[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 96 (Monday, June 11, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S3698]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2702. Mr. YOUNG submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 2282 proposed by Mr. Inhofe (for himself and Mr. McCain)
to the bill H.R. 5515, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2019
for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle F of title X, add the following:
SEC. 1066. STUDY ON EFFICACY OF VETERANS CRISIS LINE.
(a) Study.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct
a study on the outcomes and the efficacy of the Veterans
Crisis Line during the five-year period beginning January 1,
2014, based on an analysis of national suicide data and data
collected from the Veterans Crisis Line.
(b) Matters Included.--The study under subsection (a) shall
address the following:
(1) The efficacy of the Veterans Crisis Line in leading
veterans to sustained mental health regimens, by
determining--
(A) the number of veterans who, after contacting the
Veterans Crisis Line and being referred to a suicide
prevention specialist, begin and continue mental health care
furnished by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and
(B) the number of veterans who, after contacting the
Veterans Crisis Line and being referred to a suicide
prevention specialist, either--
(i) begin mental health care furnished by the Secretary but
do not continue such care; or
(ii) do not begin such care.
(2) The visibility of the Veterans Crisis Line, by
determining--
(A) the number of veterans who contact the Veterans Crisis
Line and have not previously received hospital care or
medical services furnished by the Secretary; and
(B) the number of veterans who contact the Veterans Crisis
Line and have previously received hospital care or medical
services furnished by the Secretary.
(3) The role of the Veterans Crisis Line as part of the
mental health care services of the Department, by
determining, of the veterans who are enrolled in the health
care system established under section 1705(a) of title 38,
United States Code, who contact the Veterans Crisis Line, the
number who are under the care of a mental health care
provider of the Department at the time of such contact.
(4) Whether receiving sustained mental health care affects
suicidality and whether veterans previously receiving mental
health care furnished by the Secretary use the Veterans
Crisis Line in times of crisis, with respect to the veterans
described in paragraph (3), by determining the time frame
between receiving such care and the time of such contact.
(5) The effectiveness of the Veterans Crisis Line in
assisting veterans at risk for suicide when the Veterans
Crisis Line is contacted by a non-veteran, by determining, of
the number of non-veterans who contact the Veterans Crisis
Line looking for support in assisting a veteran, how many of
such individuals receive support in having a veteran begin to
receive mental health care furnished by the Secretary.
(6) The overall efficacy of the Veterans Crisis Line in
preventing suicides and whether the number of contacts
affects the efficacy, by determining--
(A) the number of veterans who contact the Veterans Crisis
Line who ultimately commit or attempt suicide; and
(B) of such veterans, how many times did a veteran contact
the Veterans Crisis Line prior to committing or attempting
suicide.
(7) The long-term efficacy of the Veterans Crisis Line in
preventing repeated suicide attempts and whether the efficacy
is temporary, by determining, of the number of veterans who
contacted the Veterans Crisis Line and did not commit or
attempt suicide during the following six-month period, the
number who contacted the Veterans Crisis Line in crisis at a
later time and thereafter did commit or attempt suicide.
(8) Whether referral to mental health care affects the risk
of suicide, by determining--
(A) the number of veterans who contact the Veterans Crisis
Line who are not referred to, or do not continue receiving,
mental health care who commit suicide; and
(B) the number of veterans described in paragraph (1)(A)
who commit or attempt suicide.
(9) The efficacy of the Veterans Crisis Line to promote
continued mental health care in those veterans who are at
high risk for suicide whose suicide was prevented, by
determining, of the number of veterans who contacted the
Veterans Crisis Line and did not commit or attempt suicide
soon thereafter, the number that begin and continue to
receive mental health care furnished by the Secretary.
(10) Such other matters as the Secretary determines
appropriate.
(c) Rule of Construction Regarding Data Collection.--
Nothing in this section may be construed to modify or affect
the manner in which data is collected, or the kind or content
of data collected, by the Secretary under the Veterans Crisis
Line.
(d) Submission.--Not later than May 31, 2019, the Secretary
shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the
Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of
Representatives the study conducted under subsection (a).
(e) Veterans Crisis Line Defined.--In this section, the
term ``Veterans Crisis Line'' means the toll-free hotline for
veterans established under section 1720F(h) of title 38,
United States Code.
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