[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 132 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 132

   To require a pilot program on activities under the pre-separation 
 transition process of members of the Armed Forces for a reduction in 
            suicide among veterans, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 30, 2023

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require a pilot program on activities under the pre-separation 
 transition process of members of the Armed Forces for a reduction in 
            suicide 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 ``Daniel J. Harvey Jr. and Adam 
Lambert Improving Servicemember Transition to Reduce Veteran Suicide 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON ACTIVITIES UNDER THE PRE-SEPARATION TRANSITION 
              PROCESS OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES FOR A REDUCTION IN 
              SUICIDE AMONG VETERANS.

    (a) Pilot Program Required.--The Secretary of Defense and the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly carry out a pilot program 
to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing the module 
described in subsection (b) and services under subsection (c) as part 
of the pre-separation transition process for members of the Armed 
Forces as a means of reducing the incidence of suicide among veterans.
    (b) Module.--
            (1) In general.--The module described in this subsection 
        shall include the following:
                    (A) An in-person meeting between a cohort of 
                members of the Armed Forces participating in the pilot 
                program and a social worker or nurse in which the 
                social worker or nurse--
                            (i) educates the cohort on resources for 
                        and specific potential risks confronting such 
                        members after discharge or release from the 
                        Armed Forces, including--
                                    (I) loss of community or a support 
                                system;
                                    (II) isolation from family, 
                                friends, or society;
                                    (III) identity crisis in the 
                                transition from military to civilian 
                                life;
                                    (IV) vulnerability viewed as a 
                                weakness;
                                    (V) need for empathy;
                                    (VI) self-medication and addiction;
                                    (VII) importance of sleep and 
                                exercise;
                                    (VIII) homelessness;
                                    (IX) risk factors contributing to 
                                attempts of suicide and deaths by 
                                suicide; and
                                    (X) safe storage of firearms as 
                                part of suicide prevention lethal means 
                                safety efforts;
                            (ii) educates the cohort on--
                                    (I) the signs and symptoms of 
                                suicide risk and physical, 
                                psychological, or neurological issues, 
                                such as post-traumatic stress disorder, 
                                traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, 
                                sleep disorders, substance use 
                                disorders, adverse childhood 
                                experiences, depression, bipolar 
                                disorder, and socio-ecological 
                                concerns, such as homelessness, 
                                unemployment, and relationship strain;
                                    (II) the potential risks for 
                                members of the Armed Forces from such 
                                issues after discharge or release from 
                                the Armed Forces; and
                                    (III) the resources and treatment 
                                options available to such members for 
                                such issues through the Department of 
                                Veterans Affairs, the Department of 
                                Defense, and non-profit organizations;
                            (iii) educates the cohort about the 
                        resources available to victims of military 
                        sexual trauma through the Department of 
                        Veterans Affairs; and
                            (iv) educates the cohort about the manner 
                        in which members might experience challenges 
                        during the transition from military to civilian 
                        life, and the resources available to them 
                        through the Department of Veterans Affairs, the 
                        Department of Defense, and other organizations.
                    (B) The provision to each member of the cohort of 
                contact information for a counseling or other 
                appropriate facility of the Department of Veterans 
                Affairs in the locality in which such member intends to 
                reside after discharge or release.
                    (C) The submittal by each member of the cohort to 
                the Department of Veterans Affairs (including both the 
                Veterans Health Administration and the Veterans 
                Benefits Administration) of their medical records in 
                connection with service in the Armed Forces, whether or 
                not such members intend to file a claim with the 
                Department for benefits with respect to any service-
                connected disability.
            (2) Composition of cohort.--Each cohort participating in 
        the module described in this subsection shall be comprised of 
        not fewer than 50 individuals.
    (c) Services.--In carrying out the pilot program, the Secretary of 
Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide to each 
individual participating in the pilot program the following services:
            (1) During the transition process and prior to discharge or 
        release from the Armed Forces, a one-on-one meeting with a 
        social worker or nurse of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        who will--
                    (A) conduct an assessment of the individual 
                regarding eligibility to receive health care or 
                counseling services from the Department of Veterans 
                Affairs;
                    (B) for those eligible, or likely to be eligible, 
                to receive health care or counseling services from the 
                Department of Veterans Affairs--
                            (i) identify and provide contact 
                        information for an appropriate facility of the 
                        Department of Veterans Affairs in the locality 
                        in which such individual intends to reside 
                        after discharge or release;
                            (ii) facilitate registration or enrollment 
                        in the system of patient enrollment of the 
                        Department of Veterans Affairs under section 
                        1705(a) of title 38, United States Code, if 
                        applicable;
                            (iii) educate the individual about care, 
                        benefits, and services available to the 
                        individual through the Veterans Health 
                        Administration; and
                            (iv) coordinate health care based on the 
                        health care needs of the individual, if 
                        applicable, to include establishing an initial 
                        appointment, at the election of the individual, 
                        to occur not later than 90 days after the date 
                        of discharge or release of the member from the 
                        Armed Forces.
            (2) For each individual determined ineligible for care and 
        services from the Department of Veterans Affairs during the 
        transition process, the Secretary of Defense shall conduct an 
        assessment of the individual to determine the needs of the 
        individual and appropriate follow-up, which shall be identified 
        and documented in the appropriate records of the Department of 
        Defense.
            (3) During the appointment scheduled pursuant to paragraph 
        (1)(B)(iv), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct an 
        assessment of the individual to determine the needs of the 
        individual and appropriate follow-up, which shall be identified 
        and documented in the appropriate records of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs.
    (d) Locations.--
            (1) Module and meeting.--The module under subsection (b) 
        and the one-on-one meeting under subsection (c)(1) shall be 
        carried out at not fewer than 10 locations of the Department of 
        Defense that serve not fewer than 300 members of the Armed 
        Forces annually that are jointly selected by the Secretary of 
        Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for purposes of 
        the pilot program.
            (2) Assessment and appointment.--The assessment under 
        subsection (c)(2) and the appointment under subsection (c)(3) 
        may occur at any location determined appropriate by the 
        Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, as 
        the case may be.
            (3) Members served.--The locations selected under paragraph 
        (1) shall, to the extent practicable, be locations that, 
        whether individually or in aggregate, serve all the Armed 
        Forces and both the regular and reserve components of the Armed 
        Forces.
    (e) Selection and Commencement.--The Secretary of Defense and the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly select the locations of the 
pilot program under subsection (d)(1) and commence carrying out 
activities under the pilot program by not later than September 30, 
2024.
    (f) Duration.--The duration of the pilot program shall be five 
years.
    (g) Reports.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the 
        commencement of the pilot program, and annually thereafter 
        during the duration of the pilot program, the Secretary of 
        Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly 
        submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on 
        the activities under the pilot program.
            (2) Elements.--Each report required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    (A) The demographic information of the members and 
                former members of the Armed Forces who participated in 
                the pilot program during the one-year period ending on 
                the date of such report.
                    (B) A description of the activities under the pilot 
                program during such period.
                    (C) An assessment of the benefits of the activities 
                under the pilot program during such period to members 
                and former members of the Armed Forces.
                    (D) An assessment of whether the activities under 
                the pilot program as of the date of such report have 
                met the targeted outcomes of the pilot program among 
                members and former members who participated in the 
                pilot program within one year of discharge or release 
                from the Armed Forces.
                    (E) Such recommendations as the Secretary of 
                Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs jointly 
                consider appropriate regarding the feasibility and 
                advisability of expansion of the pilot program, 
                extension of the pilot program, or both.
    (h) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
        Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
        Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.
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