I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5352 
To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot program to pre- 
program suicide prevention resources into smart devices issued to mem-
bers of the Armed Forces. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 
Mr. JOYCE of Ohio (for himself and Mr. PANETTA) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot 
program to pre-program suicide prevention resources into 
smart devices issued to members of the Armed Forces. 
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 ‘‘Military Suicide Pre-
vention in the 21st Century Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Although personal electronic devices, such 
as mobile phones, computers, and tablets, increas-
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ingly are being leveraged as vehicles for health in the 
civilian world, almost nothing is known about per-
sonal technology use among members of the Armed 
Forces. 
(2) The Defense Health Agency created the 
Virtual Hope Box application to help members of 
the Armed Forces build resilience. 
(3) Users of the Virtual Hope Box application 
reported significantly greater ability to cope with un-
pleasant emotions and thoughts. 
(4) Members of the Armed Forces who are be-
havioral health patients experiencing distress, emo-
tional dysregulation, or suicidal ideation are often 
separated from direct clinical support when they 
need it. 
(5) The Virtual Hope Box application offers a 
highly portable, accessible, and discreet tool for ef-
fectively increasing coping self-efficacy. 
(6) A strongly linked chain of care depends on 
engaged leaders as well as highly competent first re-
sponders, crisis hotline workers, emergency depart-
ment personnel, chaplains, primary care clinicians, 
and behavioral health clinicians. 
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SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM ON PRE-PROGRAMMING OF SUI-
CIDE PREVENTION RESOURCES INTO SMART 
DEVICES 
ISSUED 
TO 
MEMBERS 
OF 
THE 
ARMED FORCES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Commencing not later than 120 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall carry out a pilot program under 
which the Secretary— 
(1) pre-downloads the Virtual Hope Box appli-
cation of the Defense Health Agency, or such suc-
cessor application, on smart devices individually 
issued to members of the Armed Forces; 
(2) pre-programs the National Suicide Hotline 
number and Veterans Crisis Line number into the 
contacts for such devices; and 
(3) provides training, as part of training on sui-
cide awareness and prevention conducted throughout 
the Department of Defense, on the preventative re-
sources described in paragraphs (1) and (2). 
(b) DURATION.—The Secretary shall carry out the 
pilot program under this section for a two-year period. 
(c) SCOPE.—The Secretary shall determine the ap-
propriate scope of individuals participating in the pilot 
program under this section to best represent each Armed 
Force and to ensure a relevant sample size. 
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(d) IDENTIFICATION
OF OTHER RESOURCES.—In 
carrying out the pilot program under this section, the Sec-
retary shall coordinate with the Director of the Defense 
Health Agency and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to 
identify other useful technology-related resources for use 
in the pilot program. 
(e) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after com-
pleting the pilot program under this section, the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the 
Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the 
House of Representatives a report on the pilot program. 
(f) VETERANS CRISIS LINE DEFINED.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘‘Veterans Crisis Line’’ means the toll-free 
hotline for veterans established under section 1720F(h) of 
title 38, United States Code. 
Æ 
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