[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2324 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2324

To direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretaries of the military 
departments to encourage women members of the Armed Forces who separate 
or retire from the Armed Forces during fiscal year 2020 to participate 
in the Women's Health Transition Training Program of the Department of 
               Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 30, 2019

Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself and Mr. Boozman) introduced the following 
   bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed 
                                Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretaries of the military 
departments to encourage women members of the Armed Forces who separate 
or retire from the Armed Forces during fiscal year 2020 to participate 
in the Women's Health Transition Training Program 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 ``Servicewomen's Health Transition 
Training Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Women are now the fastest growing cohort of veterans 
        and are expected to double in population by 2045.
            (2) Women comprise approximately 2,000,000 veterans in the 
        United States and 10 percent of the total veteran population.
            (3) Women veterans are nearly two times more likely to 
        commit suicide than civilian women.
            (4) On average, women do not connect with the Veterans 
        Health Administration until 2.7 years after separating from 
        military service.
            (5) Female veterans have a higher rate of homelessness than 
        their male counterparts.
            (6) One in five female members of the Armed Forces report 
        experiencing military sexual trauma.
    (b) Statement of Policy Objectives.--It is in the national interest 
of the United States to ensure women veterans receive a high quality of 
care by promoting programs and initiatives that--
            (1) educate women separating from active duty in the Armed 
        Forces on the services available to them through the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs;
            (2) encourage women to enroll in the system of annual 
        patient enrollment of the Department under section 1705(a) of 
        title 38, United States Code; and
            (3) increase the number of women receiving health care from 
        the Department.
    (c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in piloting the Women's Health 
Transition Assistance Program, has found that the pilot program has--
            (1) educated hundreds of women in the process of separating 
        or retiring from the Armed Forces on the care they can receive 
        from the Department of Veterans Affairs, 99 percent of whom 
        would recommend the program to others;
            (2) improved awareness among pilot program participants of 
        services available from the Department by 56 percent; and
            (3) increased the intent of pilot program participants--
                    (A) to enroll in the system of annual patient 
                enrollment of the Department under section 1705(a) of 
                title 38, United States Code, by 13.1 percent;
                    (B) to use health care services from the Department 
                by 15.6 percent; and
                    (C) to use suicide prevention services from the 
                Department, if needed, by 19.3 percent.

SEC. 3. PARTICIPATION IN THE WOMEN'S HEALTH TRANSITION TRAINING PROGRAM 
              OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall direct--
            (1) each Secretary of a military department to encourage 
        women members of the Armed Forces who separate or retire from 
        the Armed Forces during fiscal year 2020 to participate in the 
        Women's Health Transition Training Program of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs at locations selected by the Secretary 
        concerned; and
            (2) each commander of a military installation that has a 
        center for the Transition Assistance Program under sections 
        1142 and 1144 of title 10, United States Code, to advertise the 
        Women's Health Transition Training Program to women members 
        described in paragraph (1).
    (b) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than February 1, 2021, the 
        Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs, shall submit to Congress a report regarding 
        participation in the Women's Health Transition Training Program 
        of the Department of Veterans Affairs as described in 
        subsection (a).
            (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    (A) The number of participants in the program.
                    (B) The number of program sessions and the 
                locations where the sessions were held.
                    (C) An assessment of available metrics including 
                course satisfaction and improved awareness of health 
                services furnished by the Secretary of Veterans 
                Affairs.
                    (D) A description of barriers to expanding the 
                program to reach more women members of the Armed 
                Forces.
                    (E) A description of barriers to offering the 
                program online to reach women members of the Armed 
                Forces who cannot attend in person.
                    (F) Recommendations for legislation to improve or 
                expand the program.
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