[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5938 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5938
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a review on
opioid overdose deaths among veterans, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 9, 2021
Mr. Murphy of North Carolina (for himself and Mr. Courtney) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a review on
opioid overdose deaths among veterans, 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 ``Veterans Heroin Overdose Prevention
Examination Act'' or the ``Veterans HOPE Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) New research shows that a dramatic rise in opioid
overdose deaths among veterans in recent years has happened
increasingly among veterans dying from heroin and synthetic
opioids.
(2) Furthermore, patients of the Veterans Health
Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs are seven
more times likely to suffer from an opioid use disorder than
commercially insured patients.
(3) Using records of the Veterans Health Administration
linked to National Death Index data, the veterans' rate of
overdose deaths from all opioids increased by 65 percent from
2010 to 2016, a rate change that includes adjustments for
demographic changes in the veteran population over time.
(4) Furthermore, among all opioid overdose decedents,
prescription opioid receipt within three months before death
declined from 54 percent in 2010 to 26 percent in 2016, yet
veteran overdoses resulting in death from heroin, synthetic
opioids such as fentanyl, and nonprescription opioids still
occurred.
(5) In fact, between 2010 and 2016, the veteran death rate
from heroin or from taking multiple opioids almost quintupled
and the death rate from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl
increased by more than five-fold.
(6) Trends would suggest that, while the aggregate rise in
opioid overdose deaths among veterans parallel those seen in
the general population, the increase occurred mainly because of
a rise in deaths from nonprescribed sources such as heroin,
fentanyl, other powerful synthetic opioids, or multiple opioids
in concurrent use.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that further
veterans overdose prevention efforts and research should extend beyond
patients actively receiving opioid prescriptions.
SEC. 3. REVIEW OF DEATHS OF VETERANS RELATING TO OPIOID USE.
(a) Review.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall complete
a review of the deaths of all covered veterans who died from opioid
overdoses during the five-year period preceding the date of the
enactment for this Act.
(b) Matters Included.--The review under subsection (a) shall
include the following:
(1) The total number of covered veterans who died from
opioid overdoses during the five-year period preceding the date
of the enactment of this Act.
(2) A summary of such veterans that includes the age, sex,
and race, and ethnicity of each such veteran.
(3) A comprehensive list of the medications prescribed to,
and found in the bodies of, such veterans at the time of death,
specifically listing any medications that carry a black box
warning, are off-label, or are psychotropic.
(4) A summary of medical diagnoses by physicians of the
Department of Veterans Affairs that led to any prescribing of
the medications referred to in paragraph (3).
(5) The number of instances in which such a veteran was
concurrently on multiple medications prescribed by physicians
of the Department.
(6) A summary of--
(A) the average period that elapsed between the
last prescription opioid receipt and the date of the
death of such a veteran; and
(B) the cause of death for each such veteran.
(7) The percentage of such veterans with combat experience
or trauma (including military sexual trauma, traumatic brain
injury, and post-traumatic stress).
(8) Identification of medical facilities of the Department
with high prescription and drug abuse treatment rates for
patients being treated at those facilities.
(9) A description of policies of the Department governing
the prescribing of medications referred to in paragraph (3).
(10) A description of efforts by the Secretary to
electronically track, collect, and properly dispose of
prescription opioids that are either unused, past the
prescription date, or not in the possession of the properly
prescribed patient.
(11) A description of any patterns apparent to the
Secretary based on the review.
(12) Recommendations for further action that would improve
the safety and well-being of veterans and reduce opioid
overdose rates for veterans, especially concerning research
regarding such veterans who had not filed for a opioid
prescription in the three months before death by overdose.
(c) Public Availability.--Not later than 45 days after the
completion of the review under subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
(1) submit to Congress a report on the results of the
review;
(2) make such report publicly available; and
(3) provide to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the
House of Representatives and the Senate a briefing on such
review.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``black box warning'' means a warning
displayed within a box in the prescribing information for drugs
that have special problems, particularly ones that may lead to
death or serious injury.
(2) The term ``covered veteran'' means any veteran who
received hospital care or medical services furnished by the
Department of Veterans Affairs during the five-year period
preceding the death of the veteran.
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