defense and the Department 
              of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 11, 2015

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To improve the provision of mental health care to members of the Armed 
 Forces and veterans from the Department of Defense and 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 ``Military and Veterans Mental Health 
Provider Assessment Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDED BY HEALTH CARE 
              PROVIDERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND THE DEPARTMENT 
              OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Training on Recognition and Management of Risk of Suicide.--The 
Secretary concerned shall ensure that all health care providers under 
the jurisdiction of such Secretary receive empirically supported 
training on the recognition and assessment of individuals at risk for 
suicide and the management of such risk not less frequently than once 
every three years.
    (b) Evaluation of Implementation of Clinical Practice Guidelines 
and Best Practices by Mental Health Care Providers.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than once 
        each year thereafter, the Secretary concerned shall conduct an 
        evaluation of the implementation by mental health care 
        providers under the jurisdiction of such Secretary of the 
        clinical practice guidelines recommended for such providers by 
        such Secretary and other evidence-based treatments and 
        approaches.
            (2) Inclusion of results in employee performance 
        evaluations.--The Secretary concerned shall incorporate 
        evaluations conducted under paragraph (1) into the employee 
        evaluation process conducted by such Secretary with respect to 
        mental health care providers to the greatest extent possible.
    (c) Assessment of Mental Health Workforce.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the 
        Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly submit to the 
        appropriate committees of Congress a report assessing the 
        mental health workforce of the Department of Defense and the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs and the long-term mental health 
        care needs of members of the Armed Forces and veterans for 
        purposes of determining the long-term need of the Department of 
        Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs for mental 
        health care providers.
            (2) Elements.--The report submitted under paragraph (1) 
        shall include an assessment of the following:
                    (A) The number of mental health care providers of 
                the Department of Defense and the Department of 
                Veterans Affairs as of the date of the submittal of the 
                report, disaggregated by specialty, including 
                psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, mental 
                health counselors, and marriage and family therapists.
                    (B) The number of mental health care providers that 
                are anticipated to be needed by the Department of 
                Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
                    (C) The types of mental health care providers that 
                are anticipated to be needed by the Department of 
                Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
                    (D) Locations in which mental health care providers 
                are anticipated to be needed by the Department of 
                Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
    (d) Plan for Development of Procedures To Measure Mental Health 
Data.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall jointly submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a plan 
for the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to 
jointly develop procedures to compile and assess data relating to the 
following:
            (1) Outcomes for mental health care provided by the 
        Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (2) Variations in such outcomes among different medical 
        facilities of the Department of Defense and Department of 
        Veterans Affairs.
            (3) Barriers, if any, to the implementation by mental 
        health care providers under the jurisdiction of the Secretary 
        concerned of the clinical practice guidelines recommended for 
        such providers by such Secretary and other evidence-based 
        treatments and approaches.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
        ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Armed Services and the 
                Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Armed Services and the 
                Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
                Representatives.
            (2) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned'' 
        means--
                    (A) the Secretary of Defense with respect to 
                matters concerning the Department of Defense; and
                    (B) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs with respect 
                to matters concerning the Department of Veterans 
                Affairs.
                                 <all>