[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 184 (Wednesday, October 20, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7129-S7130]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 3864. Mr. BROWN (for himself, Mr. Whitehouse, Ms. Ernst, and Mr.
Blumenthal) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to
the bill S. 2792, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2022 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 E of title V, add the following:
SEC. 5__. PILOT PROGRAM ON ACTIVITIES UNDER THE TRANSITION
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 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 the
services described in subsection (c) as part of the
Transition Assistance Program for members of the Armed Forces
participating in the Transition Assistance Program as a means
of reducing the incidence of suicide among veterans.
(b) Module.--The module described in this subsection is a
three-hour module under the Transition Assistance Program for
each member of the Armed Forces participating in the pilot
program that includes the following:
(1) An in-person meeting between the cohort of the member
and a social worker or mental health provider in which the
social worker or mental health provider--
(A) counsels the cohort on specific potential risks
confronting members after discharge or release from the Armed
Forces, including loss of community or a support system,
isolation from family, friends, or society, identity crisis
in the transition from military to civilian life,
vulnerability viewed as a weakness, need for empathy, self-
medication and addiction, importance of sleep and exercise,
homelessness, and reasons why veterans attempt and complete
suicide;
(B) in coordination with the inTransition program of the
Department of Defense, counsels members of the cohort who
have been diagnosed with physical, psychological, or
neurological issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder,
traumatic brain injury, adverse childhood experiences,
depression, and bipolar disorder, on--
(i) the potential risks for such members from such issues
after discharge or release; and
(ii) the resources and treatment options afforded to
members for such issues through the Department of Veterans
Affairs, the Department of Defense, and non-profit
organizations;
(C) counsels the cohort about the resources afforded to
victims of military sexual trauma through the Department of
Veterans Affairs; and
(D) counsels the cohort about the manner in which members
might experience grief during the transition from military to
civilian life, and the resources afforded to them for
grieving through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(2) In coordination with the Solid Start program of the
Department of Veterans Affairs, the provision to each cohort
member 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.
(3) The submittal by cohort members 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.
(c) Services.--The services described in this subsection in
connection with the Transition Assistance Program for each
member of the Armed Forces participating in the pilot program
are the following:
(1) Not later than 90 days after the discharge or release
of the member from the Armed Forces, a contact of the member
by a social worker or behavioral health coordinator from the
Department of Veterans Affairs to schedule a follow-up
appointment with a social worker or behavioral health
provider at the facility applicable to the member under
subsection (b)(2) to occur not later than 90 days after such
contact.
(2) During the appointment scheduled pursuant to paragraph
(1)--
(A) an assessment of the member to determine the
experiences of the member with events during service in the
Armed Forces that could lead, whether individually or
cumulatively, to physical, psychological, or neurological
issues, including issues described in subsection (b)(1)(B);
and
(B) the development of a medical treatment plan for the
member, including treatment for issues identified pursuant to
the assessment under subparagraph (A).
(d) Locations.--
(1) In general.--The pilot program shall be carried out at
not fewer than 10 Transition Assistance Centers 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) Members served.--The centers selected under paragraph
(1) shall, to the extent practicable, be centers 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
[[Page S7130]]
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 120
days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(f) Duration.--
(1) In general.--The duration of the pilot program shall be
five years.
(2) Continuation.--If the Secretary of Defense and the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs recommend in the report under
subsection (g) that the pilot program be extended beyond the
date otherwise provided by paragraph (1), the Secretaries may
jointly continue the pilot program for such period beyond
such date as the Secretaries jointly consider appropriate.
(g) Reports.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter
during the duration of the pilot program, the Secretary of
Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly
submit to Congress a report on the activities under the pilot
program.
(2) Elements.--Each report required by paragraph (1) shall
include the following:
(A) A description of the members of the Armed Forces who
participated in the pilot program during the 180-day period
ending on the date of such report, disaggregated by the
following:
(i) Sex.
(ii) Branch of the Armed Forces in which served.
(iii) Diagnosis of, or other symptoms consistent with,
military sexual trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder,
traumatic brain injury, depression, or bipolar disorder in
connection with service in the Armed Forces.
(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 veterans and family
members of veterans.
(D) An assessment of whether the activities under the pilot
program as of the date of such report have reduced the
incidence of suicide among 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 expansion of the pilot program,
extension of the pilot program, or both.
(h) Transition Assistance Program Defined.--In this
section, the term ``Transition Assistance Program'' means the
program of assistance and other transitional services carried
out pursuant to section 1144 of title 10, United States Code.
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