[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S3481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 6367. Mr. RICKETTS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2027 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 appropriate place in title VII, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 7__. IMPROVEMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING CONDUCTED 
                   UNDER SEPARATION HEALTH ASSESSMENTS FOR MEMBERS 
                   OF THE ARMED FORCES.

       (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) in order to address the mental health challenges 
     following separation of members of the Armed Forces from 
     military service, transitioning members must receive 
     effective mental health screening prior to separation;
       (2) all screens conducted for mental health for members of 
     the Armed Forces under the separation health assessment must 
     be validated screens;
       (3) it is essential that the Department of Defense fully 
     implement the separation health assessment with validated 
     screening; and
       (4) screening for substance use should be considered a 
     necessary mental health screen and included in the separation 
     health assessment.
       (b) Validated Mental Health Screens.--The Joint Executive 
     Committee shall ensure the post-traumatic stress disorder 
     (PTSD) mental health screen, the alcohol use mental health 
     screen, and the violence risk mental health screen under the 
     separation health assessment are each modified to be a 
     validated tool, which may include taking steps to validate an 
     existing screen or replacing an existing screen with an 
     already validated screen.
       (c) Inclusion of Substance Use in Mental Health Screens.--
       (1) In general.--The Joint Executive Committee shall 
     incorporate screening for substance use as a mental health 
     screen and shall assess whether to include such screening in 
     the separation health assessment, including by taking such 
     action as the Joint Executive Committee considers 
     appropriate, which may include taking steps to incorporate a 
     validated screen.
       (2) Report.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Joint Executive Committee shall 
     submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
     on the justification of the Joint Executive Committee to 
     include or not include a substance use screen under paragraph 
     (1).
       (d) Implementation of Separation Health Assessment.--Not 
     later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this 
     Act, the Secretary of Defense, under the guidance of the 
     Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, shall 
     fully implement the separation health assessment.
       (e) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
     ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
       (B) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.
       (2) Joint executive committee.--The term ``Joint Executive 
     Committee'' means the Department of Veterans Affairs-
     Department of Defense Joint Executive Committee established 
     under section 320 of title 38, United States Code.
       (3) Separation health assessment.--The term ``separation 
     health assessment'' means the health assessment for members 
     of the Armed Forces separating from military service 
     established by the Joint Executive Committee.
                                 ______