II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 711 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand eligibility for mental 

health services from the Department of Veterans Affairs to include members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 7, 2019 

Mr. TESTER (for himself, Mr. MORAN, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. SULLIVAN, Ms. 

HASSAN, Mr. CASSIDY, Mr. MANCHIN, Mr. TILLIS, and Mr. SANDERS) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand eligibility 

for mental health services from the Department of Veterans Affairs to include members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces, 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 ‘‘Care and Readiness 

5 Enhancement for Reservists Act of 2019’’ or the ‘‘CARE 

6 for Reservists Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR READJUSTMENT 

2 COUNSELING AND RELATED OUTPATIENT 

3 SERVICES FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF VET4 ERANS AFFAIRS TO INCLUDE MEMBERS OF 

5 THE RESERVE COMPONENTS OF THE ARMED 

6 FORCES. 

7 (a) READJUSTMENT COUNSELING.—Subsection 

8 (a)(1) of section 1712A of title 38, United States Code, 

9 is amended by adding at the end the following new sub10 paragraph: 

11 ‘‘(D)(i) The Secretary, in consultation with the Sec12 retary of Defense, may furnish to any member of the re13 serve components of the Armed Forces who has a behav14 ioral health condition or psychological trauma, counseling 

15 under subparagraph (A)(i), which may include a com16 prehensive individual assessment under subparagraph 

17 (B)(i). 

18 ‘‘(ii) A member of the reserve components of the 

19 Armed Forces described in clause (i) shall not be required 

20 to obtain a referral before being furnished counseling or 

21 an assessment under this subparagraph.’’. 

22 (b) OUTPATIENT SERVICES.—Subsection (b) of such 

23 section is amended— 

24 (1) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (A) by inserting ‘‘to an individual’’ after 

2 ‘‘If, on the basis of the assessment furnished’’; 

3 and 

4 (B) by striking ‘‘veteran’’ each place it ap5 pears and inserting ‘‘individual’’; and 

6 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘veteran’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘individual’’. 

8 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

9 this section shall take effect on the date that is one year 

10 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

11 SEC. 3. PROVISION OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FROM 

12 THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

13 TO MEMBERS OF THE RESERVE COMPO14 NENTS OF THE ARMED FORCES. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter VIII of chapter 17 of 

16 title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

17 end the following new section: 

18 ‘‘§ 1789. Mental health services for members of the re19 serve components of the Armed Forces 

20 ‘‘The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of 

21 Defense, may furnish mental health services to members 

22 of the reserve components of the Armed Forces.’’. 

23 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

24 at the beginning of chapter 17 of such title is amended 


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1 by inserting after the item relating to section 1788 the 

2 following new item: 

‘‘1789. Mental health services for members of the reserve components of the 

Armed Forces.’’. 

3 SEC. 4. INCLUSION OF MEMBERS OF RESERVE COMPO4 NENTS IN MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS OF 

5 THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

6 (a) SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1720F of title 38, 

8 United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

9 end the following new subsection: 

10 ‘‘(l)(1) COVERED INDIVIDUAL DEFINED.—In this 

11 section, the term ‘covered individual’ means a veteran or 

12 a member of the reserve components of the Armed Forces. 

13 ‘‘(2) In determining coverage of members of the re14 serve components of the Armed Forces under the com15 prehensive program, the Secretary shall consult with the 

16 Secretary of Defense.’’. 

17 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Such section 

18 is further amended— 

19 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘vet20 erans’’ and inserting ‘‘covered individuals’’; 

21 (B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘vet22 erans’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘cov23 ered individuals’’; 

24 (C) in subsection (c)— 


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1 (i) in the subsection heading, by strik2 ing ‘‘OF VETERANS’’; 

3 (ii) by striking ‘‘veterans’’ each place 

4 it appears and inserting ‘‘covered individ5 uals’’; and 

6 (iii) by striking ‘‘veteran’’ and insert7 ing ‘‘individual’’; 

8 (D) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘to vet9 erans’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘to 

10 covered individuals’’; 

11 (E) in subsection (e), in the matter pre12 ceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘veterans’’ 

13 and inserting ‘‘covered individuals’’; 

14 (F) in subsection (f)— 

15 (i) in the first sentence, by striking 

16 ‘‘veterans’’ and inserting ‘‘covered individ17 uals’’; and 

18 (ii) in the second sentence, by insert19 ing ‘‘or members’’ after ‘‘veterans’’; 

20 (G) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘vet21 erans’’ and inserting ‘‘covered individuals’’; 

22 (H) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘vet23 erans’’ and inserting ‘‘covered individuals’’; 

24 (I) in subsection (i)— 


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1 (i) in the subsection heading, by strik2 ing ‘‘FOR VETERANS AND FAMILIES’’; 

3 (ii) in the matter preceding paragraph 

4 (1), by striking ‘‘veterans and the families 

5 of veterans’’ and inserting ‘‘covered indi6 viduals and the families of covered individ7 uals’’; 

8 (iii) in paragraph (2), by striking 

9 ‘‘veterans’’ and inserting ‘‘covered individ10 uals’’; and 

11 (iv) in paragraph (4), by striking 

12 ‘‘veterans’’ each place it appears and in13 serting ‘‘covered individuals’’; 

14 (J) in subsection (j)— 

15 (i) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘vet16 erans’’ each place it appears and inserting 

17 ‘‘covered individuals’’; and 

18 (ii) in paragraph (4)— 

19 (I) in subparagraph (A), in the 

20 matter preceding clause (i), by strik21 ing ‘‘women veterans’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘covered individuals who are women’’; 

23 (II) in subparagraph (B), by 

24 striking ‘‘women veterans who’’ and 


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1 inserting ‘‘covered individuals who are 

2 women and’’; and 

3 (III) in subparagraph (C), by 

4 striking ‘‘women veterans’’ and insert5 ing ‘‘covered individuals who are 

6 women’’; and 

7 (K) in subsection (k), by striking ‘‘vet8 erans’’ and inserting ‘‘covered individuals’’. 

9 (3) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—Such section is further 

11 amended, in the section heading, by inserting 

12 ‘‘AND MEMBERS OF THE RESERVE COMPO13 NENTS OF THE ARMED FORCES’’ after 

14 ‘‘VETERANS’’. 

15 (B) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of 

16 sections at the beginning of chapter 17 of such 

17 title is amended by striking the item relating to 

18 section 1720F and inserting the following new 

19 item: 

‘‘1720F. Comprehensive program for suicide prevention among veterans and 

members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces.’’. 

20 (b) MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT FOR INDIVIDUALS

21 WHO SERVED IN CLASSIFIED MISSIONS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1720H of such title 

23 is amended— 

24 (A) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (i) in paragraph (1)— 

2 (I) by striking ‘‘eligible veteran’’ 

3 and inserting ‘‘eligible individual’’; 

4 and 

5 (II) by striking ‘‘the veteran’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘the individual’’; and 

7 (ii) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘eli8 gible veterans’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible indi9 viduals’’; 

10 (B) in subsection (b)— 

11 (i) by striking ‘‘a veteran’’ and insert12 ing ‘‘an individual’’; and 

13 (ii) by striking ‘‘eligible veteran’’ and 

14 inserting ‘‘eligible individual’’; and 

15 (C) in subsection (c)— 

16 (i) in paragraph (2), in the matter 

17 preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 

18 ‘‘The term ‘eligible veteran’ means a vet19 eran’’ and inserting ‘‘The term ‘eligible in20 dividual’ means a veteran or a member of 

21 the reserve components of the Armed 

22 Forces’’; and 

23 (ii) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘eli24 gible veteran’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible indi25 vidual’’. 


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1 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—Such section is further 

3 amended, in the section heading, by inserting 

4 ‘‘AND MEMBERS OF THE RESERVE COMPO5 NENTS OF THE ARMED FORCES’’ after 

6 ‘‘VETERANS’’. 

7 (B) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of 

8 sections at the beginning of chapter 17 of such 

9 title is amended by striking the item relating to 

10 section 1720H and inserting the following new 

11 item: 

‘‘1720H. Mental health treatment for veterans and members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces who served in classified missions.’’. 

12 SEC. 5. REPORT ON MENTAL HEALTH AND RELATED SERV13 ICES PROVIDED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF 

14 VETERANS AFFAIRS TO MEMBERS OF THE 

15 ARMED FORCES. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 

17 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet18 erans Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ 

19 Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the Sen20 ate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Com21 mittee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives 

22 a report that includes an assessment of the following: 

23 (1) The increase, as compared to the day before 

24 the date of the enactment of this Act, of the number 


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1 of members of the Armed Forces that use readjust2 ment counseling or outpatient mental health care 

3 from the Department of Veterans Affairs, 

4 disaggregated by State, Vet Center location, and 

5 clinical care site of the Department, as appropriate. 

6 (2) The number of members of the reserve com7 ponents of the Armed Forces receiving telemental 

8 health care from the Department. 

9 (3) The increase, as compared to the day before 

10 the date of the enactment of this Act, of the annual 

11 cost associated with readjustment counseling and 

12 outpatient mental health care provided by the De13 partment to members of the reserve components of 

14 the Armed Forces. 

15 (4) The changes, as compared to the day before 

16 the date of the enactment of this Act, in staffing, 

17 training, organization, and resources required for 

18 the Department to offer readjustment counseling 

19 and outpatient mental health care to members of the 

20 reserve components of the Armed Forces. 

21 (5) Any challenges the Department has encoun22 tered in providing readjustment counseling and out23 patient mental health care to members of the reserve 

24 components of the Armed Forces. 


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1 (b) VET CENTER DEFINED.—In this section, the 

2 term ‘‘Vet Center’’ has the meaning given that term in 

3 section 1712A(h) of title 38, United States Code. 

Æ 


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