116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8247 

AN ACT 

To make certain improvements relating to the transition 

of individuals to services from the Department of Veterans Affairs, suicide prevention for veterans, and care 

and services for women 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, 
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and 

4 Treatment Act of 2020’’ or the ‘‘Veterans COMPACT Act 

5 of 2020’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—IMPROVEMENT OF TRANSITION OF INDIVIDUALS TO 

SERVICES FROM DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

Sec. 101. Pilot program on information sharing between Department of Veterans Affairs and designated relatives and friends of veterans 

regarding assistance and benefits available to the veterans. 

Sec. 102. Annual report on Solid Start program of Department of Veterans Affairs. 

TITLE II—SUICIDE PREVENTION 

Sec. 201. Department of Veterans Affairs provision of emergent suicide care. 

Sec. 202. Education program for family members and caregivers of veterans 

with mental health disorders. 

Sec. 203. Interagency Task Force on Outdoor Recreation for Veterans. 

Sec. 204. Contact of certain veterans to encourage receipt of comprehensive 

medical examinations. 

Sec. 205. Police crisis intervention training of Department of Veterans Affairs. 

TITLE III—IMPROVEMENT OF CARE AND SERVICES FOR WOMEN 

VETERANS 

Sec. 301. Gap analysis of Department of Veterans Affairs programs that provide assistance to women veterans who are homeless. 

Sec. 302. Report on locations where women veterans are using health care from 

Department of Veterans Affairs. 
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1 TITLE I—IMPROVEMENT OF 

2 TRANSITION OF INDIVIDUALS 

3 TO SERVICES FROM DEPART4 MENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

5 SEC. 101. PILOT PROGRAM ON INFORMATION SHARING BE6 TWEEN DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

7 AND DESIGNATED RELATIVES AND FRIENDS 

8 OF VETERANS REGARDING ASSISTANCE AND 

9 BENEFITS AVAILABLE TO THE VETERANS. 

10 (a) PILOT PROGRAM REQUIRED.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 

12 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec13 retary of Veterans Affairs shall commence carrying 

14 out a pilot program— 

15 (A) to encourage members of the Armed 

16 Forces who are transitioning from service in the 

17 Armed Forces to civilian life, before separating 

18 from such service, to designate up to 10 per19 sons to whom information regarding the assist20 ance and benefits available to the veterans 

21 under laws administered by the Secretary shall 

22 be disseminated using the contact information 

23 obtained under paragraph (7); and 

24 (B) provides such persons, within 30 days 

25 after the date on which such persons are des-
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1 ignated under subparagraph (A), the option to 

2 elect to receive such information. 

3 (2) DURATION.—The Secretary shall carry out 

4 the pilot program during a period beginning on the 

5 date of the commencement of the pilot program that 

6 is not less than two years. 

7 (3) DISSEMINATION.—The Secretary shall dis8 seminate information described in paragraph (1)(A) 

9 under the pilot program no less than quarterly. 

10 (4) TYPES OF INFORMATION.—The types of in11 formation to be disseminated under the pilot pro12 gram to persons who elect to receive such informa13 tion shall include information regarding the fol14 lowing: 

15 (A) Services and benefits offered to vet16 erans and their family members by the Depart17 ment of Veterans Affairs. 

18 (B) Challenges and stresses that might ac19 company transitioning from service in the 

20 Armed Forces to civilian life. 

21 (C) Services available to veterans and their 

22 family members to cope with the experiences 

23 and challenges of service in the Armed Forces 

24 and transition from such service to civilian life. 
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1 (D) Services available through community 

2 partner organizations to support veterans and 

3 their family members. 

4 (E) Services available through Federal, 

5 State, and local government agencies to support 

6 veterans and their family members. 

7 (F) The environmental health registry pro8 gram, health and wellness programs, and re9 sources for preventing and managing diseases 

10 and illnesses. 

11 (G) A toll-free telephone number through 

12 which such persons who elect to receive infor13 mation under the pilot program may request in14 formation regarding the program. 

15 (H) Such other matters as the Secretary, 

16 in consultation with members of the Armed 

17 Forces and such persons who elect to receive in18 formation under the pilot program, determines 

19 to be appropriate. 

20 (5) PRIVACY OF INFORMATION.—In carrying 

21 out the pilot program, the Secretary may not dis22 seminate information under paragraph (4) in viola23 tion of laws and regulations pertaining to the pri24 vacy of members of the Armed Forces, including re25 quirements pursuant to— 
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1 (A) section 552a of title 5, United States 

2 Code; and 

3 (B) the Health Insurance Portability and 

4 Accountability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104– 

5 191). 

6 (6) NOTICE AND MODIFICATIONS.—In carrying 

7 out the pilot program, the Secretary shall, with re8 spect to a veteran— 

9 (A) ensure that such veteran is notified of 

10 the ability to modify designations made by such 

11 veteran under paragraph (1)(A); and 

12 (B) upon the request of a veteran, author13 ize such veteran to modify such designations at 

14 any time. 

15 (7) CONTACT INFORMATION.—In making a des16 ignation under the pilot program, a veteran shall 

17 provide necessary contact information, specifically 

18 including an email address, to facilitate the dissemi19 nation of information regarding the assistance and 

20 benefits available to the veteran under laws adminis21 tered by the Secretary. 

22 (8) OPT-IN AND OPT-OUT OF PILOT PRO23 GRAM.— 

24 (A) OPT-IN BY MEMBERS.—A veteran may 

25 participate in the pilot program only if the vet-
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1 eran voluntarily elects to participate in the pro2 gram. A veteran seeking to make such an elec3 tion shall make such election in a manner, and 

4 by including such information, as the Secretary 

5 shall specify for purposes of the pilot program. 

6 (B) OPT-IN BY DESIGNATED RECIPI7 ENTS.—A person designated pursuant to para8 graph (1)(A) may receive information under the 

9 pilot program only if the person makes the elec10 tion described in paragraph (1)(B). 

11 (C) OPT-OUT.—In carrying out the pilot 

12 program, the Secretary shall, with respect to a 

13 person who has elected to receive information 

14 under such pilot program, cease disseminating 

15 such information to that person upon request of 

16 such person. 

17 (b) SURVEY AND REPORT ON PILOT PROGRAM.— 

18 (1) SURVEY.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 

20 after the date of the commencement of the pilot 

21 program and not less frequently than once each 

22 year thereafter for the duration of the pilot pro23 gram, the Secretary shall administer a survey 

24 to persons who ever elected to receive informa25 tion under the pilot program for the purpose of 
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1 receiving feedback regarding the quality of in2 formation disseminated under this section. 

3 (B) ELEMENTS.—Each survey conducted 

4 under subparagraph (A) shall include solicita5 tion of the following: 

6 (i) Feedback on the following: 

7 (I) The nature of information 

8 disseminated under the pilot program. 

9 (II) Satisfaction with the pilot 

10 program. 

11 (III) The utility of the pilot pro12 gram. 

13 (IV) Overall pilot program suc14 cesses and challenges. 

15 (ii) Recommendations for improving 

16 the pilot program. 

17 (iii) Reasons for opting in or out of 

18 the pilot program. 

19 (iv) Such other feedback or matters as 

20 the Secretary considers appropriate. 

21 (2) REPORT.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than three 

23 years after the date on which the pilot program 

24 commences, the Secretary shall submit to the 

25 Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 
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1 of Representatives and the Senate a final report 

2 on the pilot program. 

3 (B) CONTENTS.—The report submitted 

4 under subparagraph (A) shall include the fol5 lowing: 

6 (i) The results of the survey adminis7 tered under paragraph (1). 

8 (ii) The number of participants en9 rolled in the pilot program who are vet10 erans. 

11 (iii) The number of persons des12 ignated under subsection (a)(1)(A). 

13 (iv) The number of such persons who 

14 opted in or out of the pilot program under 

15 subsection (a)(8). 

16 (v) The average period such persons 

17 remained in the pilot program. 

18 (vi) An assessment of the feasibility 

19 and advisability of making the pilot pro20 gram permanent. 

21 (vii) Identification of legislative or ad22 ministrative action that may be necessary 

23 if the pilot program is made permanent. 
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1 (viii) A plan to expand the pilot pro2 gram if the pilot program is made perma3 nent. 

4 (ix) If the Secretary finds under 

5 clause (vi) that making the pilot program 

6 permanent is not feasible or advisable, a 

7 justification for such finding. 

8 SEC. 102. ANNUAL REPORT ON SOLID START PROGRAM OF 

9 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

10 (a) REPORTS REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days 

11 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually 

12 thereafter for a period of five years, the Secretary of Vet13 erans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ 

14 Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a re15 port on the Solid Start program of the Department of Vet16 erans Affairs. 

17 (b) ELEMENTS.—Each report under subsection (a) 

18 shall include the following: 

19 (1) With respect to each veteran called or 

20 emailed under the Solid Start program: 

21 (A) The Armed Force in which the veteran 

22 served. 

23 (B) Age. 

24 (C) Gender. 
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1 (D) Whether the veteran responded to the 

2 call or email. 

3 (E) Whether the call or email resulted in 

4 a call to the Veterans Crisis Line established 

5 pursuant to section 1720F(h) of title 38, 

6 United States Code. 

7 (F) Whether the call or email resulted in 

8 a referral to— 

9 (i) compensation and pension deter10 mination; 

11 (ii) enrollment in the patient enroll12 ment system of the Department; or 

13 (iii) any other program or benefit 

14 under the laws administered by the Sec15 retary. 

16 (2) Any change to the Solid Start program im17 plemented by the Secretary since the date of the pre18 vious such report. 

19 (c) PROHIBITION ON PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE IN20 FORMATION.—No report under subsection (a) may contain 

21 any personally identifiable information regarding a vet22 eran. 
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1 TITLE II—SUICIDE PREVENTION 

2 SEC. 201. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS PROVISION 

3 OF EMERGENT SUICIDE CARE. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 17 of 

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

6 end the following new section: 

7 ‘‘§ 1720J. Emergent suicide care 

8 ‘‘(a) EMERGENT SUICIDE CARE.—Pursuant to this 

9 section, the Secretary shall— 

10 ‘‘(1) furnish emergent suicide care to an eligible 

11 individual at a medical facility of the Department; 

12 ‘‘(2) pay for emergent suicide care provided to 

13 an eligible individual at a non-Department facility; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(3) reimburse an eligible individual for emer16 gent suicide care provided to the eligible individual 

17 at a non-Department facility. 

18 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—An individual is eligible for emer19 gent suicide care under subsection (a) if the individual is 

20 in an acute suicidal crisis and is either of the following: 

21 ‘‘(1) A veteran (as defined in section 101). 

22 ‘‘(2) An individual described in section 1720I(b) 

23 of this title. 
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1 ‘‘(c) PERIOD OF CARE.—(1) Emergent suicide care 

2 provided under subsection (a) shall be furnished to an eli3 gible individual— 

4 ‘‘(A) through inpatient or crisis residential care, 

5 for a period not to exceed 30 days; or 

6 ‘‘(B) if care under subparagraph (A) is unavail7 able, or if such care is not clinically appropriate, as 

8 outpatient care for a period not to exceed 90 days. 

9 ‘‘(2) If, upon the expiration of a period under para10 graph (1), the Secretary determines that the eligible indi11 vidual remains in an acute suicidal crisis, the Secretary 

12 may extend such period as the Secretary determines ap13 propriate. 

14 ‘‘(d) NOTIFICATION.—An eligible individual who re15 ceives emergent suicide care under subsection (a) at a non16 Department facility (or a person acting on behalf of the 

17 individual) shall notify the Secretary of such care within 

18 seven days of admission to such facility. 

19 ‘‘(e) OUTREACH.—During any period when an eligi20 ble individual is receiving emergent suicide care under sub21 section (a), the Secretary shall— 

22 ‘‘(1) ensure that— 

23 ‘‘(A) in the case of an eligible individual 

24 whom the Veterans Crisis Line recommends to 

25 seek emergent suicide care at a medical facility 
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1 of the Department, the Veterans Crisis Line no2 tifies the Suicide Prevention Coordinator of 

3 such medical facility; 

4 ‘‘(B) in the case of an eligible individual 

5 who presents at a medical facility of the De6 partment in an acute suicidal crisis without a 

7 recommendation by the Veterans Crisis Line, 

8 the Secretary notifies the Suicide Prevention 

9 Coordinator; 

10 ‘‘(C) in the case of an eligible individual 

11 whom the Veterans Crisis Line recommends to 

12 seek treatment at a non-Department facility, 

13 the Veterans Crisis Line notifies the Suicide 

14 Prevention Coordinator and the Office of Com15 munity Care at the medical facility of the De16 partment located nearest to the eligible indi17 vidual; and 

18 ‘‘(D) in the case of an eligible individual 

19 who presents at a non-Department facility in an 

20 acute suicidal crisis without a recommendation 

21 by the Veterans Crisis Line and for whom the 

22 Secretary receives a notification under sub23 section (d), the Secretary notifies the Suicide 

24 Prevention Coordinator and the Office of Com25 munity Care at the medical facility of the De-
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1 partment located nearest to the eligible indi2 vidual; 

3 ‘‘(2) determine the eligibility of the eligible indi4 vidual for other programs and benefits under the 

5 laws administered by the Secretary (or shall make 

6 such determination as soon as practicable following 

7 the period of such emergent suicide care); and 

8 ‘‘(3) make referrals for care following the pe9 riod of such emergent suicide care, as the Secretary 

10 determines appropriate. 

11 ‘‘(f) PROHIBITION ON CHARGE.—(1) If the Secretary 

12 provides emergent suicide care to an eligible individual 

13 under subsection (a), the Secretary— 

14 ‘‘(A) may not charge the eligible individual for 

15 any cost of such emergent suicide care; and 

16 ‘‘(B) shall pay for any costs of emergency 

17 transportation to a facility for such emergent suicide 

18 care (as such costs are determined pursuant to sec19 tion 1725 of this title, to the extent practicable). 

20 ‘‘(2)(A) In addition to the requirements of paragraph 

21 (1), if the Secretary pays for emergent suicide care pro22 vided under subsection (a) to an eligible individual at a 

23 non-Department facility, the Secretary shall reimburse the 

24 facility for the reasonable value of such emergent suicide 

25 care. 
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1 ‘‘(B)(i) In carrying out subparagraph (A), the Sec2 retary may determine the amount to reimburse a non-De3 partment facility in a similar manner to the manner in 

4 which the Secretary determines reimbursement amounts 

5 for that non-Department facility for medical care and 

6 services provided under another provision of this chapter. 

7 ‘‘(ii) The requirements of section 1725(c)(3) of this 

8 title shall apply with respect to payments made under sub9 paragraph (A) of this paragraph. 

10 ‘‘(3) In the case of an eligible individual who receives 

11 emergent suicide care under this section and who is enti12 tled to emergent suicide care (or payment for emergent 

13 suicide care) under a health-plan contract, the Secretary 

14 may recover the costs of such emergent suicide care pro15 vided under this section, other than for such care for a 

16 service-connected disability. 

17 ‘‘(4) In carrying out subsection (d), the Secretary 

18 may not charge an eligible individual for any cost of emer19 gent suicide care provided under subsection (a) solely by 

20 reason of the Secretary not having been notified of such 

21 care pursuant to such subsection. 

22 ‘‘(g) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not less than once each 

23 year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Vet24 erans’ Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representa25 tives a report on emergent suicide care provided under 
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1 subsection (a). Each such report shall include, for the year 

2 covered by the report— 

3 ‘‘(1) the number of eligible individuals who re4 ceived emergent suicide care under subsection (a); 

5 ‘‘(2) demographic information regarding eligible 

6 individuals described in paragraph (1); 

7 ‘‘(3) the types of care furnished or paid for this 

8 section; and 

9 ‘‘(4) the total cost of providing care under sub10 section (a). 

11 ‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 ‘‘(1) The term ‘acute suicidal crisis’ means that 

13 an individual was determined to be at imminent risk 

14 of self-harm by a trained crisis responder or health 

15 care provider. 

16 ‘‘(2) The term ‘crisis residential care’ means 

17 crisis stabilization care provided— 

18 ‘‘(A) in a residential setting; and 

19 ‘‘(B) in a facility other than a hospital. 

20 ‘‘(3) The term ‘crisis stabilization care’ in21 cludes, with respect to an individual in acute suicidal 

22 crisis, care that ensures, to the extent practicable, 

23 immediate safety and reduces— 

24 ‘‘(A) the severity of distress; 

25 ‘‘(B) the need for urgent care; or 
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1 ‘‘(C) the likelihood that the distress under 

2 subparagraph (A) or need under subparagraph 

3 (B) will increase during the transfer of that in4 dividual from a facility at which the individual 

5 has received care for that acute suicidal crisis. 

6 ‘‘(4) The term ‘emergent suicide care’ means 

7 crisis stabilization care provided to an eligible indi8 vidual— 

9 ‘‘(A) pursuant to a recommendation of the 

10 eligible individual from the Veterans Crisis 

11 Line; or 

12 ‘‘(B) who presents at a medical facility in 

13 an acute suicidal crisis. 

14 ‘‘(5) The term ‘health-plan contract’ has the 

15 meaning given such term in section 1725 of this 

16 title. 

17 ‘‘(6) The term ‘Veterans Crisis Line’ means the 

18 hotline under section 1720F(h) of this title.’’. 

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

20 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

21 after the item relation to section 1720I the following new 

22 item: 

‘‘1720J. Emergent suicide care.’’. 

23 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The Secretary shall furnish 

24 or pay for emergent suicide care under section 1720J of 

25 title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), 
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1 beginning on the date that is 270 days after the date of 

2 the enactment of this Act. 

3 SEC. 202. EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR FAMILY MEMBERS 

4 AND CAREGIVERS OF VETERANS WITH MEN5 TAL HEALTH DISORDERS. 

6 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 270 days after 

7 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

8 Veterans Affairs shall establish an education program (in 

9 this section referred to as the ‘‘education program’’) for 

10 the education and training of caregivers and family mem11 bers of eligible veterans with mental health disorders. 

12 (b) EDUCATION PROGRAM.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Under the education pro14 gram, the Secretary shall provide a course of edu15 cation to caregivers and family members of eligible 

16 veterans on matters relating to coping with mental 

17 health disorders in veterans. 

18 (2) DURATION.—The Secretary shall carry out 

19 the education program during the four-year period 

20 beginning on the date of the commencement of the 

21 education program. 

22 (3) SCOPE.— 

23 (A) CAREGIVERS.—The Secretary, with re24 spect to the component of the education pro-
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1 gram that relates to the education and training 

2 of caregivers, shall— 

3 (i) include such component in the 

4 training provided pursuant to the program 

5 of comprehensive assistance for family 

6 caregivers of the Department of Veterans 

7 Affairs established under section 1720G(a) 

8 of title 38, United States Code; and 

9 (ii) make such component available on 

10 the Internet website of the Department 

11 that relates to caregiver training. 

12 (B) FAMILY MEMBERS.—The Secretary 

13 shall carry out the component of the education 

14 program that relates to the education and 

15 training of non-caregiver family members at fa16 cilities of the Department as follows: 

17 (i) Not less than five medical centers 

18 of the Department. 

19 (ii) Not less than five clinics of the 

20 Department. 

21 (iii) Not less than five Vet Centers (as 

22 defined in section 1712A(h) of title 38, 

23 United States Code). 

24 (C) SOLICITATION OF APPLICATIONS.—In 

25 selecting locations pursuant to subparagraph 
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1 (B), the Secretary shall solicit applications from 

2 eligible facilities of the Department that are in3 terested in carrying out the education program. 

4 (D) CONSIDERATIONS.—In selecting loca5 tions pursuant to subparagraph (B), the Sec6 retary shall consider the feasibility and advis7 ability of selecting locations in the following 

8 areas: 

9 (i) Rural areas. 

10 (ii) Areas that are not in close prox11 imity to an active duty installation. 

12 (iii) Areas in different geographic lo13 cations. 

14 (4) CONTRACTS.— 

15 (A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the 

16 education program, the Secretary shall enter 

17 into contracts with qualified entities described 

18 in subparagraph (B) to offer the course of edu19 cation described in paragraph (5) to family 

20 members and caregivers of eligible veterans and 

21 covered veterans. 

22 (B) QUALIFIED ENTITY DESCRIBED.—A 

23 qualified entity described in this subparagraph 

24 is a non-profit entity with experience in mental 
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1 health education and outreach, including work 

2 with children, teens, and young adults, that— 

3 (i) uses high quality, relevant, and 

4 age-appropriate information in educational 

5 programming, materials, and coursework, 

6 including such programming, materials, 

7 and coursework for children, teens, and 

8 young adults; and 

9 (ii) works with agencies, departments, 

10 nonprofit mental health organizations, 

11 early childhood educators, and mental 

12 health providers to develop educational 

13 programming, materials, and coursework. 

14 (C) PRIORITY.—In entering into contracts 

15 under this paragraph, the Secretary shall give 

16 priority to qualified entities that have dem17 onstrated cultural competence in serving mili18 tary and veteran populations, and, to the extent 

19 practicable, use internet technology for the de20 livery of course content in an effort to expand 

21 the availability of support services, especially in 

22 rural areas. 

23 (5) COURSE OF EDUCATION DESCRIBED.—The 

24 course of education described in this paragraph shall 

25 consist of curriculum that includes the following: 
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1 (A) General education on different mental 

2 health disorders, including information to im3 prove understanding of the experiences of indi4 viduals suffering from such disorders. 

5 (B) Techniques for handling crisis situa6 tions and administering mental health first aid 

7 to individuals suffering from a mental health 

8 disorder. 

9 (C) Techniques for coping with the stress 

10 of living with an individual suffering from a 

11 mental health disorder. 

12 (D) Information on additional services 

13 available for family members and caregivers 

14 through the Department or community organi15 zations and providers related to mental health 

16 disorders. 

17 (E) Such other matters as the Secretary 

18 considers appropriate. 

19 (c) SURVEYS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct 

21 a comprehensive survey of the satisfaction of individ22 uals that have participated in the course of edu23 cation described in subsection (b)(5). Such survey 

24 shall include a solicitation of feedback on the fol25 lowing: 
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1 (A) The general satisfaction of those indi2 viduals with the education and assistance pro3 vided under the education program. 

4 (B) The perceived effectiveness of the edu5 cation program in providing education and as6 sistance that is useful for those individuals. 

7 (C) The applicability of the education pro8 gram to the issues faced by those individuals. 

9 (D) Such other matters as the Secretary 

10 considers appropriate. 

11 (2) COMPILATION OF INFORMATION.—The in12 formation compiled as a result of the surveys con13 ducted under paragraph (1) shall be— 

14 (A) disaggregated by facility type at which 

15 the education program was carried out; and 

16 (B) included in the annual reports under 

17 subsection (d)(1). 

18 (d) REPORTS.— 

19 (1) ANNUAL REPORTS.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 

21 after the date of the commencement of the edu22 cation program and not later than September 

23 30 each year thereafter until 2024, the Sec24 retary shall submit to the Committee on Vet25 erans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee 
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1 on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Represent2 atives a report on— 

3 (i) the education program; and 

4 (ii) the feasibility and advisability of 

5 expanding the education program to in6 clude the establishment of a peer support 

7 program composed of individuals who com8 plete the education program (in this sec9 tion referred to as a ‘‘peer support pro10 gram’’). 

11 (B) ELEMENTS.—Each report submitted 

12 under subparagraph (A) shall include the fol13 lowing: 

14 (i) The number of individuals that 

15 participated in the course of education de16 scribed in subsection (b)(5) during the 

17 year preceding the submission of the re18 port. 

19 (ii) A detailed analysis of the surveys 

20 conducted under subsection (c) with re21 spect to the individuals described in clause 

22 (i). 

23 (iii) Any plans for expansion of the 

24 education program. 
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1 (iv) An analysis of the feasibility and 

2 advisability of establishing a peer support 

3 program. 

4 (v) The interim findings and conclu5 sions of the Secretary with respect to the 

6 success of the education program and the 

7 feasibility and advisability of establishing a 

8 peer support program. 

9 (2) FINAL REPORT.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 

11 after the completion of the education program, 

12 the Secretary shall submit to the Committees 

13 on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Represent14 atives and the Senate a final report on the fea15 sibility and advisability of continuing the edu16 cation program. 

17 (B) ELEMENTS.—The final report under 

18 subparagraph (A) shall include the following: 

19 (i) A detailed analysis of the surveys 

20 conducted under subsection (c). 

21 (ii) An analysis of the feasibility and 

22 advisability of continuing the education 

23 program without entering into contracts 

24 for the course of education described in 

25 subsection (b)(5). 
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1 (iii) An analysis of the feasibility and 

2 advisability of expanding the education 

3 program. 

4 (iv) An analysis of the feasibility and 

5 advisability of establishing a peer support 

6 program. 

7 (e) MONITORING OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall 

8 select mental health care providers of the Department to 

9 monitor the progress of the instruction provided under the 

10 education program. 

11 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 (1) The term ‘‘eligible veteran’’ means a vet13 eran who is enrolled in the health care system estab14 lished under section 1705(a) of title 38, United 

15 States Code. 

16 (2) The terms ‘‘caregiver’’ and ‘‘family mem17 ber’’ have the meaning given those terms in section 

18 1720G(d) of title 38, United States Code. 

19 SEC. 203. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE ON OUTDOOR RECRE20 ATION FOR VETERANS. 

21 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 18 months 

22 after the date on which the national emergency declared 

23 by the President pursuant to the National Emergencies 

24 Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) with respect to the 

25 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19) expires, the Sec-
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1 retary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a task force to 

2 be known as the ‘‘Task Force on Outdoor Recreation for 

3 Veterans’’ (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Task 

4 Force’’). 

5 (b) COMPOSITION.—The Task Force shall be com6 posed of the following members or their designees: 

7 (1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

8 (2) The Secretary of the Interior. 

9 (3) The Secretary of Health and Human Serv10 ices. 

11 (4) The Secretary of Agriculture. 

12 (5) The Secretary of Defense. 

13 (6) The Secretary of Homeland Security. 

14 (7) The Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers. 

15 (8) At least two representatives from veterans 

16 service organizations. 

17 (9) Any other member that the Secretary of 

18 Veterans Affairs determines to be appropriate. 

19 (c) CHAIRPERSONS.—The Secretary of Veterans Af20 fairs and the Secretary of the Interior shall serve as co21 chairpersons of the Task Force (in this section referred 

22 to as the ‘‘Chairpersons’’). 

23 (d) DUTIES.— 

24 (1) TASK FORCE.—The duties of the Task 

25 Force shall be— 
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1 (A) to identify opportunities to formalize 

2 coordination between the Department of Vet3 erans Affairs, public land agencies, and partner 

4 organizations regarding the use of public lands 

5 and other outdoor spaces for facilitating health 

6 and wellness for veterans; 

7 (B) to identify barriers that exist to pro8 viding veterans with opportunities to augment 

9 the delivery of services for health and wellness 

10 through the use of outdoor recreation on public 

11 lands and other outdoor spaces; and 

12 (C) to develop recommendations to better 

13 facilitate the use of public lands and other out14 door spaces for promoting wellness and facili15 tating the delivery of health care and thera16 peutic interventions for veterans. 

17 (2) CONSULTATION.—The Task Force shall 

18 carry out the duties under paragraph (1) in con19 sultation with appropriate veterans outdoor recre20 ation groups. 

21 (e) REPORTS.— 

22 (1) PRELIMINARY REPORT.—Not later than one 

23 year after the date on which the Task Force is es24 tablished, the Chairpersons shall submit to Congress 
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1 a report on the preliminary findings of the Task 

2 Force. 

3 (2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than one year 

4 after the date of the submission of the preliminary 

5 report under paragraph (1), the Chairpersons shall 

6 submit to Congress a report on the findings of the 

7 Task Force, which shall include the recommenda8 tions developed under subsection (d)(1)(C). 

9 (f) DURATION.—The Task Force shall terminate on 

10 the date that is one year after the date of the submission 

11 of the final report in subsection (e)(2). 

12 (g) NONAPPLICABILITY OF FEDERAL ADVISORY

13 COMMITTEE ACT.—The Federal Advisory Committee Act 

14 (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Task Force. 

15 (h) PUBLIC LANDS DEFINED.—In this section, the 

16 term ‘‘public lands’’ means any recreational lands under 

17 the jurisdiction of the Federal Government or a State or 

18 local government. 

19 SEC. 204. CONTACT OF CERTAIN VETERANS TO ENCOUR20 AGE RECEIPT OF COMPREHENSIVE MEDICAL 

21 EXAMINATIONS. 

22 (a) NOTICE.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

23 of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of 

24 Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs shall seek 

25 to contact each covered veteran by mail, telephone, or 
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1 email to encourage each covered veteran to receive medical 

2 examinations including the following: 

3 (1) A comprehensive physical examination. 

4 (2) A comprehensive mental health examina5 tion. 

6 (3) A comprehensive eye examination if the cov7 ered veteran has not received such an examination 

8 in the year immediately preceding the date of such 

9 examination. 

10 (4) A comprehensive audiological examination if 

11 the covered veteran has not received such an exam12 ination in the year immediately preceding the date 

13 of such examination. 

14 (b) EXAMINATIONS.— 

15 (1) VA HEALTH CARE FACILITIES.—If a cov16 ered veteran elects to receive more than one exam17 ination described in subsection (a) at a health care 

18 facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the 

19 Under Secretary of Health shall seek to furnish all 

20 such scheduled examinations on the same day. 

21 (2) COMMUNITY CARE.—Pursuant to subsection 

22 (d) or (e) of section 1703 of title 38, United States 

23 Code, a covered veteran may receive an examination 

24 described in subsection (a) from a health care pro25 vider described in subsection (c) of that section. 
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1 (c) TRANSPORTATION.— 

2 (1) BENEFICIARY TRAVEL PROGRAM.—Pursu3 ant to section 111 of title 38, United States Code, 

4 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may pay for a 

5 rural covered veteran to travel to a health care facil6 ity to receive an examination described in subsection 

7 (a). 

8 (2) SHUTTLE SERVICE.—The Under Secretary 

9 of Health shall seek to enter into agreements with 

10 non-profit organizations to provide shuttle service to 

11 rural covered veterans for examinations described in 

12 subsection (a). 

13 (d) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 18 months 

14 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

15 of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report re16 garding how many covered veterans scheduled examina17 tions described in subsection (a) after receiving a letter, 

18 telephone call, or email under that subsection. 

19 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

20 (1) The term ‘‘covered veteran’’ means a vet21 eran who— 

22 (A) is enrolled in the patient enrollment 

23 system of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

24 under section 1705 of title 38, United States 

25 Code; and 
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1 (B) has not received health care furnished 

2 or paid for by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

3 during the two years immediately preceding the 

4 date in subsection (a)(1). 

5 (2) The term ‘‘rural covered veteran’’ means a 

6 covered veteran— 

7 (A) who lives in an area served by the Of8 fice of Rural Health of the Department of Vet9 erans Affairs; and 

10 (B) whom the Under Secretary of Health 

11 determines requires assistance to travel to a 

12 health care facility to receive an examination 

13 described in subsection (a). 

14 (3) The term ‘‘veteran’’ has the meaning given 

15 that term in section 101 of title 38, United States 

16 Code. 

17 SEC. 205. POLICE CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAINING OF DE18 PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

19 (a) TRAINING.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

20 shall provide to Department police officers an annual 

21 training on the prevention of suicide among the population 

22 served by the Department police officers. 

23 (b) CURRICULUM.—In carrying out subsection (a), 

24 the Secretary shall update any similar training provided 

25 before the date of the enactment of this Act to ensure that 
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1 the curriculum for the training addresses, at a minimum, 

2 the following: 

3 (1) Effective behavioral science procedures for 

4 suicide prevention and risk mitigation. 

5 (2) Crisis intervention and de-escalation skills, 

6 including through the use of interactive training. 

7 (3) Information about mental health and sub8 stance abuse disorders. 

9 (4) Information about local law enforcement 

10 crisis intervention teams and other resources for vet11 erans experiencing mental health crises available by 

12 the Department of Veterans Affairs, other elements 

13 of the Federal Government, and the community in 

14 which the police officers serve. 

15 (c) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall ensure that 

16 the annual training provided to Department police officers 

17 at a medical facility of the Department under subsection 

18 (a) is provided in consultation with law enforcement train19 ing accreditation organizations and the mental health ex20 perts at such facility. 

21 (d) PLAN ON COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS.—The 

22 Secretary shall ensure that each police force of a facility 

23 of the Department develops a plan to enter into partner24 ships with— 
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1 (1) local community mental health organiza2 tions and experts, local community veterans organi3 zations, and local community criminal justice organi4 zations and experts; and 

5 (2) local police departments, including by facili6 tating the sharing of training resources with crisis 

7 intervention teams of the local police departments. 

8 (e) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

9 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

10 to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 

11 Representatives and the Senate a report on the annual 

12 training under subsection (a), including— 

13 (1) a description of the curriculum of such 

14 training; 

15 (2) with respect to the year preceding the date 

16 of the report— 

17 (A) the number of facilities of the Depart18 ment that conducted such training; 

19 (B) the number of Department police offi20 cers who received such training; and 

21 (C) any barriers to ensuring that each De22 partment police officer receives such training; 

23 (3) any recommendations to address the bar24 riers identified under paragraph (2)(C); and 
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1 (4) the number of facilities of the Department 

2 that have entered into partnerships pursuant to sub3 section (d). 

4 (f) DEPARTMENT POLICE OFFICER DEFINED.—In 

5 this section, the term ‘‘Department police officer’’ means 

6 an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs speci7 fied in section 902(a) of title 38, United States Code. 

8 TITLE III—IMPROVEMENT OF 

9 CARE AND SERVICES FOR 

10 WOMEN VETERANS 

11 SEC. 301. GAP ANALYSIS OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

12 AFFAIRS PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE ASSIST13 ANCE TO WOMEN VETERANS WHO ARE HOME14 LESS. 

15 (a) ANALYSIS.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

16 shall complete an analysis of programs of the Department 

17 of Veterans Affairs that provide assistance to women vet18 erans who are homeless or precariously housed to identify 

19 the areas in which such programs are failing to meet the 

20 needs of such women. 

21 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after the date 

22 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

23 to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 

24 Representatives and the Senate a report on the analysis 

25 completed under subsection (a). 
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1 SEC. 302. REPORT ON LOCATIONS WHERE WOMEN VET2 ERANS ARE USING HEALTH CARE FROM DE3 PARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

4 (a) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

5 of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 

6 Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Commit7 tees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives 

8 and the Senate a report on the use by women veterans 

9 of health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

10 (b) ELEMENTS.—Each report required by subsection 

11 (a) shall include the following information: 

12 (1) The number of women veterans who reside 

13 in each State. 

14 (2) The number of women veterans in each 

15 State who are enrolled in the patient enrollment sys16 tem of the Department under section 1705(a) of 

17 title 38, United States Code. 

18 (3) Of the women veterans who are so enrolled, 

19 the number who have received health care under the 

20 laws administered by the Secretary at least one time 

21 during the one-year period preceding the submission 

22 of the report. 

23 (4) The number of women veterans who have 

24 been seen at each medical facility of the Department 

25 during such year, disaggregated by facility. 
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1 (5) The number of appointments that women 

2 veterans have had at a medical facility of the De3 partment during such year, disaggregated by— 

4 (A) facility; and 

5 (B) appointments for— 

6 (i) primary care; 

7 (ii) specialty care; and 

8 (iii) mental health care. 

9 (6) For each appointment type specified in 

10 paragraph (5)(B), the number of appointments com11 pleted in-person and the number of appointments 

12 completed through the use of telehealth. 

13 (7) If known, an identification of the medical 

14 facility of the Department in each Veterans Inte15 grated Service Network with the largest rate of in16 crease in patient population of women veterans as 

17 measured by the increase in unique women veteran 

18 patient use. 

19 (8) If known, an identification of the medical 

20 facility of the Department in each Veterans Inte21 grated Service Network with the largest rate of de22 crease in patient population of women veterans as 
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1 measured by the decrease in unique women veterans 

2 patient use. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 23, 

2020. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 
116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8247 

AN ACT 

To make certain improvements relating to the tranerans, and for other purposes. veterans, and care and services for women vet- ment of Veterans Affairs, suicide prevention for sition of individuals to services from the Depart-