IB 

Union Calendar No. 278 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2915 

[Report No. 114–365] 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs to identify mental health care and suicide prevention programs 

and metrics that are effective in treating women veterans as part of 

the evaluation of such programs by the Secretary. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 25, 2015 

Ms. BROWNLEY of California introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

DECEMBER 3, 2015 

Additional sponsors: Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. CONYERS, Ms. FRANKEL of Florida, Mr. HONDA, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. GIBSON, Mr. JONES, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. COFFMAN, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. KILMER, Ms. GRANGER, Mr. 

MCGOVERN, Ms. LOFGREN, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. MCSALLY, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. 

ASHFORD, Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California, Mr. KING of New York, 

and Mr. CLEAVER

DECEMBER 3, 2015 

Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House 

on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June 25, 2015] 


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•HR 2915 RH

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to identify mental health care 

and suicide prevention programs and metrics that are 

effective in treating women veterans as part of the evaluation of such programs by the Secretary. 


srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 2915 RH

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 ‘‘Female Veteran Suicide 

5 Prevention Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SPECIFIC CONSIDERATION OF WOMEN VETERANS 

7 IN EVALUATION OF DEPARTMENT OF VET8 ERANS AFFAIRS MENTAL HEALTH CARE AND 

9 SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAMS. 

10 Section 1709B(a)(2) of title 38, United States Code, 

11 is amended— 

12 (1) in subparagraph (A), by inserting before the 

13 semicolon the following: ‘‘, including specific metrics 

14 applicable to women’’; 

15 (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

16 the end; 

17 (3) in subparagraph (E), by striking the period 

18 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

19 (4) by adding at the end the following new sub20 paragraph: 

21 ‘‘(F) identify the mental health care and suicide 

22 prevention programs conducted by the Secretary that 

23 are most effective for women veterans and such pro24 grams with the highest satisfaction rates among 

25 women veterans.’’. 


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•HR 2915 RH

1 SEC. 3. MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT FOR VETERANS WHO 

2 SERVED IN CLASSIFIED MISSIONS. 

3 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

4 that veterans who experience combat-related mental health 

5 wounds should have immediate, appropriate, and consistent 

6 access to comprehensive mental health care. 

7 (b) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 17 of title 

8 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

9 the following section: 

10 ‘‘§ 1720H. Mental health treatment for veterans who 

11 served in classified missions 

12 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARDS.—(1) The Sec13 retary shall establish standards and procedures to ensure 

14 that each covered veteran may access mental health care 

15 provided by the Secretary in a manner that fully accommo16 dates the obligation of the veteran to not improperly disclose 

17 classified information. 

18 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall disseminate guidance to em19 ployees of the Veterans Health Administration, including 

20 mental health professionals, on the standards and proce21 dures established under paragraph (1) and how to best en22 gage covered veterans during the course of mental health 

23 treatment with respect to classified information. 

24 ‘‘(b) IDENTIFICATION.—In carrying out this section, 

25 the Secretary shall ensure that a veteran may elect to iden26 tify as a covered veteran on an appropriate form. 


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•HR 2915 RH

1 ‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

2 ‘‘(1) The term ‘classified information’ means any 

3 information or material that has been determined by 

4 an official of the United States pursuant to law, an 

5 Executive order, or regulation to require protection 

6 against unauthorized disclosure for reasons of na7 tional security. 

8 ‘‘(2) The term ‘covered veteran’ means a veteran 

9 who— 

10 ‘‘(A) is enrolled in the health care system 

11 established under section 1705(a) of this title; 

12 ‘‘(B) is seeking mental health treatment; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(C) in the course of serving in the Armed 

15 Forces, participated in a sensitive mission or 

16 served in a sensitive unit. 

17 ‘‘(3) The term ‘sensitive mission’ means a mis18 sion of the Armed Forces that, at the time at which 

19 a covered veteran seeks treatment, is classified. 

20 ‘‘(4) The term ‘sensitive unit’ has the meaning 

21 given that term in section 130b(c)(4) of title 10.’’. 

22 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at 

23 the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding after 

24 the item relating to section 1720G the following new item: 

‘‘1720H. Mental health treatment for veterans who served in classified missions.’’. 


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•HR 2915 RH

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A bill to amend title 

38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to identify mental health care and suicide 

prevention programs and metrics that are effective in 

treating women veterans as part of the evaluation of such 

programs by the Secretary, and for other purposes.’’. 


srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS

srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 278 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2915 

[Report No. 114–365] 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct 

programs by the Secretary. women veterans as part of the evaluation of such grams and metrics that are effective in treating mental health care and suicide prevention prothe Secretary of Veterans Affairs to identify 

DECEMBER 3, 2015 

Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee 

dered to be printed of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and orVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:22 Dec 03, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6651 Sfmt 6651 E:\BILLS\H2915.RH H2915

srobinson on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS