To establish a task force of the Department of Defense on mental health.

Subjects: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:  <p>This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish a task force to examine matters relating to the mental health of members of the Armed Forces. The task force must submit a report to DOD that includes recommendations related to the mental health services provided to members of the Armed Forces. DOD must develop a plan based on the recommendations of the task force.</p>

<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3011 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3011

   To establish a task force of the Department of Defense on mental 
                                health.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 28, 2023

Mr. Kilmer (for himself, Mr. Wittman, Ms. Houlahan, Mr. Reschenthaler, 
      Ms. Norton, Mr. Stewart, Mr. Ryan, Mr. Nickel, Mr. Kelly of 
Mississippi, Ms. Sherrill, Mr. Tonko, Ms. Wild, Mr. Womack, Mr. Bishop 
 of Georgia, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms. McCollum, Mrs. McClellan, Ms. Titus, 
Mr. Scott of Virginia, and Mr. Norcross) introduced the following bill; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish a task force of the Department of Defense on mental 
                                health.

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

SECTION 1. TASK FORCE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ON MENTAL HEALTH.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish a task 
force to examine matters relating to the mental health of members of 
the Armed Forces.
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) Qualifications.--The Secretary of Defense shall appoint 
        to the task force individuals who have demonstrated expertise 
        in the following areas:
                    (A) National mental health policy.
                    (B) Military personnel policy.
                    (C) Research in the field of mental health.
                    (D) Clinical care in mental health.
                    (E) Military chaplain or pastoral care.
            (2) Number; composition.--The Secretary shall appoint not 
        more than 15 individuals to the task force in accordance with 
        the following:
                    (A) DOD appointees.--One half of the appointees 
                shall include--
                            (i) at least one member of each of the 
                        Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and the 
                        National Guard;
                            (ii) at least one surgeon general of an 
                        Armed Force; and
                            (iii) at least one dependent of a member of 
                        the Armed Forces who has experience working 
                        with military families.
                    (B) Non-DOD appointees.--One half of the appointees 
                shall be individuals who are not members of the Armed 
                Forces, civilian employees of the Department of 
                Defense, or dependents of such members, including--
                            (i) an officer or employee of the 
                        Department of Veterans Affairs; and
                            (ii) an officer or employee of the 
                        Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
                        Administration of the Department of Health and 
                        Human Services.
                    (C) Deadline.--The Secretary of Defense shall 
                appoint all members not later than 90 days after the 
                date of the enactment of this Act.
                    (D) Co-chairs.--There shall be two co-chairs of the 
                task force, one of the whom shall be designated by the 
                Secretary at the time of appointment from among the 
                individuals appointed under subparagraph (A). The other 
                co-chair shall be selected from among the members 
                appointed under subparagraph (B) by members so 
                appointed.
    (c) Assessment and Recommendations on Mental Health Services.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 12 months after the date on 
        which all members of the task force have been appointed, the 
        task force shall submit to the Secretary a report containing an 
        assessment of, and recommendations for improving, the efficacy 
        of mental health services provided to members of the Armed 
        Forces by the Department of Defense.
            (2) Utilization of other efforts.--In preparing the report, 
        the task force shall take into consideration completed and 
        ongoing efforts by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary 
        of Veterans Affairs to improve the efficacy of mental health 
        care provided to members of the Armed Forces.
            (3) Elements.--The assessment and recommendations 
        (including recommendations for legislative or administrative 
        action) shall include measures to improve the following:
                    (A) The awareness of the potential for mental 
                health conditions of members of the Armed Forces.
                    (B) The access to, and efficacy of, existing 
                programs (include telehealth programs) in primary care 
                and mental health care to prevent, identify, and treat 
                mental health conditions of members of the Armed 
                Forces, including programs for--
                            (i) forward-deployed troops;
                            (ii) members of the reserve components; and
                            (iii) members assigned to remote or austere 
                        duty locations.
                    (C) The access to adequate telehealth resources 
                including for members described in subparagraph (B), 
                including access to equipment, bandwidth, and platforms 
                used to deliver care.
                    (D) The assessment of disruptions to mental health 
                care as a result of frequent changes to TRICARE 
                eligibility and coverage for members of the National 
                Guard, as well as potential benefits of more consistent 
                care.
                    (E) Analysis of the potential effect on access and 
                outcomes for members serving on active duty as a result 
                of proposed cuts to military end strengths regarding 
                members with medical military occupational specialties.
                    (F) The access to and programs for family members 
                of members of the Armed Forces, including family 
                members overseas.
                    (G) Access to, and quality of, private mental 
                health care received by members through TRICARE.
                    (H) The reduction or elimination of barriers to 
                care, including the stigma associated with mental 
                health conditions, by measures including enhanced 
                confidentiality for members who seek care for such 
                conditions.
                    (I) The awareness of mental health services 
                available to dependents of members.
                    (J) The adequacy of outreach, education, and 
                support programs on mental health matters for families 
                of members.
                    (K) The early identification and treatment of 
                mental health and substance abuse problems through the 
                use of internal mass media communications (including 
                radio, and television, social media) and other 
                education tools to change attitudes within the Armed 
                Forces regarding mental health and substance abuse 
                treatment.
                    (L) The transition from mental health care 
                furnished by the Secretary of Defense to such care 
                furnished by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
                    (M) The availability of long-term follow-up and 
                access to care for mental health conditions for members 
                of the Individual Ready Reserve and the Selected 
                Reserve and for discharged, separated, or retired 
                members of the Armed Forces.
                    (N) Collaboration between agencies of the 
                Department of Defense with responsibility for, or 
                jurisdiction over, the provision of mental health 
                services.
                    (O) Coordination between the Department of Defense 
                and civilian communities, including State, local, 
                Tribal, and territorial governments, and local support 
                organizations, with respect to mental health services.
                    (P) Coordination between the Department of Defense 
                and relevant Federal stakeholders, including the 
                Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, 
                National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for 
                Disease Control.
                    (Q) The scope and efficacy of curricula and 
                training on mental health matters for commanders in the 
                Armed Forces.
                    (R) The efficiency and effectiveness of pre- and 
                post-deployment mental health screenings, including 
                mental health screenings for members of the Armed 
                Forces.
                    (S) The effectiveness of mental health programs 
                provided in languages other than English.
                    (T) Tracking the use of behavioral health services 
                and related outcomes, including wait times, continuity 
                of care, symptom resolution, and maintenance of 
                improvements resulting from treatment.
                    (U) Other matters the task force determines 
                appropriate.
    (d) Administrative Matters.--
            (1) Compensation.--Each member of the task force who is a 
        member of the Armed Forces or a civilian officer or employee of 
        the United States shall serve without compensation (other than 
        compensation to which entitled as a member of the Armed Forces 
        or an officer or employee of the United States, as the case may 
        be). Other members of the task force shall be treated for 
        purposes of section 3161 of title 5, United States Code, as 
        having been appointed under subsection (b) of such section.
            (2) Oversight.--The Under Secretary of Defense for 
        Personnel and Readiness shall oversee the activities of the 
        task force.
            (3) Administrative support.--The Washington Headquarters 
        Services of the Department of Defense shall provide the task 
        force with personnel, facilities, and other administrative 
        support as necessary for the performance of the duties of the 
        task force.
            (4) Access to facilities.--The Under Secretary of Defense 
        for Personnel and Readiness shall, in coordination with the 
        Secretaries of the military departments, ensure appropriate 
        access by the task force to military installations and 
        facilities for purposes of the discharge of the duties of the 
        task force.
    (e) Report.--
            (1) Submission to secretary of defense.--The task force 
        shall submit to the Secretary of Defense a report on its 
        activities under this section. The report shall include--
                    (A) a description of the activities of the task 
                force;
                    (B) the assessment and recommendations required by 
                subsection (c); and
                    (C) other matters that the task force determines 
                appropriate.
            (2) Submission to congress.--Not later than 90 days after 
        receipt of the report under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
        submit to the Committees on Armed Services, and on Veterans' 
        Affairs, of the Senate and the House of Representatives, a copy 
        such report. The Secretary may include in such submission 
        comments on the report the Secretary determines appropriate.
    (f) Termination.--The task force shall terminate 90 days after the 
date on which the report of the task force is submitted to Congress 
under subsection (e)(2).
    (g) Plan of the Secretary.--Not later than six months after receipt 
of the report from the task force under subsection (e), the Secretary 
of Defense shall develop a plan based on the recommendations of the 
task force and submit the plan to the congressional defense committees.
    (h) Reports by the Secretary.--For each of the five years following 
the submission of the report from the Department of Defense Task Force 
on Mental Health, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 
congressional defense committees a report on the recommendations made 
by the Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health with respect 
to the Determinations. Department of Defense. Each such report shall 
include--
            (1) for each such recommendation, the determination of the 
        Secretary of Defense whether to implement the recommendation;
            (2) in the case of a recommendation the Secretary intends 
        to implement, the intended timeline for implementation, a 
        description of any additional resources or authorities required 
        for such implementation, and the plan for such implementation;
            (3) in the case of a recommendation the Secretary 
        determines is not advisable or feasible, the analysis and 
        justification of the Secretary in making that determination; 
        and
            (4) in the case of a recommendation the Secretary 
        determines the Department is already implementing, the analysis 
        and justification of the Secretary in making that 
        determination.
    (i) Briefings by the Secretary.--Not less than once each of the 
five years following the submission of the report, the Secretary of 
Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees a 
briefing on--
            (1) the progress of the Secretary in analyzing and 
        implementing the recommendations made by the task force;
            (2) any programs, projects, or other activities of the 
        Department of Defense that are being carried out to implement 
        such recommendations; and
            (3) the amount of funding provided for such programs, 
        projects, and activities.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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