I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6353 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a review on opioid 

overdose deaths among veterans, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 9, 2023 

Mr. MURPHY (for himself, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. DAVIS of North Carolina, and 

Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a 

review on opioid overdose deaths among veterans, 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 ‘‘Veterans Heroin Over5 dose Prevention Examination Act’’ or the ‘‘Veterans 

6 HOPE Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

8 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) New research shows that a dramatic rise in 

2 opioid overdose deaths among veterans in recent 

3 years has happened increasingly among veterans 

4 dying from heroin and synthetic opioids. 

5 (2) Furthermore, patients of the Veterans 

6 Health Administration of the Department of Vet7 erans Affairs are seven more times likely to suffer 

8 from an opioid use disorder than commercially in9 sured patients. 

10 (3) Using records of the Veterans Health Ad11 ministration linked to National Death Index data, 

12 the veterans’ rate of overdose deaths from all opioids 

13 increased by 65 percent from 2010 to 2016, a rate 

14 change that includes adjustments for demographic 

15 changes in the veteran population over time. 

16 (4) Furthermore, among all opioid overdose de17 cedents, prescription opioid receipt within three 

18 months before death declined from 54 percent in 

19 2010 to 26 percent in 2016, yet veteran overdoses 

20 resulting in death from heroin, synthetic opioids 

21 such as fentanyl, and nonprescription opioids still 

22 occurred. 

23 (5) In fact, between 2010 and 2016, the vet24 eran death rate from heroin or from taking multiple 

25 opioids almost quintupled and the death rate from 


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1 synthetic opioids such as fentanyl increased by more 

2 than five-fold. 

3 (6) Trends would suggest that, while the aggre4 gate rise in opioid overdose deaths among veterans 

5 parallel those seen in the general population, the in6 crease occurred mainly because of a rise in deaths 

7 from nonprescribed sources such as heroin, fentanyl, 

8 other powerful synthetic opioids, or multiple opioids 

9 in concurrent use. 

10 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con11 gress that further veterans overdose prevention efforts and 

12 research should extend beyond patients actively receiving 

13 opioid prescriptions. 

14 SEC. 3. REVIEW OF DEATHS OF VETERANS RELATING TO 

15 OPIOID USE. 

16 (a) REVIEW.—Not later than 18 months after the 

17 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet18 erans Affairs shall complete a review of the deaths of all 

19 covered veterans who died from opioid overdoses during 

20 the five-year period preceding the date of the enactment 

21 for this Act. 

22 (b) MATTERS INCLUDED.—The review under sub23 section (a) shall include the following: 


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1 (1) The total number of covered veterans who 

2 died from opioid overdoses during the five-year pe3 riod preceding the date of the enactment of this Act. 

4 (2) A summary of such veterans that includes 

5 the age, sex, and race, and ethnicity of each such 

6 veteran. 

7 (3) A comprehensive list of the medications pre8 scribed to, and found in the bodies of, such veterans 

9 at the time of death, specifically listing any medica10 tions that carry a black box warning, are off-label, 

11 or are psychotropic. 

12 (4) A summary of medical diagnoses by physi13 cians of the Department of Veterans Affairs that led 

14 to any prescribing of the medications referred to in 

15 paragraph (3). 

16 (5) The number of instances in which such a 

17 veteran was concurrently on multiple medications 

18 prescribed by physicians of the Department. 

19 (6) A summary of— 

20 (A) the average period that elapsed be21 tween the last prescription opioid receipt and 

22 the date of the death of such a veteran; and 

23 (B) the cause of death for each such vet24 eran. 


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1 (7) The percentage of such veterans with com2 bat experience or trauma (including military sexual 

3 trauma, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic 

4 stress). 

5 (8) Identification of medical facilities of the De6 partment with high prescription and drug abuse 

7 treatment rates for patients being treated at those 

8 facilities. 

9 (9) A description of policies of the Department 

10 governing the prescribing of medications referred to 

11 in paragraph (3). 

12 (10) A description of efforts by the Secretary to 

13 electronically track, collect, and properly dispose of 

14 prescription opioids that are either unused, past the 

15 prescription date, or not in the possession of the 

16 properly prescribed patient. 

17 (11) A description of any patterns apparent to 

18 the Secretary based on the review. 

19 (12) Recommendations for further action that 

20 would improve the safety and well-being of veterans 

21 and reduce opioid overdose rates for veterans, espe22 cially concerning research regarding such veterans 

23 who had not filed for a opioid prescription in the 

24 three months before death by overdose. 


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1 (c) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—Not later than 45 days 

2 after the completion of the review under subsection (a), 

3 the Secretary shall— 

4 (1) submit to Congress a report on the results 

5 of the review; 

6 (2) make such report publicly available; and 

7 (3) provide to the Committees on Veterans’ Af8 fairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate 

9 a briefing on such review. 

10 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 (1) The term ‘‘black box warning’’ means a 

12 warning displayed within a box in the prescribing in13 formation for drugs that have special problems, par14 ticularly ones that may lead to death or serious in15 jury. 

16 (2) The term ‘‘covered veteran’’ means any vet17 eran who received hospital care or medical services 

18 furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs 

19 during the five-year period preceding the death of 

20 the veteran. 

Æ 


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