[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2372 Received in Senate (RDS)]

<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2372


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 22, 2019

                                Received

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
 To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct an 
assessment of all memoranda of understanding and memoranda of agreement 
   between Under Secretary of Health and non-Department of Veterans 
   Affairs entities relating to suicide prevention and mental health 
                               services.

    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 ``Veterans' Care Quality Transparency 
Act''.

SEC. 2. COMPTROLLER GENERAL ASSESSMENT OF MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING 
              AND MEMORANDA OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN UNDER SECRETARY OF 
              HEALTH AND NON-DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ENTITIES 
              RELATING TO SUICIDE PREVENTION AND MENTAL HEALTH 
              SERVICES.

    (a) Assessment.--Not later than 270 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall conduct an assessment of the effectiveness of all memoranda of 
understanding and memoranda of agreement entered into by the Under 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health and a non-Department of 
Veterans Affairs entity relating to--
            (1) suicide prevention activities and outreach; and
            (2) the provision or coordination of mental health services 
        during the 5-year period preceding the date of the enactment of 
        this Act.
    (b) Contents of Assessment.--The assessment required by subsection 
(a) shall include an assessment of--
            (1) the size of the catchment area of each such entity;
            (2) the staffing structures of such entities;
            (3) any accreditation or licensure any such entity has 
        obtained in relation to the services the entity provides;
            (4) any variances in the subpopulations of veterans served 
        by such entities;
            (5) any limitations any such entity may face in carrying 
        out its obligations under the memorandum of understanding or 
        memorandum of agreement;
            (6) the extent to which the Under Secretary provides 
        oversight and tracks outcomes of such entities;
            (7) any variations in the structure or requirements of the 
        memoranda of understanding and memoranda of agreement;
            (8) a breakdown of the percentage of such entities that 
        serve--
                    (A) women veterans;
                    (B) minority veterans;
                    (C) veterans who are over the age of 55;
                    (D) veterans between the ages of 18 and 34;
                    (E) veterans who reside in United States insular 
                areas; and
                    (F) veterans' families; and
            (9) any measures taken to ensure the secure exchange of 
        data and information between such entities and the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs.
    (c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 270 days after the 
completion of the assessment under subsection (a), the Comptroller 
General shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the 
Senate and House of Representatives a report on the results of the 
assessment.

            Passed the House of Representatives May 21, 2019.

            Attest:

                                             CHERYL L. JOHNSON,

                                                                 Clerk.