IB 

Union Calendar No. 292 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6411 

[Report No. 117–382] 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in 

the mental health care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 18, 2022 

Mr. TAKANO (for himself and Mr. BOST) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

JUNE 22, 2022 

Additional sponsors: Mr. GALLEGO, Ms. SLOTKIN, Ms. UNDERWOOD, Mr. 

MRVAN, Mr. SABLAN, Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. SWALWELL, 

Mr. PAPPAS, Ms. TITUS, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. MOULTON, 

Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. TRONE, Ms. STANSBURY, Mr. ALLRED, Mr. LEVIN of 

California, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. LAMB, Mr. MALINOWSKI, Ms. DELBENE, 

Mr. KILMER, Ms. MANNING, Mr. COSTA, Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida, 

Mr. ELLZEY, Mr. WELCH, Mr. SOTO, Mr. RYAN, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Mr. CASTEN, Mrs. 

CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Mr. RUIZ, Mr. ROUZER, Mr. PETERS, and Mrs. 

LURIA

JUNE 22, 2022 

Reported from the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be 

printed 


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A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain 

improvements in the mental health care provided by the 

Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. 


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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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

5 ‘‘Support The Resiliency of Our Nation’s Great Veterans 

6 Act of 2022’’ or the ‘‘STRONG Veterans Act of 2022’’. 

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

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—TRAINING TO SUPPORT VETERANS’ MENTAL HEALTH 

Sec. 101. Mental health and suicide prevention outreach to minority veterans 

and American Indian and Alaska Native veterans. 

Sec. 102. Expansion of Vet Center workforce. 

Sec. 103. Expansion of mental health training for Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Sec. 104. Expansion of scholarships and loan repayment programs for mental 

health providers. 

TITLE II—VETERANS CRISIS LINE 

Sec. 201. Veterans Crisis Line. 

Subtitle A—Veterans Crisis Line Training and Quality Management 

Sec. 211. Staff training. 

Sec. 212. Quality review and management. 

Sec. 213. Guidance for high-risk callers. 

Sec. 214. Oversight of training of social service assistants and clarification of 

job responsibilities. 

Subtitle B—Pilot Programs and Research on Veterans Crisis Line 

Sec. 221. Pilot programs. 

Sec. 222. Authorization of appropriations for research on effectiveness and opportunities for improvement of Veterans Crisis Line. 

Subtitle C—Transition of Crisis Line Number 

Sec. 231. Feedback on transition of crisis line number. 

TITLE III—OUTREACH TO VETERANS 

Sec. 301. Solid Start program of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Sec. 302. Designation of Buddy Check Week by Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

Sec. 303. Improvements to Veterans Justice Outreach Program. 

Sec. 304. Department of Veterans Affairs Governors Challenge Program. 


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TITLE IV—MENTAL HEALTH CARE DELIVERY 

Sec. 401. Expansion of peer specialist support program of Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Sec. 402. Expansion of Vet Center services. 

Sec. 403. Eligibility for mental health services. 

Sec. 404. Mental health consultations. 

TITLE V—RESEARCH 

Sec. 501. Veterans integration to academic leadership program of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Sec. 502. Improvement of sleep disorder care furnished by Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Sec. 503. Study on inpatient mental health and substance use care from Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Sec. 504. Study on treatment from Department of Veterans Affairs for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. 

Sec. 505. Study on workload of suicide prevention teams of Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Sec. 506. Expansion of suicide prevention and mental health research. 

Sec. 507. Study on mental health and suicide prevention support for military 

families. 

Sec. 508. Research on brain health. 

Sec. 509. Study on efficacy of clinical and at-home resources for post-traumatic 

stress disorder. 

1 TITLE I—TRAINING TO SUPPORT 

2 VETERANS’ MENTAL HEALTH 

3 SEC. 101. MENTAL HEALTH AND SUICIDE PREVENTION 

4 OUTREACH TO MINORITY VETERANS AND 

5 AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE VET6 ERANS. 

7 (a) STAFFING REQUIREMENT.—Beginning not later 

8 than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

9 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that each 

10 medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs has 

11 no fewer than one full-time employee whose responsibility 

12 is serving as a minority veteran coordinator. 


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1 (b) TRAINING.—Not later than 180 days after the 

2 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in con3 sultation with the Indian Health Service and the Director 

4 of the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of 

5 the Department of Veterans Affairs, shall ensure that all 

6 minority veteran coordinators receive training in delivery 

7 of culturally appropriate mental health and suicide preven8 tion services to American Indian and Alaska Native vet9 erans, especially with respect to the identified populations 

10 and tribes within the coordinators’ catchment areas. 

11 (c) COORDINATION WITH SUICIDE PREVENTION CO12 ORDINATORS.—Not later than 180 days after the date of 

13 the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation 

14 with the Director of the Office of Mental Health and Sui15 cide Prevention, shall ensure that the suicide prevention 

16 coordinator and minority veteran coordinator of each med17 ical center of the Department have developed and dissemi18 nated to the director of the medical center a written plan 

19 for conducting mental health and suicide prevention out20 reach to all tribes and urban Indian health organizations 

21 within the catchment area of the medical center. Each 

22 such plan shall include for each tribe covered by the 

23 plan— 


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1 (1) contact information for tribal leadership 

2 and the tribal health facility or Indian Health Serv3 ice facility serving that tribe; 

4 (2) a schedule for and list of outreach plans 

5 (including addressing any barriers to accessing De6 partment mental health care); 

7 (3) documentation of any conversation with 

8 tribal leaders that may guide culturally appropriate 

9 delivery of mental health care to American Indian or 

10 Alaska Native veterans; 

11 (4) documentation of any progress in incor12 porating traditional healing practices into mental 

13 health and suicide prevention protocols and options 

14 available for veterans who are members of such 

15 tribe; and 

16 (5) documentation of any coordination among 

17 the Department, the Indian Health Service, urban 

18 Indian health organizations, and the Substance 

19 Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 

20 for the purpose of improving suicide prevention ef21 forts tailored to veterans who are members of such 

22 tribe and the provision of culturally competent men23 tal health care to such veterans. 

24 (d) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the en25 actment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 


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1 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the 

2 Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep3 resentatives a report on outreach efforts to minority vet4 erans and American Indian and Alaska Native veterans. 

5 Such report shall include each of the following: 

6 (1) The number of minority veteran coordina7 tors within the Department. 

8 (2) The number and percentage of minority vet9 eran coordinators who are women. 

10 (3) The number and percentage of minority vet11 eran coordinators who are persons of color. 

12 (4) The number and percentage of Department 

13 medical centers with minority veteran coordinators. 

14 (5) The number and percentage of Department 

15 mental health providers who are enrolled members of 

16 a federally recognized Indian tribe or self-identify as 

17 Native American. 

18 (6) The number and percentage of Department 

19 mental health providers who speak a second lan20 guage. 

21 (7) A review of the outreach plans developed 

22 and submitted to all Department medical centers for 

23 outreach to American Indian and Alaska Native vet24 erans. 


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1 (8) A review of mental health care provided an2 nually by the Department to American Indian and 

3 Alaska Native veterans for the past three years, in4 cluding number of appointments, and an assessment 

5 of any barriers to providing this care. 

6 SEC. 102. EXPANSION OF VET CENTER WORKFORCE. 

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

8 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet9 erans Affairs shall hire an additional 100 full-time equiva10 lent employees for Vet Centers to bolster the workforce 

11 of Vet Centers and to provide expanded mental health care 

12 to veterans, members of the Armed Forces, and their fam13 ilies through outreach, community access points, 

14 outstations, and Vet Centers. 

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

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

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

18 SEC. 103. EXPANSION OF MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING FOR 

19 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than three years after 

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

22 Veterans Affairs, in collaboration with the Office of Men23 tal Health and Suicide Prevention and the Office of Aca24 demic Affiliations, shall add an additional 500 paid trainee 


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1 slots in covered mental health disciplines to the workforce 

2 of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

3 (b) COVERED MENTAL HEALTH DISCIPLINES DE4 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘covered mental health 

5 disciplines’’ means psychiatry, psychology, advanced prac6 tice nursing (with a focus on mental health or substance 

7 use disorder), social work, licensed professional mental 

8 health counseling, and marriage and family therapy. 

9 SEC. 104. EXPANSION OF SCHOLARSHIPS AND LOAN REPAY10 MENT PROGRAMS FOR MENTAL HEALTH PRO11 VIDERS. 

12 (a) EXPANSION OF HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SCHOL13 ARSHIP PROGRAM.—Beginning in academic year 2022, 

14 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall include not fewer 

15 than an additional (as compared to academic year 2021) 

16 50 awards per academic year under the Department of 

17 Veterans Affairs Health Professional Scholarship Pro18 gram under subchapter II of chapter 76 of title 38, United 

19 States Code, for applicants otherwise eligible for such pro20 gram who are pursuing degrees or training in mental 

21 health disciplines, including advanced practice nursing 

22 (with a focus on mental health or substance use disorder), 

23 psychology, and social work. 

24 (b) EXPANSION OF EDUCATION DEBT REDUCTION

25 PROGRAM.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning in fiscal year 

2 2022, the Secretary shall provide not fewer than an 

3 additional (as compared to fiscal year 2021) 200 

4 debt reduction awards per year under the Depart5 ment of Veterans Affairs Education Debt Reduction 

6 Program under subchapter VII of chapter 76 of title 

7 38, United States Code, to be used to recruit mental 

8 health professionals to the Department of Veterans 

9 Affairs in disciplines that include psychiatry, psy10 chology, advanced practice nursing (with a focus on 

11 mental health or substance use disorder), and social 

12 work. 

13 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

14 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec15 retary of Veterans Affairs $8,000,000 per year to 

16 carry out the additional awards under paragraph 

17 (1). 

18 (c) OUTREACH.— 

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

20 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec21 retary shall develop a public awareness campaign to 

22 encourage veterans and mental health professionals 

23 to choose the Department for their mental health ca24 reer. 


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1 (2) ELEMENTS.—The campaign required under 

2 paragraph (1)— 

3 (A) shall advertise the paid trainee, schol4 arship, and loan repayment opportunities of5 fered by the Department; and 

6 (B) may highlight the new graduate med7 ical education residencies available at the De8 partment for medical students entering resi9 dency. 

10 TITLE II—VETERANS CRISIS 

11 LINE 

12 SEC. 201. VETERANS CRISIS LINE. 

13 In this title, the term ‘‘Veterans Crisis Line’’ means 

14 the toll-free hotline for veterans established under section 

15 1720F(h) of title 38, United States Code. 

16 Subtitle A—Veterans Crisis Line 

17 Training and Quality Management 

18 SEC. 211. STAFF TRAINING. 

19 (a) REVIEW OF TRAINING FOR VETERANS CRISIS

20 LINE CALL RESPONDERS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 

22 Affairs shall enter into an agreement with an orga23 nization outside the Department of Veterans Affairs 

24 to review the training for Veterans Crisis Line call 

25 responders on assisting callers in crisis. 


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1 (2) COMPLETION OF REVIEW.—The review con2 ducted under paragraph (1) shall be completed not 

3 later than one year after the date of the enactment 

4 of this Act. 

5 (3) ELEMENTS OF REVIEW.—The review con6 ducted under paragraph (1) shall consist of a review 

7 of the training provided by the Department on sub8 jects including risk assessment, lethal means assess9 ment, substance use and overdose risk assessment, 

10 safety planning, referrals to care, supervisory con11 sultation, and emergency dispatch. 

12 (4) UPDATE OF TRAINING.—If any deficiencies 

13 in the training for Veterans Crisis Line call respond14 ers are found pursuant to the review under para15 graph (1), the Secretary shall update such training 

16 and associated standards of practice to correct those 

17 deficiencies not later than one year after the comple18 tion of the review. 

19 (b) RETRAINING GUIDELINES FOR VETERANS CRISIS

20 LINE CALL RESPONDERS.— 

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

22 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec23 retary shall develop guidelines on retraining and 

24 quality management for when a Veterans Crisis Line 

25 call responder has an adverse event or when a qualVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:57 Jun 23, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6411.RH H6411

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1 ity review check by a supervisor of such a call re2 sponder denotes that the call responder needs im3 provement. 

4 (2) ELEMENTS OF GUIDELINES.—The guide5 lines developed under paragraph (1) shall specify the 

6 subjects and quantity of retraining recommended 

7 and how supervisors should implement increased use 

8 of silent monitoring or other performance review 

9 mechanisms. 

10 SEC. 212. QUALITY REVIEW AND MANAGEMENT. 

11 (a) MONITORING OF CALLS ON VETERANS CRISIS

12 LINE.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 

14 Affairs shall require that not fewer than two calls 

15 per month for each Veterans Crisis Line call re16 sponder be subject to supervisory silent monitoring, 

17 which is used to monitor the quality of conduct by 

18 such call responder during the call. 

19 (2) BENCHMARKS.—The Secretary shall estab20 lish benchmarks for requirements and performance 

21 of Veterans Crisis Line call responders on super22 visory silent monitored calls. 

23 (3) QUARTERLY REPORTS.—Not less frequently 

24 than quarterly, the Secretary shall submit to the Of25 fice of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of the 


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1 Department of Veterans Affairs a report on occur2 rence and outcomes of supervisory silent monitoring 

3 of calls on the Veterans Crisis Line. 

4 (b) QUALITY MANAGEMENT PROCESSES FOR VET5 ERANS CRISIS LINE.—Not later than one year after the 

6 date of the enactment of this Act, the leadership for the 

7 Veterans Crisis Line, in partnership with the Office of 

8 Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of the Department 

9 and the National Center for Patient Safety of the Depart10 ment, shall establish quality management processes and 

11 expectations for staff of the Veterans Crisis Line, includ12 ing with respect to reporting of adverse events and close 

13 calls. 

14 (c) ANNUAL COMMON CAUSE ANALYSIS FOR CALL15 ERS TO VETERANS CRISIS LINE WHO DIE BY SUICIDE.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently than an17 nually, the Secretary shall perform a common cause 

18 analysis for all identified callers to the Veterans Cri19 sis Line that died by suicide during the one-year pe20 riod preceding the conduct of the analysis before the 

21 caller received contact with emergency services and 

22 in which the Veterans Crisis Line was the last point 

23 of contact. 

24 (2) SUBMITTAL OF RESULTS.—The Secretary 

25 shall submit to the Office of Mental Health and SuiVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:57 Jun 23, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6411.RH H6411

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1 cide Prevention of the Department the results of 

2 each analysis conducted under paragraph (1). 

3 (3) APPLICATION OF THEMES OR LESSONS.— 

4 The Secretary shall apply any themes or lessons 

5 learned under an analysis under paragraph (1) to 

6 updating training and standards of practice for staff 

7 of the Veterans Crisis Line. 

8 SEC. 213. GUIDANCE FOR HIGH-RISK CALLERS. 

9 (a) DEVELOPMENT OF ENHANCED GUIDANCE AND

10 PROCEDURES FOR RESPONSE TO CALLS RELATED TO

11 SUBSTANCE USE AND OVERDOSE RISK.—Not later than 

12 one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

13 Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with na14 tional experts within the Department of Veterans Affairs 

15 on substance use disorder and overdose, shall— 

16 (1) develop enhanced guidance and procedures 

17 to respond to calls to the Veterans Crisis Line re18 lated to substance use and overdose risk; 

19 (2) update training materials for staff of the 

20 Veterans Crisis Line in response to such enhanced 

21 guidance and procedures; and 

22 (3) update criteria for monitoring compliance 

23 with such enhanced guidance and procedures. 

24 (b) REVIEW AND IMPROVEMENT OF STANDARDS FOR

25 EMERGENCY DISPATCH.— 


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

2 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec3 retary shall— 

4 (A) review the current emergency dispatch 

5 standard operating procedure of the Veterans 

6 Crisis Line to identify any additions to such 

7 procedure to strengthen communication regard8 ing— 

9 (i) emergency dispatch for discon10 nected callers; and 

11 (ii) the role of social service assistants 

12 in requesting emergency dispatch and re13 cording such dispatches; and 

14 (B) update such procedure to include the 

15 additions identified under subparagraph (A). 

16 (2) TRAINING.—The Secretary shall ensure 

17 that all staff of the Veterans Crisis Line are trained 

18 on all updates made under paragraph (1)(B) to the 

19 emergency dispatch standard operating procedure of 

20 the Veterans Crisis Line. 

21 SEC. 214. OVERSIGHT OF TRAINING OF SOCIAL SERVICE AS22 SISTANTS AND CLARIFICATION OF JOB RE23 SPONSIBILITIES. 

24 Not later than one year after the date of the enact25 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall— 


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1 (1) establish oversight mechanisms to ensure 

2 that social service assistants and supervisory social 

3 service assistants working with the Veterans Crisis 

4 Line are appropriately trained and implementing 

5 guidance of the Department regarding the Veterans 

6 Crisis Line; and 

7 (2) refine standard operating procedures to de8 lineate roles and responsibilities for all levels of su9 pervisory social service assistants working with the 

10 Veterans Crisis Line. 

11 Subtitle B—Pilot Programs and 

12 Research on Veterans Crisis Line 

13 SEC. 221. PILOT PROGRAMS. 

14 (a) EXTENDED SAFETY PLANNING PILOT PROGRAM

15 FOR VETERANS CRISIS LINE.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Commencing not later than 

17 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

18 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out a 

19 pilot program to determine whether a lengthier, 

20 templated safety plan used in clinical settings could 

21 be applied in call centers for the Veterans Crisis 

22 Line. 

23 (2) BRIEFING.—Not later than two years after 

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

25 shall provide to Congress a briefing on the findings 


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1 of the Secretary under the pilot program conducted 

2 under paragraph (1), which shall include any rec3 ommendations of the Secretary with respect to the 

4 continuation or discontinuation of the pilot program. 

5 (b) CRISIS LINE FACILITATION PILOT PROGRAM.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Commencing not later than 

7 one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

8 the Secretary shall carry out a pilot program on the 

9 use of crisis line facilitation to increase use of the 

10 Veterans Crisis Line among high-risk veterans. 

11 (2) BRIEFING.—Not later than two years after 

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

13 shall provide to Congress a briefing on the findings 

14 of the Secretary under the pilot program under 

15 paragraph (1), including any recommendations of 

16 the Secretary with respect to the continuation or dis17 continuation of the pilot program. 

18 (3) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

19 (A) The term ‘‘crisis line facilitation’’, with 

20 respect to a high-risk veteran, means the pres21 entation by a therapist of psychoeducational in22 formation about the Veterans Crisis Line and a 

23 discussion of the perceived barriers and 

24 facilitators to future use of the Veterans Crisis 

25 Line for the veteran, which culminates in the 


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1 veteran calling the Veterans Crisis Line with 

2 the therapist to provide firsthand experiences 

3 that may counter negative impressions of the 

4 Veterans Crisis Line. 

5 (B) The term ‘‘high-risk veteran’’ means a 

6 veteran receiving inpatient mental health care 

7 following a suicidal crisis. 

8 SEC. 222. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR RE9 SEARCH ON EFFECTIVENESS AND OPPORTU10 NITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT OF VETERANS 

11 CRISIS LINE. 

12 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec13 retary of Veterans Affairs for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, 

14 a total of $5,000,000 for the Mental Illness Research, 

15 Education, and Clinical Centers of the Department of Vet16 erans Affairs to conduct research on the effectiveness of 

17 the Veterans Crisis Line and areas for improvement for 

18 the Veterans Crisis Line. Amounts made available pursu19 ant to the authorization of appropriations under this sec20 tion shall remain available until September 30, 2024. 


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1 Subtitle C—Transition of Crisis 

2 Line Number 

3 SEC. 231. FEEDBACK ON TRANSITION OF CRISIS LINE NUM4 BER. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

6 shall solicit feedback from veterans service organizations 

7 on how to conduct outreach to members of the Armed 

8 Forces, veterans, their family members, and other mem9 bers of the military and veterans community on the move 

10 to 988 as the new, national three-digit suicide and mental 

11 health crisis hotline, which is expected to be implemented 

12 by July 2022, to minimize confusion and ensure veterans 

13 are aware of their options for reaching the Veterans Crisis 

14 Line. 

15 (b) NONAPPLICATION OF FACA.—The Federal Advi16 sory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to 

17 any feedback solicited under subsection (a). 

18 (c) VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATION DEFINED.— 

19 In this section, the term ‘‘veterans service organization’’ 

20 means an organization recognized by the Secretary for the 

21 representation of veterans under section 5902 of title 38, 

22 United States Code. 


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1 TITLE III—OUTREACH TO 

2 VETERANS 

3 SEC. 301. SOLID START PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 

4 VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 63 of title 38, United 

6 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol7 lowing new subchapter: 

8 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER II—OTHER OUTREACH 

9 PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES 

10 ‘‘§ 6320. Solid Start program 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out a 

12 program, to be known as the ‘Solid Start program’, under 

13 which the Secretary shall— 

14 ‘‘(1) build the capacity of the Department to ef15 ficiently and effectively respond to the queries and 

16 needs of veterans who have recently separated from 

17 the Armed Forces; and 

18 ‘‘(2) systemically integrate and coordinate ef19 forts to assist veterans, including efforts— 

20 ‘‘(A) to proactively reach out to newly sep21 arated veterans to inform them of their eligi22 bility for programs of and benefits provided by 

23 the Department; and 

24 ‘‘(B) to connect veterans in crisis to re25 sources that address their immediate needs. 


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1 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES OF THE SOLID START PROGRAM.— 

2 (1) The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of 

3 Defense, shall carry out the Solid Start program of the 

4 Department by— 

5 ‘‘(A) collecting up-to-date contact information 

6 during transition classes or separation counseling for 

7 all members of the Armed Forces who are sepa8 rating from the Armed Forces, while explaining the 

9 existence and purpose of the Solid Start program; 

10 ‘‘(B) calling each veteran, regardless of separa11 tion type or characterization of service, three times 

12 within the first year after separation of the veteran 

13 from the Armed Forces; 

14 ‘‘(C) providing information about the Solid 

15 Start program on the website of the Department 

16 and in materials of the Department, especially tran17 sition booklets and other resources; 

18 ‘‘(D) ensuring calls are truly tailored to the 

19 needs of each veteran’s unique situation by con20 ducting quality assurance tests; 

21 ‘‘(E) prioritizing outreach to veterans who have 

22 accessed mental health resources prior to separation 

23 from the Armed Forces; 


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1 ‘‘(F) providing women veterans with informa2 tion that is tailored to their specific health care and 

3 benefit needs; 

4 ‘‘(G) as feasible, providing information on ac5 cess to State and local resources, including Vet Cen6 ters and veterans service organizations; and 

7 ‘‘(H) gathering and analyzing data assessing 

8 the effectiveness of the Solid Start program. 

9 ‘‘(2) The Secretary, in coordination with the Sec10 retary of Defense, may carry out the Solid Start program 

11 by— 

12 ‘‘(A) encouraging members of the Armed 

13 Forces who are transitioning to civilian life to au14 thorize alternate points of contact who can be 

15 reached should the member be unavailable during 

16 the first year following the separation of the member 

17 from the Armed Forces; 

18 ‘‘(B) following up missed phone calls with tai19 lored mailings to ensure the veteran still receives 

20 similar information; and 

21 ‘‘(C) striving to reach out to veterans who sepa22 rated prior to the initiation of the Solid Start pro23 gram to provide similar services to those veterans, as 

24 feasible. 

25 ‘‘(3) In this subsection: 


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1 ‘‘(A) The term ‘Vet Center’ has the meaning 

2 given that term in section 1712A(h) of this title. 

3 ‘‘(B) The term ‘veterans service organization’ 

4 means an organization recognized by the Secretary 

5 for the representation of veterans under section 

6 5902 of this title. 

7 ‘‘(c) OBLIGATIONS OF AMOUNTS.—Subject to the 

8 availability of appropriations, the Secretary may not, in 

9 a fiscal year, obligate an amount to carry out the Solid 

10 Start program that is less than the total amount obligated 

11 in the previous fiscal year to carry out the program, unless 

12 the Secretary determines that increased efficiencies of the 

13 program warrant the obligation of a lesser amount.’’. 

14 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Chapter 63 of 

15 such title, as amended by subsection (a), is further amend16 ed— 

17 (1) by inserting before section 6301 the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘Subchapter I—Outreach Services Program’’; 

20 and 

21 (2) in sections 6301, 6303, 6304, 6305, 6306, 

22 and 6307, by striking ‘‘this chapter’’ each place it 

23 appears and inserting ‘‘this subchapter’’. 

24 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—The table of sections 

25 at the beginning of chapter 63 of such title is amended— 


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1 (1) by inserting before the item relating to sec2 tion 6301 the following new item: 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER I—OUTREACH SERVICES PROGRAM’’; 

3 and 

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

5 items: 

‘‘SUBCHAPTER II—OTHER OUTREACH PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES

‘‘6320. Solid Start program.’’. 

6 SEC. 302. DESIGNATION OF BUDDY CHECK WEEK BY SEC7 RETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

9 shall designate one week each year to organize outreach 

10 events and educate veterans on how to conduct peer 

11 wellness checks, which shall be known as ‘‘Buddy Check 

12 Week’’. 

13 (b) EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—During Buddy Check Week, 

15 the Secretary, in consultation with organizations 

16 that represent veterans, nonprofits that serve vet17 erans, mental health experts, members of the Armed 

18 Forces, and such other entities and individuals as 

19 the Secretary considers appropriate, shall collaborate 

20 with organizations that represent veterans to provide 

21 educational opportunities for veterans to learn how 

22 to conduct peer wellness checks. 


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1 (2) TRAINING MATTERS.—As part of the edu2 cational opportunities provided under paragraph (1), 

3 the Secretary shall provide the following: 

4 (A) A script for veterans to use to conduct 

5 peer wellness checks that includes information 

6 on appropriate referrals to resources veterans 

7 might need. 

8 (B) Online and in-person training, as ap9 propriate, on how to conduct a peer wellness 

10 check. 

11 (C) Opportunities for members of organi12 zations that represent veterans to learn how to 

13 train individuals to conduct peer wellness 

14 checks. 

15 (D) Training for veterans participating in 

16 Buddy Check Week on how to transfer a phone 

17 call directly to the Veterans Crisis Line. 

18 (E) Resiliency training for veterans partici19 pating in Buddy Check Week on handling a vet20 eran in crisis. 

21 (3) ONLINE MATERIALS.—All training materials 

22 provided under the educational opportunities under 

23 paragraph (1) shall be made publicly available on a 

24 website of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 


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1 (c) OUTREACH.—The Secretary, in collaboration with 

2 organizations that represent veterans, may conduct out3 reach regarding educational opportunities under sub4 section (b) at— 

5 (1) public events where many veterans are ex6 pected to congregate; 

7 (2) meetings of organizations that represent 

8 veterans; 

9 (3) facilities of the Department; and 

10 (4) such other locations as the Secretary, in col11 laboration with organizations that represent vet12 erans, considers appropriate. 

13 (d) VETERANS CRISIS LINE PLAN.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure 

15 that a plan exists for handling the potential increase 

16 in the number of calls into the Veterans Crisis Line 

17 that may occur during Buddy Check Week. 

18 (2) SUBMITTAL OF PLAN.—The head of the 

19 Veterans Crisis Line shall submit to the Secretary a 

20 plan for how to handle excess calls during Buddy 

21 Check Week, which may include the following: 

22 (A) Additional hours for staff. 

23 (B) The use of a backup call center. 

24 (C) Any other plan to ensure that calls 

25 from veterans in crisis are being answered in a 


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1 timely manner by an individual trained at the 

2 same level as a Veterans Crisis Line responder. 

3 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) The term ‘‘organization that represents vet5 erans’’ means an organization recognized by the Sec6 retary for the representation of veterans under sec7 tion 5902 of title 38, United States Code. 

8 (2) The term ‘‘veteran’’ has the meaning given 

9 that term in section 101 of such title. 

10 (3) The term ‘‘Veterans Crisis Line’’ means the 

11 toll-free hotline for veterans provided by the Sec12 retary under section 1720F(h) of such title. 

13 SEC. 303. IMPROVEMENTS TO VETERANS JUSTICE OUT14 REACH PROGRAM. 

15 (a) OUTREACH REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of 

16 Veterans Affairs shall conduct outreach regarding the Vet17 erans Justice Outreach Program to justice-involved vet18 erans, military and veterans service organizations, and rel19 evant stakeholders in the criminal justice community, in20 cluding officials from local law enforcement, court, and jail 

21 systems and others as determined appropriate by the Sec22 retary. Such outreach— 

23 (1) shall be designed— 

24 (A) to spread awareness and under25 standing of the Program; 


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1 (B) to spread awareness and under2 standing of veteran eligibility for the Program, 

3 including the eligibility of veterans who were 

4 discharged from service in the Armed Forces 

5 under conditions other than honorable; and 

6 (C) to improve the identification of justice7 involved veterans; and 

8 (2) may be conducted in person, virtually, or 

9 through other means, including by the dissemination 

10 of informational materials and contact information. 

11 (b) STRATEGIC PLAN.—The Secretary of Veterans 

12 Affairs shall develop a strategic plan for the Veterans Jus13 tice Outreach Program. In developing such plan, the Sec14 retary shall conduct— 

15 (1) an assessment of barriers to working with 

16 justice-involved veterans in rural, remote, and under17 served areas, including potential steps to address 

18 such barriers; and 

19 (2) a workforce gap analysis for the Program. 

20 (c) INCREASE IN NUMBER OF VJO SPECIALISTS.— 

21 (1) INCREASE.—The Secretary of Veterans Af22 fairs shall increase the number of Veterans Justice 

23 Outreach specialists responsible for supporting jus24 tice-involved veterans in rural, remote, or under25 served areas, including areas located far from DeVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:57 Jun 23, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6411.RH H6411

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1 partment of Veterans Affairs medical centers, as de2 termined by the Secretary, through— 

3 (A) the hiring of additional Veterans Jus4 tice Outreach specialists; 

5 (B) the reallocation of existing Veterans 

6 Justice Outreach specialists; or 

7 (C) such other means as may be deter8 mined appropriate by the Secretary. 

9 (2) DETERMINATION.—The Secretary shall de10 termine the number of Veterans Justice Outreach 

11 specialists required, and the locations of such spe12 cialists, under paragraph (1) by taking into ac13 count— 

14 (A) such number and locations needed to 

15 achieve the mission and strategic goals of the 

16 Veterans Justice Outreach Program; 

17 (B) any gaps in the workforce of the Pro18 gram, including such gaps identified pursuant 

19 to subsection (b)(2); and 

20 (C) strategies to address such gaps. 

21 (3) USE OF TECHNOLOGY.—In carrying out 

22 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consider the use 

23 of virtual technology. 

24 (d) PERFORMANCE GOALS AND IMPLEMENTATION

25 PLANS.— 


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1 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Vet2 erans Affairs shall establish performance goals and 

3 implementation plans for— 

4 (A) the Veterans Justice Outreach Pro5 gram; 

6 (B) Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists; 

7 and 

8 (C) providing support for research regard9 ing justice-involved veterans. 

10 (2) CONSISTENCY WITH STRATEGIC PLAN.— 

11 The Secretary shall ensure that the performance 

12 goals and implementation plans under paragraph (1) 

13 are consistent with the strategic plan under sub14 section (b) and include— 

15 (A) qualitative and quantitative milestones, 

16 measures, and metrics, and associated timelines 

17 for completion of the plans under paragraph (1) 

18 and barriers to such completion; 

19 (B) an identification of relevant staff; and 

20 (C) an estimate of resource needs and 

21 sources. 

22 (3) PERFORMANCE DATA.—The Secretary shall 

23 establish a process to regularly collect and analyze 

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1 tiveness of implementing the plans under paragraph 

2 (1). 

3 (e) TRAINING REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary shall 

4 ensure that all Veterans Justice Outreach Specialists re5 ceive training not less frequently than annually on— 

6 (1) best practices for identifying and con7 ducting outreach to justice-involved veterans and rel8 evant stakeholders in the criminal justice commu9 nity; and 

10 (2) veteran eligibility for the Veterans Justice 

11 Outreach Program, including with respect to consist12 ently communicating changes regarding eligibility 

13 (including through the use of a script or other ref14 erence materials). 

15 (f) REPORTS ON IMPLEMENTATION.— 

16 (1) FIRST REPORT.—Not later than one year 

17 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec18 retary shall submit to Congress a report on the fol19 lowing: 

20 (A) An assessment of implementing sub21 section (c), including— 

22 (i) strategies to increase Veterans 

23 Justice Outreach specialists responsible for 

24 supporting justice-involved veterans in 

25 rural, remote, or underserved areas; and 


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1 (ii) the progress of the Secretary in 

2 addressing gaps in the workforce of the 

3 Veterans Justice Outreach Program identi4 fied pursuant to paragraph (2) of such 

5 subsection. 

6 (B) The performance goals and implemen7 tation plans established under subsection 

8 (d)(1). 

9 (2) SUBSEQUENT REPORT.—Not later than 

10 three years after the date on which the first report 

11 is submitted under paragraph (1), the Secretary 

12 shall submit to Congress a report on the progress of 

13 the Secretary in meeting the performance goals and 

14 carrying out activities under the implementation 

15 plans established under subsection (d)(1). 

16 (g) REPORT ON VETERANS TREATMENT COURTS.— 

17 Not later than one year after the date of the enactment 

18 of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Attor19 ney General, shall submit to Congress a report on the en20 gagement of the Department of Veterans Affairs with vet21 erans treatment courts, including— 

22 (1) the availability and efficacy of veterans 

23 treatment courts in meeting the needs of justice-in24 volved veterans; 


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1 (2) best practices for Department of Veterans 

2 Affairs staff and justice-involved veterans in working 

3 with veterans treatment courts; and 

4 (3) the ability of justice-involved veterans to ac5 cess veterans treatment courts, including any bar6 riers that exist to increasing such access. 

7 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 (1) The term ‘‘justice-involved veteran’’ means 

9 a veteran with active, ongoing, or recent contact 

10 with some component of a local criminal justice sys11 tem. 

12 (2) The term ‘‘Veterans Justice Outreach Pro13 gram’’ means the program through which the De14 partment of Veterans Affairs identifies justice-in15 volved veterans and provides such veterans with ac16 cess to Department services. 

17 (3) The term ‘‘Veterans Justice Outreach Spe18 cialist’’ means an employee of the Department of 

19 Veterans Affairs who serves as a liaison between the 

20 Department and the local criminal justice system on 

21 behalf of a justice-involved veteran. 

22 (4) The term ‘‘veterans treatment court’’ means 

23 a State or local court that is participating in the vet24 erans treatment court program (as defined in section 


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1 2991(i)(1) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

2 Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797aa(i)(1))). 

3 SEC. 304. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS GOV4 ERNORS CHALLENGE PROGRAM. 

5 The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may enter into 

6 agreements with States, territories, and American Indian 

7 and Alaska Native tribes for the development and imple8 mentation of veteran suicide prevention proposals through 

9 the Governors Challenge Program. 

10 TITLE IV—MENTAL HEALTH 

11 CARE DELIVERY 

12 SEC. 401. EXPANSION OF PEER SPECIALIST SUPPORT PRO13 GRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF14 FAIRS. 

15 (a) EXPANSION.—Section 506 of the VA MISSION 

16 Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–182; 38 U.S.C. 1701 note) 

17 is amended— 

18 (1) by redesignating subsections (d) through (f) 

19 as subsections (e) through (g); 

20 (2) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 

21 following new sentence: ‘‘Each such peer specialist 

22 shall be a full-time employee whose primary function 

23 is to serve as a peer specialist and shall be in addi24 tion to all other employees of such medical center.’’; 


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1 (3) in the heading of subsection (b), by striking 

2 ‘‘TIMEFRAME’’ and inserting ‘‘INITIAL TIME3 FRAME’’; 

4 (4) in subsection (c)— 

5 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘SELEC6 TION’’ and inserting ‘‘INITIAL SELECTION’’; and 

7 (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘The 

8 Secretary shall’’ and inserting ‘‘In establishing 

9 the program at initial locations, the Secretary 

10 shall’’; 

11 (5) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol12 lowing new subsection: 

13 ‘‘(d) TIMEFRAME FOR EXPANSION OF PROGRAM; SE14 LECTION OF ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) TIMEFRAME FOR EXPANSION.—The Sec16 retary shall make permanent and expand the pro17 gram to additional medical centers of the Depart18 ment as follows: 

19 ‘‘(A) As of the date of the enactment of 

20 the STRONG Veterans Act of 2021, the Sec21 retary shall make such program permanent at 

22 each medical center participating in the pro23 gram on the day before such date of enactment. 

24 ‘‘(B) During the seven-year period fol25 lowing such date of enactment, the Secretary 


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1 shall expand the program to an additional 25 

2 medical centers per year until the program is 

3 carried out at each medical center of the De4 partment. 

5 ‘‘(2) SELECTION OF ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS.— 

6 In selecting medical centers for the expansion of the 

7 program under paragraph (1)(B), until such time as 

8 each medical center of the Department is partici9 pating in the program by establishing not fewer than 

10 two peer specialists at the medical center, the Sec11 retary shall prioritize medical centers in the fol12 lowing areas: 

13 ‘‘(A) Rural areas and other areas that are 

14 underserved by the Department. 

15 ‘‘(B) Areas that are not in close proximity 

16 to an active duty military installation. 

17 ‘‘(C) Areas representing different geo18 graphic locations, such as census tracts estab19 lished by the Bureau of the Census.’’; 

20 (6) in subsection (e), as redesignated by para21 graph (1)— 

22 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘GENDER23 SPECIFIC SERVICES’’ and inserting ‘‘CONSIDER24 ATIONS FOR HIRING PEER SPECIALISTS’’; 


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1 (B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

2 by striking ‘‘location selected under subsection 

3 (c)’’ and inserting ‘‘medical center’’; 

4 (C) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

5 the end; and 

6 (D) by striking paragraph (2) and insert7 ing the following new paragraphs: 

8 ‘‘(2) female peer specialists are hired and made 

9 available to support female veterans who are treated 

10 at each medical center; and 

11 ‘‘(3) to the extent practical, peer specialists are 

12 hired in demographic percentages that reflect the ra13 cial and ethnic demographic percentages of the over14 all veterans population.’’; and 

15 (7) by amending subsection (g), as redesignated 

16 by paragraph (1), to read as follows: 

17 ‘‘(g) REPORTS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) PERIODIC REPORTS.— 

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

20 year after the date of the enactment of the 

21 STRONG Veterans Act of 2021, and annually 

22 thereafter for five years, the Secretary shall 

23 submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs 

24 of the House of Representatives and the Senate 


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1 a report on the program, including the expan2 sion of the program under subsection (d)(1). 

3 ‘‘(B) ELEMENTS.—Each report under sub4 paragraph (A) shall include, with respect to the 

5 one-year period preceding the submission of the 

6 report, the following: 

7 ‘‘(i) The findings and conclusions of 

8 the Secretary with respect to the program. 

9 ‘‘(ii) An assessment of the benefits of 

10 the program to veterans and family mem11 bers of veterans. 

12 ‘‘(iii) An assessment of the effective13 ness of peer specialists in engaging under 

14 subsection (f) with health care providers in 

15 the community and veterans served by 

16 such providers. 

17 ‘‘(iv) The name and location of each 

18 medical center where new peer specialists 

19 were hired. 

20 ‘‘(v) The number of new peer special21 ists hired at each medical center pursuant 

22 to this section and the total number of 

23 peer specialists within the Department 

24 hired pursuant to this section. 


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1 ‘‘(vi) An assessment of any barriers 

2 confronting the recruitment, training, or 

3 retention of peer specialists. 

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

5 after the Secretary determines that the program is 

6 being carried out at each medical center of the De7 partment, the Secretary shall submit to the Commit8 tees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Represent9 atives and the Senate a report notifying such com10 mittees of such determination.’’. 

11 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

12 authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Vet13 erans Affairs to implement section 506 of the VA MIS14 SION Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–182; 38 U.S.C. 1701 

15 note), as amended by subsection (a), the following 

16 amounts: 

17 (1) $3,600,000 for fiscal year 2022. 

18 (2) $7,200,000 for fiscal year 2023. 

19 (3) $10,800,000 for fiscal year 2024. 

20 (4) $14,400,000 for fiscal year 2025. 

21 (5) $18,000,000 for fiscal year 2026. 

22 (6) $21,600,000 for fiscal year 2027. 

23 (7) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2028. 


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1 SEC. 402. EXPANSION OF VET CENTER SERVICES. 

2 (a) VETERANS AND MEMBERS USING EDUCATIONAL

3 ASSISTANCE BENEFITS.—Section 1712A of title 38, 

4 United States Code, is amended— 

5 (1) by striking ‘‘clauses (i) through (vi)’’ both 

6 places it appears and inserting ‘‘clauses (i) through 

7 (vii)’’; 

8 (2) by striking ‘‘in clause (vii)’’ both places it 

9 appears and inserting ‘‘in clause (viii)’’; 

10 (3) in subsection (a)(1)(C)— 

11 (A) by redesignating clause (vii) as clause 

12 (viii); and 

13 (B) by inserting after clause (vi) the fol14 lowing new clause: 

15 ‘‘(vii) Any veteran or member of the Armed 

16 Forces pursuing a course of education using covered 

17 educational assistance benefits.’’; and 

18 (4) in subsection (h), by adding at the end the 

19 following new paragraph: 

20 ‘‘(6) The term ‘covered educational assistance 

21 benefits’ means educational assistance benefits pro22 vided pursuant to— 

23 ‘‘(A) chapter 30, 31, 32, or 33 of this title; 

24 ‘‘(B) chapter 1606 or 1607 of title 10; 


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1 ‘‘(C) section 116 of the Harry W. Colmery 

2 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 

3 (Public Law 115–48; 38 U.S.C. 3001 note); or 

4 ‘‘(D) section 8006 of the American Rescue 

5 Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117–2; 38 

6 U.S.C. 3001 note prec.).’’. 

7 (b) GAO REPORT.—Not later than one year after the 

8 date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

9 of the United States shall submit to the Committees on 

10 Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 

11 Senate a report assessing— 

12 (1) the mental health needs of veterans pur13 suing a course of education using covered edu14 cational assistance benefits (as defined in section 

15 1712A(h)(6) of title 38, United States Code, as 

16 added by subsection (a)); and 

17 (2) the efforts of the Department of Veterans 

18 Affairs to address such mental health needs. 

19 SEC. 403. ELIGIBILITY FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1712A(a)(1) of title 38, 

21 United States Code, as amended by section 402, is further 

22 amended— 

23 (1) in subparagraph (A)(ii)— 

24 (A) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘and’’; 


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1 (B) in subclause (II), by striking the pe2 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

3 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(III) in the case of a veteran or member 

5 who died by suicide, to the degree that coun6 seling furnished to such individual is found to 

7 aid in coping with the effects of such suicide.’’; 

8 (2) in subparagraph (B)(i)(II)— 

9 (A) in item (aa), by striking ‘‘or’’; 

10 (B) in item (bb), by striking the period at 

11 the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

12 (C) by adding at the end the following; 

13 ‘‘(cc) coping with the effects of a sui14 cide described in subclause (III) of such 

15 clause.’’; and 

16 (3) in subparagraph (C)(vii)— 

17 (A) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

18 the end; 

19 (B) in subclause (II), by striking the pe20 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

21 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(III) veteran or member of the Armed 

23 Forces who died by suicide.’’. 

24 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

25 subsection (a) shall apply with respect to family members 


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1 of a member or veteran who died by suicide before, on, 

2 or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

3 SEC. 404. MENTAL HEALTH CONSULTATIONS. 

4 (a) MENTAL HEALTH CONSULTATIONS FOR VET5 ERANS FILING FOR COMPENSATION.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter VI of chapter 11 

7 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by add8 ing at the end the following new section: 

9 ‘‘§ 1167. Mental health consultations 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 

11 date on which a veteran submits to the Secretary a claim 

12 for compensation under this chapter for a service-con13 nected disability relating to a mental health diagnosis, the 

14 Secretary shall offer the veteran a mental health consulta15 tion to assess the mental health needs of, and care options 

16 for, the veteran. 

17 ‘‘(b) AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary shall— 

18 ‘‘(1) offer a veteran a consultation under sub19 section (a) without regard to any previous denial or 

20 approval of a claim of that veteran for a service-con21 nected disability relating to a mental health diag22 nosis; and 

23 ‘‘(2) ensure that a veteran offered a mental 

24 health consultation under subsection (a) may elect to 

25 receive such consultation during the one-year period 


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1 beginning on the date on which the consultation is 

2 offered or during such longer period beginning on 

3 such date as the Secretary considers appropriate. 

4 ‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—A consultation pro5 vided to a veteran under this section shall not be construed 

6 as a determination that any disability of such veteran is 

7 service-connected for the purposes of any benefit under the 

8 laws administered by the Secretary.’’. 

9 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec10 tions at the beginning of chapter 11 of such title is 

11 amended by adding at the end the following new 

12 item: 

‘‘1167. Mental health consultations.’’. 

13 (b) MENTAL HEALTH CONSULTATIONS FOR VET14 ERANS ENTERING HOMELESS PROGRAMS OFFICE PRO15 GRAMS.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter VII of chapter 

17 20 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 

18 adding at the end the following new section: 

19 ‘‘§ 2068. Mental health consultations 

20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than two weeks after 

21 the date on which a veteran described in subsection (b) 

22 enters into a program administered by the Homeless Pro23 grams Office of the Department, the Secretary shall offer 

24 the veteran a mental health consultation to assess the 

25 health needs of, and care options for, the veteran. 


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1 ‘‘(b) VETERAN DESCRIBED.—A veteran described in 

2 this subsection is a veteran to whom a mental health con3 sultation is not offered or provided through the case man4 agement services of the program of the Homeless Pro5 grams Office into which the veteran enters.’’. 

6 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec7 tions at the beginning of chapter 20 of such title is 

8 amended by adding at the end the following new 

9 item: 

‘‘2068. Mental health consultations.’’. 

10 TITLE V—RESEARCH 

11 SEC. 501. VETERANS INTEGRATION TO ACADEMIC LEADER12 SHIP PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 

13 VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

14 (a) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

15 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 

16 Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Af17 fairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate a 

18 report on the Veterans Integration to Academic Leader19 ship program of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The 

20 report shall include the following: 

21 (1) The number of medical centers of the De22 partment, institutions of higher learning, non-college 

23 degree programs, and student veterans supported by 

24 the program, and relevant trends since the program 

25 began. 


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1 (2) The staff and resources allocated to the 

2 program, and relevant trends since the program 

3 began. 

4 (3) An assessment of the outcomes and effec5 tiveness of the program in— 

6 (A) supporting student veterans; 

7 (B) connecting student veterans to needed 

8 services of the Department or services provided 

9 by non-Department entities; 

10 (C) addressing the mental health needs of 

11 student veterans; 

12 (D) lowering the suicide risk of student 

13 veterans; and 

14 (E) helping student veterans achieve edu15 cational goals. 

16 (4) An assessment of barriers to expanding the 

17 program and how the Secretary intends to address 

18 such barriers. 

19 (5) An assessment of whether the program 

20 should be expanded outside of the Office of Mental 

21 Health and Suicide Prevention to support students 

22 veterans with needs unrelated to mental health or 

23 suicide. 

24 (b) UNIFORM BEST PRACTICES, GOALS, AND MEAS25 URES.—The Secretary shall establish best practices, goals, 


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1 and measures for the Veterans Integration to Academic 

2 Leadership program of the Department that are uniform 

3 among the medical centers of the Department. 

4 (c) OUTREACH.—The Secretary shall conduct out5 reach among the Armed Forces, veterans service organiza6 tions, institutions of higher learning, and non-college de7 gree programs with respect to the Veterans Integration 

8 to Academic Leadership program of the Department. 

9 (d) ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary shall assess the 

10 feasibility and advisability of including the suicide rate for 

11 student veterans in the National Veteran Suicide Preven12 tion Annual Report of the Office of Mental Health and 

13 Suicide Prevention of the Department. 

14 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 (1) The term ‘‘institution of higher learning’’ 

16 has the meaning given that term in section 3452 of 

17 title 38, United States Code. 

18 (2) The term ‘‘student veteran’’ means the fol19 lowing: 

20 (A) A veteran or member of the Armed 

21 Forces using educational assistance under any 

22 of the following provisions of law: 

23 (i) Chapter 30, 31, 32, or 33 of title 

24 38, United States Code, or chapter 1606 

25 or 1607 of title 10, United States Code. 


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1 (ii) Section 116 of the Harry W. 

2 Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance 

3 Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–48; 38 

4 U.S.C. 3001 note). 

5 (iii) Section 8006 of the American 

6 Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 

7 117–2; 38 U.S.C. 3001 note prec.). 

8 (B) A veteran who is enrolled in an institu9 tion of higher learning or other training pro10 gram, without regard to whether the veteran is 

11 using educational assistance specified in sub12 paragraph (A). 

13 SEC. 502. IMPROVEMENT OF SLEEP DISORDER CARE FUR14 NISHED BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF15 FAIRS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Pursuant to the analysis con17 ducted under subsection (b), the Secretary of Veterans Af18 fairs shall take such action as the Secretary considers ap19 propriate to improve the assessment and treatment of vet20 erans with sleep disorders, including by conducting in21 home sleep studies for veterans. 

22 (b) ANALYSIS.—The Secretary shall conduct an anal23 ysis of the ability of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

24 to treat sleep disorders among veterans, including— 


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1 (1) assessment and treatment options for such 

2 disorders; 

3 (2) barriers to care for such disorders, such as 

4 wait time, travel time, and lack of staffing; 

5 (3) the efficacy of the clinical practice guide6 lines of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the 

7 Department of Defense for such disorders; and 

8 (4) the availability of and efficacy of the use by 

9 the Department of Veterans Affairs of cognitive be10 havioral therapy for insomnia. 

11 (c) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the date 

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

13 to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 

14 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep15 resentatives a report on— 

16 (1) the findings from the analysis conducted 

17 under subsection (b); and 

18 (2) any actions taken under subsection (a) to 

19 improve the assessment and treatment of veterans 

20 with sleep disorders. 

21 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR IN22 HOME SLEEP STUDIES.—There is authorized to be appro23 priated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs $5,000,000 

24 to be used to conduct in-home sleep studies for veterans, 


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1 as part of sleep disorder assessment and treatment con2 ducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

3 SEC. 503. STUDY ON INPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH AND SUB4 STANCE USE CARE FROM DEPARTMENT OF 

5 VETERANS AFFAIRS. 

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

7 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet8 erans Affairs shall complete the conduct of a study on ac9 cess of veterans to care under the residential rehabilitation 

10 treatment programs of the Department of Veterans Af11 fairs to determine— 

12 (1) if there are sufficient geographic offerings 

13 of inpatient mental health care, especially for vet14 erans in rural and remote communities; 

15 (2) if there are sufficient bed spaces at each lo16 cation, based on demand and drive time from the 

17 homes of veterans; 

18 (3) if there are any workforce-related capacity 

19 limitations at each location, including if beds are un20 able to be used because there are not enough pro21 viders to care for additional patients; 

22 (4) if there are diagnosis-specific or sex-specific 

23 barriers to accessing care under such programs; and 

24 (5) the average wait time for a bed in such a 

25 program, broken out by— 


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1 (A) Veterans Integrated Service Network; 

2 (B) rural or urban area; 

3 (C) sex; and 

4 (D) specialty (general program, substance 

5 use disorder program, military sexual trauma 

6 program, etc.). 

7 (b) RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MODIFICATIONS TO

8 TREATMENT PROGRAMS.—Using the results from the 

9 study conducted under subsection (a), the Secretary shall 

10 make recommendations for— 

11 (1) new locations for opening facilities to par12 ticipate in the residential rehabilitation treatment 

13 programs of the Department; 

14 (2) facilities under such programs at which new 

15 beds can be added; and 

16 (3) any additional specialty tracks to be added 

17 to such programs, such as substance use disorder or 

18 military sexual trauma, in order to meet veteran 

19 need and demand. 

20 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after comple21 tion of the study under subsection (a), the Secretary shall 

22 submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Sen23 ate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House 

24 of Representatives a report on the findings of the study 


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1 conducted under subsection (a) and the recommendations 

2 made by the Secretary under subsection (b). 

3 SEC. 504. STUDY ON TREATMENT FROM DEPARTMENT OF 

4 VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR CO-OCCURRING 

5 MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DIS6 ORDERS. 

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

8 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet9 erans Affairs shall conduct a study examining— 

10 (1) the availability of treatment programs for 

11 veterans with co-occurring mental health and sub12 stance use disorders (including both inpatient and 

13 outpatient care); 

14 (2) any geographic disparities in access to such 

15 programs, such as for rural and remote veterans; 

16 and 

17 (3) the average wait times for care under such 

18 programs. 

19 (b) REPORT.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than two years 

21 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec22 retary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans’ 

23 Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Vet24 erans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives a reVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:57 Jun 23, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00053 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6411.RH H6411

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1 port on the findings of the study conducted under 

2 subsection (a). 

3 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para4 graph (1) shall include— 

5 (A) any recommendations resulting from 

6 the study conducted under subsection (a) with 

7 respect to improving timeliness and quality of 

8 care and meeting treatment preferences for vet9 erans with co-occurring mental health and sub10 stance use disorders; and 

11 (B) a description of any actions taken by 

12 the Secretary to improve care for such veterans. 

13 SEC. 505. STUDY ON WORKLOAD OF SUICIDE PREVENTION 

14 TEAMS OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF15 FAIRS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Af17 fairs, acting through the Under Secretary for Health and 

18 the Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, shall 

19 conduct a study evaluating the workload of local suicide 

20 prevention teams of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

21 (b) ELEMENTS.—The study conducted under sub22 section (a) shall— 

23 (1) identify the effects of the growth of the sui24 cide prevention program of the Department on the 

25 workload of suicide prevention teams; 


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1 (2) incorporate key practices for staffing model 

2 design in determining suicide prevention staffing 

3 needs; and 

4 (3) determine which facilities of the Depart5 ment need increased suicide prevention coordinator 

6 staffing to meet the needs of veterans, with an em7 phasis placed on facilities with high patient volume 

8 and facilities located in States with high rates of vet9 eran suicide. 

10 (c) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

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

12 to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 

13 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep14 resentatives a report— 

15 (1) on the findings of the study conducted 

16 under subsection (a); and 

17 (2) indicating any changes made to the staffing 

18 of suicide prevention teams of the Department re19 sulting from the determinations made under sub20 section (b)(3), including a list of facilities of the De21 partment where staffing was adjusted. 

22 SEC. 506. EXPANSION OF SUICIDE PREVENTION AND MEN23 TAL HEALTH RESEARCH. 

24 (a) RESEARCH ON MORAL INJURY.—The Secretary 

25 of Veterans Affairs, acting through the Office of Research 


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1 and Development of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 

2 shall conduct suicide prevention and mental health care 

3 improvement research on how moral injury relates to the 

4 mental health needs of veterans who served in the Armed 

5 Forces after September 11, 2001, and best practices for 

6 mental health treatment for such veterans. 

7 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

8 authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Vet9 erans Affairs an additional $10,000,000 to be used by the 

10 Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention of the Depart11 ment and the Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research 

12 Education and Clinical Center for purposes of conducting 

13 research on the factors impacting veteran suicide and best 

14 practices for early intervention and support. 

15 SEC. 507. STUDY ON MENTAL HEALTH AND SUICIDE PRE16 VENTION SUPPORT FOR MILITARY FAMILIES. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Af18 fairs, in collaboration with the Secretary of Defense, shall 

19 conduct a study on secondary post-traumatic stress dis20 order and depression and its impact on spouses, children, 

21 and caregivers of members of the Armed Forces. 

22 (b) REPORT.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than three years 

24 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec25 retary of Veterans Affairs, in collaboration with the 


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1 Secretary of Defense, shall submit to Congress, vet2 erans service organizations, and military support or3 ganizations a report on the findings of the study 

4 conducted under subsection (a). 

5 (2) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

6 (A) The term ‘‘military support organiza7 tion’’ has the meaning given that term by the 

8 Secretary of Defense. 

9 (B) The term ‘‘veterans service organiza10 tion’’ means an organization recognized by the 

11 Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the represen12 tation of veterans under section 5902 of title 

13 38, United States Code. 

14 SEC. 508. RESEARCH ON BRAIN HEALTH. 

15 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Depart16 ment of Veterans Affairs an additional $5,000,000 for on17 going and future research at the Translational Research 

18 Center of the Department of Veterans Affairs for trau19 matic brain injury and stress disorders to provide better 

20 understanding of, and improved treatment options for, 

21 veterans who served in the Armed Forces after September 

22 11, 2001, and who have traumatic brain injury or post23 traumatic stress disorder. 


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1 SEC. 509. STUDY ON EFFICACY OF CLINICAL AND AT-HOME 

2 RESOURCES FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS 

3 DISORDER. 

4 Not later than two years after the date of the enact5 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, acting 

6 through the Office of Research and Development of the 

7 Department of Veterans Affairs, shall conduct a study 

8 on— 

9 (1) the efficacy of clinical and at-home re10 sources, such as mobile applications like COVID 

11 Coach, for providers, veterans, caregivers, and fam12 ily members to use for dealing with stressors; 

13 (2) the feasibility and advisability of developing 

14 more such resources; 

15 (3) strategies for improving mental health care 

16 and outcomes for veterans with post-traumatic stress 

17 disorder; and 

18 (4) best practices for helping family members of 

19 veterans deal with secondary post-traumatic stress 

20 disorder or mental health concerns. 


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Union Calendar No. 292 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6411 

[Report No. 117–382] 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to make 

and for other purposes. provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, certain improvements in the mental health care 

JUNE 22, 2022 

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

State of the Union and ordered to be printed 


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