I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1463 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the mental health assessments provided to members of the Armed Forces deployed in support 

of a contingency operation. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 10, 2013 

Mr. CARSON of Indiana (for himself, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, 

Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. GRIJALVA, 

Mr. TAKANO, and Mr. ENYART) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the 

mental health assessments provided to members of the 

Armed Forces deployed in support of a contingency operation. 

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 ‘‘Military Suicide Re5 duction Act’’. 

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1 SEC. 2. MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS FOR MEMBERS OF 

2 THE ARMED FORCES DEPLOYED IN SUPPORT 

3 OF A CONTINGENCY OPERATION. 

4 (a) INCREASED ASSESSMENTS.—Subsection (a) of 

5 section 1074m of title 10, United States Code, is amend6 ed— 

7 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

8 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) 

9 and (C) as subparagraphs (C) and (D), respec10 tively; and 

11 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 

12 the following new subparagraph (B): 

13 ‘‘(B) Once during each 180-day period in which 

14 the member is so deployed.’’; and 

15 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘subpara16 graph (B) and (C)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraphs 

17 (C) and (D)’’. 

18 (b) DEPLOYMENT ASSESSMENTS BY MEDICAL PRO19 FESSIONALS.—Subsection (c) of such section is amend20 ed— 

21 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘The mental 

22 health’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided by para23 graph (3), the mental health’’; and 

24 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

25 paragraph: 

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1 ‘‘(3)(A) If the Secretary determines that a mental 

2 health assessment conducted under subsection (a)(1)(B) 

3 cannot be performed by an individual described in clause 

4 (i) or (ii) of paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall ensure 

5 that the mental health assessment is conducted using an 

6 Internet-based questionnaire. 

7 ‘‘(B) After a member completes a questionnaire con8 ducted under subparagraph (A), the immediate com9 manding officer of the member shall complete a separate 

10 Internet-based questionnaire regarding the observations of 

11 the commanding officer with respect to the mental health 

12 of the member. The commanding officer may not have ac13 cess to the questionnaire of the member conducted under 

14 subparagraph (A). 

15 ‘‘(C) The Secretary shall ensure that the question16 naires conducted under subparagraphs (A) and (B) to as17 sess a member are combined and such combined document 

18 is reviewed and acted upon by personnel described in para19 graph (1)(A) in the same manner as an assessment con20 ducted pursuant to subparagraph (A), (C), or (D) of sub21 section (a)(1). 

22 ‘‘(D) Nothing in this paragraph may be construed to 

23 treat a questionnaire conducted under subparagraph (A) 

24 or subparagraph (B) as being exempt from Department 

25 of Defense Directive 6025.18, a successor directive, or any 

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1 other relevant regulation regarding privacy prescribed pur2 suant to the Health Insurance Portability and Account3 ability Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–191).’’. 

4 (c) UNIFORM STANDARDS ASSESSMENTS.—Such sec5 tion is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (c)(1)(D), by striking ‘‘con7 sistent’’ and inserting ‘‘uniform’’; and 

8 (2) in subsection (f)(1), by adding at the end 

9 the following new sentence: ‘‘Such regulations shall 

10 ensure that this section is carried out in a uniform 

11 manner among the military departments.’’. 

12 (d) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Subsection (d) of 

13 such section is amended by striking ‘‘subsection 

14 (a)(1)(C)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (a)(1)(D)’’. 

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