II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 606 

To improve oversight and evaluation of the mental health and suicide prevention media outreach campaigns of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 28, 2019 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. SULLIVAN, Ms. HIRONO, 

and Mr. BROWN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To improve oversight and evaluation of the mental health 

and suicide prevention media outreach campaigns of the 

Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reach Every Veteran 

5 in Crisis Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. EVALUATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

7 AFFAIRS MENTAL HEALTH AND SUICIDE PRE8 VENTION MEDIA OUTREACH CAMPAIGNS. 

9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF TARGETS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 

2 Affairs shall establish targets to evaluate the effec3 tiveness of the mental health and suicide prevention 

4 media outreach campaigns of the Department of 

5 Veterans Affairs in raising awareness about mental 

6 health and suicide prevention. 

7 (2) USE OF METRICS.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—The targets established 

9 under paragraph (1) shall be based on metrics 

10 specific to different media types as follows: 

11 (i) Metrics relating to social media 

12 shall include the following: 

13 (I) Impressions. 

14 (II) Reach. 

15 (III) Engagement rate. 

16 (IV) Such other metrics as the 

17 Secretary considers necessary. 

18 (ii) Metrics relating to television shall 

19 include the following: 

20 (I) Nielsen ratings. 

21 (II) Such other metrics as the 

22 Secretary considers necessary. 

23 (iii) Metrics relating to email shall in24 clude the following: 

25 (I) Open rate. 


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1 (II) Response rate. 

2 (III) Click rate. 

3 (IV) Such other metrics as the 

4 Secretary considers necessary. 

5 (B) PERIODIC UPDATES.—The Secretary 

6 shall periodically update the metrics under sub7 paragraph (A) as more accurate metrics become 

8 available. 

9 (3) CONSULTATION.—In establishing the tar10 gets under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall con11 sult with the following: 

12 (A) Relevant stakeholders as determined 

13 by the Secretary. 

14 (B) Mental health and suicide prevention 

15 experts. 

16 (C) Such other persons as the Secretary 

17 considers appropriate. 

18 (b) REPORTS ON OUTREACH TARGETS AND

19 METRICS.— 

20 (1) REPORT ON TARGETS AND METRICS.—Not 

21 later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 

22 of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Com23 mittee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the 

24 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 

25 Representatives a report detailing the targets estabVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:31 Mar 07, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S606.IS S606

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1 lished under subsection (a)(1) to evaluate the effec2 tiveness of the mental health and suicide prevention 

3 media outreach campaigns of the Department in 

4 raising awareness about mental health and suicide 

5 prevention, including the metrics on which such tar6 gets are based under subsection (a)(2). 

7 (2) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than one year 

8 after the submittal of the report under paragraph 

9 (1), and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall sub10 mit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the 

11 Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of 

12 the House of Representatives a report detailing— 

13 (A) the progress of the Department in 

14 meeting the targets established under sub15 section (a)(1); and 

16 (B) a description of any action to be taken 

17 by the Department to modify mental health and 

18 suicide prevention media outreach campaigns if 

19 those targets are not being met. 

20 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF OVERSIGHT PROCESS FOR DE21 PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MENTAL 

22 HEALTH AND SUICIDE PREVENTION MEDIA 

23 OUTREACH CAMPAIGNS. 

24 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF OVERSIGHT PROCESS.—Not 

25 later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this 


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1 Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a 

2 process to oversee the mental health and suicide preven3 tion media outreach campaigns of the Department of Vet4 erans Affairs. 

5 (b) COMPONENTS OF OVERSIGHT PROCESS.—The 

6 process established under subsection (a) shall include a de7 lineation of the roles and responsibilities of officials in 

8 leadership and contract oversight positions within the Of9 fice of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of the Vet10 erans Health Administration, including during periods of 

11 staff turnover or program changes. 

12 SEC. 4. REPORT ON EXPENDITURES AND OBLIGATIONS OF 

13 FUNDS OF THE OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH 

14 AND SUICIDE PREVENTION. 

15 (a) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days 

16 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and semiannu17 ally thereafter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall sub18 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 

19 detailing the expenditures of and obligations of funds by 

20 the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of the 

21 Veterans Health Administration during the period covered 

22 by the report. 

23 (b) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.— 

24 In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com25 mittees’’ means— 


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1 (1) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the 

2 Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and 

3 (2) the Committee on Veterans Affairs and the 

4 Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep5 resentatives. 

6 SEC. 5. CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS. 

7 The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that 

8 each contract into which the Secretary enters to develop 

9 mental health and suicide prevention outreach media in10 cludes a requirement that the contractor— 

11 (1) track metrics used by the Secretary under 

12 section 2(a)(2); and 

13 (2) not less frequently than quarterly, report 

14 such metrics to the Office of Mental Health and Sui15 cide Prevention of the Veterans Health Administra16 tion. 

Æ 


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