[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2870]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 764. Mr. BROWN (for himself and Ms. Ernst) submitted an amendment
intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 2226, to authorize
appropriations for fiscal year 2024 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 C of title VII, add the following:
SEC. 727. 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; and
(IX) risk factors contributing to attempts of suicide and
deaths by suicide;
(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
three 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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