[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.
                                 ______