Not Just a Number Act

Subjects: Armed Forces and National Security


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 928 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 928

   To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prepare an annual 
         report on suicide prevention, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 22, 2023

Mr. Tester (for himself and Mr. Boozman) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prepare an annual 
         report on suicide prevention, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Not Just a Number Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL VETERAN SUICIDE PREVENTION ANNUAL REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and not later than September 30 of each year 
thereafter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress and publish on a publicly available 
website of the Department of Veterans Affairs a report to be known as 
the ``National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report''.
    (b) Extension.--
            (1) In general.--If the Secretary requires an extension of 
        the deadline for a report under subsection (a), the Secretary 
        shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
        written request for such an extension.
            (2) Elements.--Each written request under paragraph (1) for 
        an extension for a report shall include the following:
                    (A) The rationale for the delay in submitting the 
                report.
                    (B) An explanation of the need for an extension.
                    (C) A proposed amended date for the submittal and 
                publication of the report.
    (c) Briefing.--Before submitting a report under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall brief the appropriate committees of Congress on the 
report.
    (d) Elements of Report.--
            (1) In general.--Each report under subsection (a) shall 
        include the findings of the national analysis of veteran 
        suicide rates for the latest year data is available and shall 
        include trends and comparisons to previous years.
            (2) Additional elements.--Each report under subsection (a) 
        shall include, for the year covered by the report, the 
        following:
                    (A) Suicide rates of veterans disaggregated by age, 
                gender, and race or ethnicity.
                    (B) Trends in suicide rates of veterans compared to 
                engagement of those veterans with health care from the 
                Veterans Health Administration, including an 
                examination of trends in suicide rates or deaths 
                among--
                            (i) veterans who have recently received 
                        health care from the Veterans Health 
                        Administration as compared to veterans who have 
                        never received health care from the Veterans 
                        Health Administration;
                            (ii) veterans who are enrolled in the 
                        patient enrollment system of the Department of 
                        Veterans Affairs under section 1705(a) of title 
                        38, United States Code, as compared to veterans 
                        who have never enrolled in such system;
                            (iii) veterans who have recently used 
                        services from a Vet Center as compared to 
                        veterans who have never used such services;
                            (iv) veterans who have a diagnosis of 
                        substance use disorder; and
                            (v) other groups of veterans relating to 
                        engagement with health care from the Veterans 
                        Health Administration, as the Secretary 
                        considers practicable.
                    (C) Trends in suicide rates of veterans compared to 
                engagement of those veterans with benefits from the 
                Veterans Benefits Administration, including an 
                examination of trends in suicide rates or deaths 
                among--
                            (i) veterans who are currently using, have 
                        previously used, or have never used educational 
                        assistance under the laws administered by the 
                        Secretary;
                            (ii) veterans who are currently receiving, 
                        have previously received, or have never 
                        received services or assistance under chapter 
                        31 of title 38, United States Code;
                            (iii) with respect to compensation under 
                        chapter 11 of such title--
                                    (I) veterans who were recipients of 
                                such compensation as compared to 
                                veterans who never applied for such 
                                compensation prior to death;
                                    (II) veterans who had a claim 
                                denied for such compensation prior to 
                                death;
                                    (III) veterans who had a pending 
                                claim for such compensation at time of 
                                death; and
                                    (IV) veterans who had an 
                                entitlement for such compensation 
                                reduced prior to death;
                            (iv) veterans who are currently receiving 
                        or have never received pension under chapter 15 
                        of title 38, United States Code;
                            (v) veterans who are currently using, have 
                        previously used, or have never used programs or 
                        services provided by the Homeless Programs 
                        Office of the Department, including an 
                        examination of trends in suicide rates or 
                        deaths among veterans who made contact with 
                        such office but were denied or deemed 
                        ineligible for any such program or service;
                            (vi) with respect to housing loans 
                        guaranteed by the Secretary under chapter 37 of 
                        title 38, United States Code--
                                    (I) veterans who applied for such a 
                                loan, whether their application was 
                                accepted or not;
                                    (II) veterans who are current 
                                recipients of, were previously 
                                recipients of, or have never received 
                                such a loan; and
                                    (III) veterans who were turned down 
                                for such a loan by a lender;
                            (vii) with respect to financial hardships--
                                    (I) veterans facing health care 
                                debts;
                                    (II) veterans owing debts to the 
                                Department;
                                    (III) veterans owing debts to for-
                                profit businesses assisting veterans 
                                with claims for benefits under the laws 
                                administered by the Secretary; and
                                    (IV) veterans facing foreclosure or 
                                bankruptcy;
                            (viii) veterans who were involved in a 
                        veterans treatment court program, whether they 
                        graduated successfully or not; and
                            (ix) veterans who were successfully 
                        contacted, unsuccessfully contacted, or never 
                        contacted by the Department through the Solid 
                        Start program under section 6320 of title 38, 
                        United States Code.
            (3) Strategy and recommendations.--
                    (A) Initial report.--The initial report under 
                subsection (a) shall include a strategy and 
                recommendations developed by the Secretary of Veterans 
                Affairs, in collaboration with the Director of the 
                Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the 
                Secretary of Defense, for--
                            (i) improving data collection at the State 
                        and local levels to accurately capture suicide 
                        deaths of veterans;
                            (ii) improving the timeliness, efficacy, 
                        and standardization of data reporting on 
                        suicide deaths of veterans at the Federal 
                        level, including by the Centers for Disease 
                        Control and Prevention, the Department of 
                        Defense, and the Department of Veterans 
                        Affairs;
                            (iii) improving the timeliness of 
                        identification and analysis of suicide deaths 
                        of veterans by Federal agencies, including the 
                        Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 
                        Department of Defense, and the Department of 
                        Veterans Affairs; and
                            (iv) any other necessary process 
                        improvements for improving the timeliness, 
                        efficacy, and standardization of reporting of 
                        data relating to suicide deaths of veterans, 
                        particularly with respect to the annual report 
                        under this section.
                    (B) Subsequent reports.--Each report after the 
                initial report under subsection (a) shall include 
                updates on actions taken to meet the strategy and 
                recommendations developed under subparagraph (A).
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
        ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means the Committee on 
        Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' 
        Affairs of the House of Representatives.
            (2) Vet center.--The term ``Vet Center'' means a center for 
        readjustment counseling and related mental health services for 
        veterans under section 1712A of title 38, United States Code.

SEC. 3. REPORT ON ADDITIONAL BENEFITS AND SERVICES FROM DEPARTMENT OF 
              VETERANS AFFAIRS TO PREVENT VETERAN SUICIDE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than three years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit 
to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee 
on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives and publish on a 
publicly available website of the Department of Veterans Affairs a 
report that analyzes which benefits and services from the Department, 
including the Veterans Benefits Administration, have the greatest 
impact on prevention of suicide among veterans, including 
recommendations for potential expansion of services and benefits to 
reduce the number of veteran suicides.
    (b) Assessment of Solid Start Program.--The report required by 
subsection (a) shall include an analysis of the effectiveness of the 
Solid Start program under section 6320 of title 38, United States Code, 
on prevention of suicide among veterans.

SEC. 4. TOOLKIT FOR STATE AND LOCAL CORONERS AND MEDICAL EXAMINERS ON 
              BEST PRACTICES FOR IDENTIFYING AND REPORTING ON SUICIDE 
              DEATHS OF VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in 
collaboration with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, shall develop a toolkit for State and local coroners and 
medical examiners that contains best practices for--
            (1) accurately identifying and reporting suicide deaths of 
        veterans, including how to identify veteran status; and
            (2) reporting such deaths to the Centers for Disease 
        Control and Prevention and other applicable entities.
    (b) Availability.--Not later than two years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall make the toolkit developed 
under subsection (a) available on a publicly available website of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
    (c) Outreach.--The Secretary, in collaboration with the Director of 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall conduct outreach 
to appropriate State and local agencies to promote the availability and 
use of the toolkit developed under subsection (a).

SEC. 5. STUDY ON FEASIBILITY AND ADVISABILITY OF CREATING A SUICIDE 
              PREVENTION OFFICE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--After the submittal by the Comptroller General of 
the United States to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate 
and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives 
of the management review required under section 403 of the Commander 
John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 
(Public Law 116-171; 134 Stat. 810), which required a management review 
of the mental health and suicide prevention services provided by the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall--
            (1) review the findings and recommendations of the 
        management review; and
            (2) conduct a study on the feasibility and advisability of 
        creating a suicide prevention office of the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs at the level of the Office of the Secretary 
        that would elevate suicide prevention as a top priority across 
        the entire Department, including with respect to the work and 
        programs of the Veterans Benefits Administration and under 
        partnerships with other entities, including other Federal 
        agencies and non-governmental partners.
    (b) Report to Congress.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than two years after the 
        submittal by the Comptroller General of the management review 
        described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the 
        Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee 
        on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report 
        summarizing--
                    (A) any actions planned or taken, including 
                reorganizations or changes to reporting or governance 
                structures, in response to the management review, 
                including any completion dates or targeted completion 
                dates for any such actions; and
                    (B) the results of the study required under 
                subsection (a)(2), which shall include an examination 
                of the considerations for creating a suicide prevention 
                office of the Department of Veterans Affairs at the 
                level of the Office of the Secretary, including--
                            (i) benefits and potential drawbacks;
                            (ii) projected costs and staffing needs, 
                        including new full-time equivalent employees 
                        and transferred full-time equivalent employees; 
                        and
                            (iii) suggested organizational and 
                        leadership structure and principal activities 
                        and functions of the suicide prevention office.
            (2) Recommendations regarding organization and leadership 
        structure.--In providing suggestions for organizational and 
        leadership structure under the report under paragraph 
        (1)(B)(iii), the Secretary shall--
                    (A) assess whether the suicide prevention office of 
                the Department should be led by a political appointee, 
                a career employee in a Senior Executive Service 
                position (as defined in section 3132 of title 5, United 
                States Code) or equivalent, or another position type; 
                and
                    (B) detail which functions would remain in the 
                current Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention 
                of the Veterans Health Administration, including an 
                assessment of where management of the Veterans Crisis 
                Line under section 1720F(h) of title 38, United States 
                Code, should reside.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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