I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 26 

To direct the Secretary of Defense to adopt a program of professional and 

confidential screenings to detect mental health injuries acquired during 

deployment in support of a contingency operation and ultimately to 

reduce the incidence of suicide among veterans. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 5, 2011 

Ms. SPEIER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 

case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 

the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Defense to adopt a program 

of professional and confidential screenings to detect mental health injuries acquired during deployment in support 

of a contingency operation and ultimately to reduce the 

incidence of suicide among veterans. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Mental 

5 Health Screening and Assessment Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

2 It is the sense of Congress that— 

3 (1) the increasing rate of suicide among vet4 erans returning from Operation Enduring Freedom 

5 and Operation Iraqi Freedom is a serious problem; 

6 and 

7 (2) the Secretary of Defense should conduct 

8 mandatory, face-to-face and confidential mental 

9 health and traumatic brain injury screenings by a li10 censed medical professional, for each member of the 

11 Armed Forces, during the period beginning 90 days 

12 after the date on which the member completes a de13 ployment in support of a contingency operation and 

14 ending 180 days after such date. 

15 SEC. 3. MANDATORY, FACE-TO-FACE AND CONFIDENTIAL 

16 SCREENINGS FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION 

17 AMONG VETERANS. 

18 (a) MANDATORY SCREENINGS.—The Secretary of 

19 Defense shall carry out a mandatory, face-to-face, and 

20 confidential mental health and traumatic brain injury 

21 screening conducted by a licensed medical professional, for 

22 each member of the Armed Forces, during the period be23 ginning 90 days after the date on which the member com24 pletes a deployment in support of a contingency operation 

25 and ending 180 days after such date. 


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1 (b) REQUIREMENTS OF SCREENING.—The screenings 

2 required by subsection (a) shall be designed to— 

3 (1) provide the members of the Armed Forces 

4 with an objective mental health and traumatic brain 

5 injury standard to screen for suicide risk factors; 

6 (2) ease the members’ transitions by allowing 

7 them to be honest in their assessments; 

8 (3) battle the stigma of depression and mental 

9 health problems among service personnel and vet10 erans; and 

11 (4) ultimately reduce the prevalence of suicide 

12 among veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Op13 eration Enduring Freedom. 

14 (c) RETURN TO UNITED STATES.—The Secretary of 

15 Defense may not prohibit a member of the Armed Forces 

16 from returning to the United States by reason of any re17 sult or determination made pursuant to a screening con18 ducted under subsection (a). 

19 (d) REQUIREMENT FOR DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

20 AND DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO SHARE IN21 FORMATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH SCREENINGS.— 

22 Pursuant to and consistent with requirements of the 

23 Wounded Warrior Act (title IV of Public Law 110–181; 

24 10 U.S.C. 1071 note), and section 1614 of that Act in 

25 particular, and section 1720F of title 38, United States 


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1 Code, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Vet2 erans Affairs shall establish a joint protocol to share exist3 ing and future reports from confidential mental health 

4 screenings conducted under this section to help aid mem5 bers of the Armed Forces in their transition from health 

6 care and treatment provided by the Department of De7 fense to health care and treatment provided by the De8 partment of Veterans Affairs. 

9 (e) CONTINGENCY OPERATION.—For the purposes of 

10 this Act, the term ‘‘contingency operation’’ has the mean11 ing given that term under section 101(13) of title 10, 

12 United States Code. 

Æ 


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