IIB 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2915 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
FEBRUARY 10, 2016 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
AN ACT 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs to identify mental health care 
and suicide prevention programs and metrics that are 
effective in treating women veterans as part of the eval-
uation of such programs by the Secretary, and for other 
purposes. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Female Veteran Sui-
cide Prevention Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SPECIFIC CONSIDERATION OF WOMEN VETERANS 
IN EVALUATION OF DEPARTMENT OF VET-
ERANS AFFAIRS MENTAL HEALTH CARE AND 
SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAMS. 
Section 1709B(a)(2) of title 38, United States Code, 
is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by inserting before the 
semicolon the following: ‘‘, including specific metrics 
applicable to women’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(3) in subparagraph (E), by striking the period 
at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(F) identify the mental health care and suicide 
prevention programs conducted by the Secretary 
that are most effective for women veterans and such 
programs with the highest satisfaction rates among 
women veterans.’’. 
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SEC. 3. MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT FOR VETERANS WHO 
SERVED IN CLASSIFIED MISSIONS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that veterans who experience combat-related mental 
health wounds should have immediate, appropriate, and 
consistent access to comprehensive mental health care. 
(b) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 17 of 
title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following section: 
‘‘§ 1720H. Mental health treatment for veterans who 
served in classified missions 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT
OF STANDARDS.—(1) The 
Secretary shall establish standards and procedures to en-
sure that each covered veteran may access mental health 
care provided by the Secretary in a manner that fully ac-
commodates the obligation of the veteran to not improp-
erly disclose classified information. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary shall disseminate guidance to em-
ployees of the Veterans Health Administration, including 
mental health professionals, on the standards and proce-
dures established under paragraph (1) and how to best 
engage covered veterans during the course of mental 
health treatment with respect to classified information. 
‘‘(b) IDENTIFICATION.—In carrying out this section, 
the Secretary shall ensure that a veteran may elect to 
identify as a covered veteran on an appropriate form. 
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‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘classified information’ means 
any information or material that has been deter-
mined by an official of the United States pursuant 
to law, an Executive order, or regulation to require 
protection against unauthorized disclosure for rea-
sons of national security. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘covered veteran’ means a vet-
eran who— 
‘‘(A) is enrolled in the health care system 
established under section 1705(a) of this title; 
‘‘(B) is seeking mental health treatment; 
and 
‘‘(C) in the course of serving in the Armed 
Forces, participated in a sensitive mission or 
served in a sensitive unit. 
‘‘(3) The term ‘sensitive mission’ means a mis-
sion of the Armed Forces that, at the time at which 
a covered veteran seeks treatment, is classified. 
‘‘(4) The term ‘sensitive unit’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 130b(c)(4) of title 10.’’. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding 
after the item relating to section 1720G the following new 
item: 
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‘‘1720H. Mental health treatment for veterans who served in classified mis-
sions.’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives February 9, 
2016. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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