Warrior Wellness Act

To direct the Secretary of Defense to develop a strategy to recruit and retain mental health providers, to direct the Secretaries of the military departments to develop medication monitoring programs, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Warrior Wellness Act 2. Strategy to recruit and retain mental health providers Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees (as defined in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code) a report that— (1) describes the shortage of mental health providers of the Department of Defense; (2) explains the reasons for such shortage; (3) explains the effect of such shortage on members of the Armed Forces; and (4) contains a strategy to better recruit and retain mental health providers, including with respect to psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health nurse practitioners, licensed social workers, and other licensed providers of the military health system. 3. Monitoring medication prescribing practices for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (a) Report (1) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and Senate a report on the practices for prescribing medication during the period beginning January 1, 2012, and ending December 31, 2017, that were inconsistent with the post-traumatic stress disorder medication guidelines developed by the Department of Defense and the Veterans Health Administration. (2) Contents The report under this subsection shall include the following: (A) A summary of the Army’s, the Navy’s, and the Air Force’s practices for prescribing medication during the period referred to in paragraph (1) that were inconsistent with the post-traumatic stress disorder medication guidelines developed by the Department of Defense and the Veterans Health Administration. (B) Identification of medical centers serving members of the Armed Forces found to having higher than average incidences of prescribing medication during the period referred to in paragraph (1) that were inconsistent with the post-traumatic stress disorder guidelines. (C) A plan for such medical centers to reduce the prescribing of medications that are inconsistent with the post-traumatic stress disorder guidelines. (D) A plan for ongoing monitoring of medical centers found to have higher than average incidences of prescribing medication that were inconsistent with the post-traumatic stress disorder guidelines by the Department of Defense and the Veterans Health Administration. (b) Monitoring program Based on the findings of the report under subsection (a), the Secretaries of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force shall each establish a monitoring program carried out with respect to such branch of the Armed Forces that shall provide as follows: (1) The monitoring program shall provide for the conduct of periodic reviews, beginning October 1, 2019, of medication prescribing practices of its own providers. (2) The monitoring program shall provide for regular reports, beginning October 1, 2020, to the Department of Defense and the Veterans Health Administration, of the results of the periodic reviews pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection. (3) The monitoring program shall establish internal procedures, not later than October 1, 2020, to address practices for prescribing medication that are inconsistent with the post-traumatic stress disorder medication guidelines developed by the Department of Defense and the Veterans Health Administration.

Summary: Warrior Wellness Act This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to report to Congress on (1) the shortage of mental health providers within DOD, (2) a plan for recruiting and retaining mental health professionals, (3) a plan to reduce the improper prescribing of medications for post-traumatic stress disorders within DOD and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities, and (4) a plan for a program to monitor DOD and VHA medication prescription practices.